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The Uncommon Life

Uncommon Personalities: Meet Gaby Germaine

January 26, 2016

Gaby Germaine, UncommonGoods Creative Director

My home town is…
Smack dab in the middle of the heartland, Van Meter, Iowa.

I’m inspired by…
Hard working people, nature, color, and kindness.

Working at UncommonGoods, I’ve learned…
That this Thomas Edison quote I love is 100% accurate. “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” I have been fortunate enough to work with and learn from some amazing people who have not been afraid to work and to work hard.

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The Uncommon Life

Gift Lab #1: Gaby vs. the Laptop Bag

April 27, 2010

Alexander Girard Laptop Bag

1) Product Name: Alexander Girard Laptop Sling in Retrospective

2) Background Research: I travel for work often, and am almost always lugging around a laptop.  This laptop sling was in the studio, because I had just photographed it, and I was in desperate need of a new laptop carrier.  I grabbed it as I ran out the door to catch my flight.

3)  Hypothesis: If I use this laptop bag, then the way I travel (and my life!) will be changed for the better.

4)  Experiment: Take the laptop sling to Wisconsin for the printing of the Summer 2010 catalog.

Alexander Girard Laptop Bag

5)  Results: I loved this bag! I have never really spent anytime thinking about it, but carrying your laptop around horizontally is not nearly as easy as carrying it vertically.  I noticed right away how much easier it was to walk up and down the airplane aisles with that and a carry-on.  I was happy to discover that I didn’t end up smacking anyone upside the head with the edge of the bag, which unfortunately for those who are on my flights … is not all that uncommon for me.  And something else I loved, three separate people stopped me to ask about my bag and tell me how cool they thought it was!

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