Five years ago, Lisa Bradley and Cameron Cruse were military wives who were fiddling around with leather and canvas in a small attic. Today, their idea to create a handbag has turned into a full-fledged company called R. Riveter.
The company sells quality bags, employing other military spouses to get the work done. Friday, they’re taking their idea to ABC’s “Shark Tank.”
Someone from the show encouraged them to apply.
“It wasn’t something that was on our radar, but we decided ‘Shark Tank’ would give us a platform to empower military spouses,” Cruse told the Fayetteville Observer. “It wasn’t real until I saw the preview.”
The two women met in Georgia, where their husbands were stationed with the Army. They became fast friends, but, they shared a problem: it was hard for them to find jobs as military wives. That’s how R. Riveter was born.
Bradley has a background in business while Cruse brings the team her design skills. They get other military spouses across the country to make the handbags, giving them jobs and empowering the spouses in the process. The bags are then shipped to R. Riveter’s home base in Southern Pines, N.C., near Ft. Bragg.
The “Shark Tank” episode was filmed in California. The two women know the results but, of course, are not allowed to talk about them.
You can cheer them on when “Shark Tank” airs Friday, Feb. 5, at 9 p.m. (EST).
R. Riveter
