Hobo Alessa

Hobo was founded in 1991 by Toni Ray in Annapolis, Maryland on her dining room table.

Toni had been creating unique accessories for years as the co-founder of Georgetown Leather Design in Washington, DC., the 'in' place for the hippie crowd to buy cool leather goods during the 60's and 70's. In those days, the bags were made by hand in the basement of the shop. Toni's handcrafted leather goods were soon recognized as being fashionable and hip. Every piece had her signature style.

Then in 1991, she cashed in her life-savings, bought a beat-up van and convinced her daughter and future son-in-law, Koren and David, to head to New York to sell the first 'Hobo' collection.

Her philosophy for Hobo; women's accessories should be both stylish and practical. Toni believed that quality and 'cool' never go out of style. Her passion for creative design and purposeful details became a way of life at Hobo.

This philosophy resonated with women everywhere who were looking for fun, functional accessories to express their individual style. Over the years, Hobo's handbags and small leather goods have earned a loyal following for their practical features, iconic shapes and affordable pricing. WWD has called Hobo one of the country’s most "fun and funky" accessories brands.

In 2006, Toni turned over the brand to Koren and David Brewer, her family and business partners for those fifteen years. The second-generation Hobos follow the founding principles of fashion and function and still infuse the same passion and creativity into their vision for this ever-expanding lifestyle brand. Koren and her design team stay true to Toni's early philosophies, while exploring new and innovative ways to meet the needs of today's busy, fashion-savvy woman. As an added plus, Koren and David are thrilled to have Toni living two doors down to serve up handbag wisdom and help out with the couple's four kids.

Twenty years later, the Hobo brand has come a long way from handbags designed on the dining room table to a multi-million dollar accessory business. In March of 2012, Hobo opened its first flagship store in downtown Annapolis, MD, showing support and loyalty to its hometown and local community. The true heritage spirit of crafting fashionable, smart accessories in quality materials remains the driving philosophy of the company today.