Released on: September 9, 2008, 9:25 am

Press Release Author: Shagbag

Industry:

Press Release Summary: The Challenge\'s kickoff is set to coincide with the opening
of Shagbag\'s eco-chic showroom and gift studio during the Maryland Avenue Fall
Festival in downtown Annapolis, MD.

Press Release Body: ANNAPOLIS, MD – September 9, 2008 - - Working to reduce plastic
bag proliferation, Shagbag, LLC owners and reusable bag designers Alli Oliver and
Stefanie DiBenedetto have initiated \"The Refusabag Holiday Challenge\" in hopes of
making an immediate and meaningful impact by saving at least 10,000 disposable bags
from local landfills. Shagbag\'s new showroom and studio, Shagbag & Co. will serve
as the headquarters of the Refusabag campaign with a scheduled kickoff date of
September 28, coinciding with the opening of the showroom.

The mission of this challenge is to prevent as many plastic and paper bags from
hitting Maryland landfills by encouraging reusable bag use during the busy holiday
shopping season. The environmental effects are quantifiable. The impact of just one
person changing to reusable bags, let alone an entire community over a three-month
period is significant. If just 2,000 of the 35,000 Annapolis residents alone,
pledge to use a reusable bag between October and December, saving an average of 50
disposable store bags each, 10,000 fewer bags will end up in a nearby landfill.
That\'s equal to 132 lbs. of gas, enough petroleum to drive 720 miles.

Supporters of the campaign will pledge at The Refusabag Holiday Challenge Kickoff,
scheduled for September 28th during the Maryland Avenue Fall Festival, also the
opening day of the Shagbag & Co. showroom and studio. Afterwards, eco-minded
community members can pledge at participating stores and businesses, as well as
online at the official website of the campaign: www.refusabag.com where merchants
supporting in the challenge will be listed along with a weekly updated count of
pledges.

Businesses may take part in the campaign by offering discounts or other incentives
to consumers. The Annapolis Business Association purchased 2,000 custom Shagbags
and merchant members will begin selling them this weekend to promote downtown
shopping, greener living, and discounts for Shagbag toting shoppers. Some
supporting stores are Diva, Bailey\'s, Mary and Blanche, Candles Off Main, and
Paradigm.

Shagbag aims to inspire locally and globally. \"Everyone can take simple, practical
steps in their lives to conserve waste. This challenge is about taking action
together and making a real, measurable difference in our community,\" says owner
Stefanie DiBenedetto. \"If every community can embrace a challenge like this,
millions of bags will be kept out of landfills, oceans and our streets.\" The
Shagbag duo plans to gather support from cities across the country for a nation-wide
Refusabag Holiday Challenge in 2009.

The social and eco-conscious entrepreneurs are currently preparing for the opening
of Shagbag & Co., designed as a meeting place for custom order clients, as well as a
unique jewelry and handbag shop for boutique-loving shoppers. The showroom and gift
studio will be amongst an eclectic group of merchants on the quaint Maryland Avenue
in historic downtown Annapolis.

In keeping with their eco-friendly ethics, Shagbag & Co. will run on wind power, be
painted with low-fume paint, as well as utilize recycled fixtures and props. The
showroom will hold private and public events, such as Cupcake Fridays and Etiquette
Classes for girls 11-14 years old. Car-free shopping discounts will be available to
all shoppers biking, walking, driving by scooter, using the bus or otherwise
arriving without a car or truck. Shoppers are encouraged to bring their own bag;
Shagbag & Co. will not offer their patrons plastic and paper bags for purchases.

Shagbag, LLC debuted on the eco-fashion set in February of this year. In efforts to
reduce waste, the partners aligned their very diverse backgrounds in fashion,
marketing and manufacturing to design a portable reusable bag that’s so stylish you
would never consider discarding it. Every Shagbag comes in its own matching portable
pouch, which doubles as the bag\'s packaging to save waste.

Having a Shagbag close at hand means reusability is more likely, easily saving the
average person over 500 plastic and paper bags a year. Starting at $22, consumers of
all ages and genres can afford to buy many styles for every application in life.
Shagbag\'s target audience is women of all ages looking to make \"green changes\" in
their daily routine, while maintaining their stylish look.

Shagbags are available nationwide and online on the Shagbag website.

About Shagbag, LLC:

The company was formed in late 2007, when partners Alli Oliver and Stefanie
DiBenedetto made it their mission to refuse retailers bags. Not wanting to
compromise their style, they found themselves longing for a reusable shopping bag as
stylish as their outfits, yet easily portable so as not to forget. Four weeks later,
Shagbag was born.

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Web Site: http://www.shopshagbags.com

Contact Details: Media Contacts:
Alli Oliver
Tel. 301-461-8648
Stefanie DiBenedetto
Tel. 410-499-6090

Email: HYPERLINK \"mailto:info@shopshagbags.com\"
Website: HYPERLINK \"http://www.ShopShagbags.com”