(enlarged write up from Daily below)

Local mom fashions herself a business

Coquitlam’s Krista Lapp started goodiebag.ca for fashionistas like herself. By Sarah Young The Tri-City News Apr 26 2006 Busy fashionistas who desire the latest trends and relish the discovery of that truly unique fashion find, but who don’t have the time to scour Lower Mainland shops, are getting a little help from a Coquitlam woman and her new website. Krista Lapp has used fashion merchandising experience, shopping prowess and a lifelong passion for clothing design to create www.goodiebag.ca, an online resource dedicated to promoting local designers and locally owned shops and boutiques. “I started it partly for selfish reasons,” the busy mother of two children said. “I was looking for unique jewellery designers in Vancouver and searching around on Google but I couldn’t find a concrete list.” After her lengthy online search and few results, Lapp, 31, realized there was an opportunity for an easy-to-use directory of Lower Mainland shops and designers. The site has listings for most of the well known chains, such as Club Monaco and the Gap, but Lapp is planning an overhaul to be launched in about a month to focus on up-and-coming designers and independent shops with a wide range in prices. “Goodie Bag gets more traffic than the average local store or designer so it will be an opportunity for them to showcase their designs to more people,” she said. Boutiques that usually fall under the shoppers’ radar, such as the hidden gems in Gastown carrying one-of-a-kind pieces, Lapp said, will be front and centre on Goodie Bag. For the time-crunched shopper who just wants to know what’s trendy and where to find it — fast — Goodie Bag offers pages dedicated to Lapp’s fabulous finds (the J Brand skinny jean, a modern take on 1980s punk fashion) and seasonal must haves (the Georgia handbag by Tracey-Lynn). The blog page lets readers send in their own insider shopping tips (summer’s metallic flats from Aldo, City Lips lip gloss at Shopper’s Drug Mart and True Religion jeans from Fab received Goodie Bag nods). Lapp is targeting the site at women from 18 to 36 who are serious about fashion. “It’s for women who are a bit more trendy,” she said, “the gal with a wardrobe ranging from stilettos and jeans to matching yoga outfits.” © Copyright 2006 The Tri-City News