Local Mom Creates 'Practical' Bag for the Beach, Gym, Pool and More

Fed up with canvas beach bags that accumulate so much sand, salt and bacteria they eventually became unusable, Kim Vaccarella, a Ridgewood resident and mother of two, took matters into her own hands and came up with the idea for the bogg bag.

After purchasing Crocs shoes for her sons, Vaccarella realized the foam-like material would be perfect for a beach bag. After searching high and low for bags made of that material, she realized such a bag did not exist and decided to create one herself.

After sketching what she wanted the bag to look like, the process to make bogg bags a reality began.

“If you’re familiar with the feeling of Crocs, [the material] feels exactly the same,” Vaccarella said. “The injectable foam doesn’t hold heat, so it doesn’t get hot, it doesn’t melt and it feels very soft on your skin.”

Made from durable EVA foam, bogg bags can stand on their own. The bags come in five different colors, are all one size (22.5”Wx17”HX9.5D) and cost $59.99 each.

“You can use the bogg bag for anything,” Vaccarella, married to Police Officer Rosario Vacarella and daughter of Mayor Keith Killion, said. “It can be used as a gym bag, you can even put groceries in it. All those reusable bags people are using carry so much bacteria. The good thing about this material is you can hose it off and wash it.”

Vaccarella said the bogg bag has been a big hit with mothers like herself, but sees women ages 18 to 55 purchasing the bag and has even noticed a few men buying boggs.

The bogg bags were first available at Pink Bungalow, a gift shop in Ridgewood, which Vaccerella said is on their fifth order.

Stacie Greenhouse, a sales associate at Pink Bungalow, said bogg bags confirmed the bags have been a big hit.

“A lot of people [in Ridgewood] know Kim and were really glad to see she’d created something and chose Ridgewood to be the first place to launch,” Greenhouse said.

Pink Bungalo has sold “countless,” bogg bags, the sales associate remarked.

“People come in and say they make great presents,” Greenhouse said. “The price is right for that kind of bag, and plus they’re anti-bacterial and you can hose them off. They’re just very practical, and people are really, really excited about them.”

Today, bogg bags are available in six stores throughout New Jersey, and Vaccarella hopes to eventually branch out to other states. The bag can also be purchased online.

Vaccerella continues to work at her full-time job in real estate, but has ideas for expanding the bogg line.

“I have an idea for a whole bunch of other bags and sizes, but right now I’m just introducing the brand and seeing how people take to it,” Vaccarella said. “So far it’s been positive.”