Caro Nan

Ever heard or seen a Caro Nan purse? Today on my lunch break I went to an estate sale and was lucky enough to purchase 2 of my own!

 

 

I met Anne (Steele) Riley a couple of years ago through the furniture/booth business. She had a booth @ Antique Mall of the South and would buy furniture and accessories from me to put in her booth, etc etc. Anne is very unique in her own way, which is why I love her! She now has a booth next to mine so I see her quite often.

 

Needless to say, Anne informed me awhile back of these purses and asked had I ever seen one. Her mom (Nancy Steele) was one of the ladies that made these and sold them. Every since finding out that Anne's mother made these & also that Anne is the one that glued the penny on top- I have been determined to buy one! Will I ever use it? Probably not! Its just neat knowing that these were once such a hott item and my good friend had a hand in the business=) 

 

 

I found this blog that talks about them. Very neat!!

 

 

May 21, 2011 at 10:39 PM

Caro-Nan was based out of Jackson, Mississippi.

Caro= Carolyn McDaniel
Nan= Nancy Steele

The two owned and operated the store in the 60s and manufactured, distributed, and sold their purses with the help of local housewives needing to make some money at the time,were hard working, and who possessed a creative mind set in MS at the time. Nancy’s daughter Anne Steele Riley had the honor of placing the lucky penny on certain bags during the mid 60s, adding a unique touch to the bag before they were hand signed Caro-Nan on the inside and later occasionally on the outside as well. They became very unique and popular must have items and began to circulate to specific shops around the State and then around the Nation.

The two currently still reside in Jackson but have not made purses for some time now. These are truly very unique and timeless pieces. I grew up seeing them around Nancy’s house for ever and always knew that they were quite unique. - RR

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Hawks Hill FarmFebruary 3, 2013 at 10:28 AM
My parents were good friends with the Steeles and McDaniels in Jackson. My mom was one of the original painters, before the ladies started the business. We had purses all over the house for years! Mom made one for each of the grown-up women in the family. The purses were each unique and personalized to the owner. It was fun to read the purses, see all the local businesses, and the fantasy businesses with our names on them. I usually got a pet shop or a horse stable :). My sister got a dance studio or art gallery. Great fun - so many memories. Thank you.