I recently celebrated my birthday which was a cause for both celebration and reflection. I thought carefully about how I spend my time, what I hope will happen in my life this year, and what I want to accomplish with my Doubletake business. I'm proud that my team and I have created the best tennis and pickleball bags on the market, and that our customers love our bags. As those who run their own business know, it's an unbelievable amount of work. I could be playing more tennis.
I contemplated winding down the business or selling it. I received a tempting offer. But I realized that without Doubletake, I would be missing out on one of the things I love, which is designing incredible bags: bags for athletes who care about their performance on the court and who expect the same level of performance from their gear. Doubletake athletes won't compromise on their desire for stylish bags that also work well. Building products that meet this need is thrilling. I'm grateful for the early Doubletake supporters who took a chance on a new brand because they wanted a beautiful bag that has pockets for everything. I know there are many more athletes around the world who crave both function and style, and I'm excited for them to meet Doubletake. So, I'm doubling down on Doubletake and can't wait for our fans to see what's in the upcoming lineup of bags. With my renewed enthusiasm for the business, I'd like to share My Doubletake Story.
I learned to play tennis as an adult. My husband, on the other hand, has played since he was a child. So, when friends encouraged us to join the tennis club in town, we did. My husband was excited to get back to playing tennis competitively; I was excited about the swimming pool. Plus, the club is conveniently located just a few blocks from where my girls went to school. After a year of watching my husband head off to matches while I spent afternoons at the pool supervising my girls, I thought I might learn to play tennis.
I needed a racquet, of course. The owner of the local tennis shop, who played tennis with my husband, helped me select one. While at the shop, I realized I also needed a bag to hold my racquet and the rest of the stuff I'd bring to my first lesson, so I picked one out. The bag looked familiar. I remembered seeing tennis-playing women carry this tote when they passed the pool on their way to the courts. I was set.
My first tennis lesson was exhilarating. The pro was patient and encouraging. He'd counseled many people who were picking up a racquet for the first time as adults, and I committed to weekly lessons. The only disappointing part of my first tennis lesson was when I put my new tennis tote down on the court, it immediately toppled over, and all of my stuff - sunscreen, keys, wallet, phone - spilled out. I was annoyed. I returned to the tennis shop and explained to the owner that this bag just didn't work. Plus, I realized it was actually kind of an ugly color. The shop owner amiably took the bag back, and I selected another bag stamped with a tennis brand logo that did not match my racquet. This bag was still unattractive, but it did have a few more pockets.
One day, when I was at the courts, I saw a woman carrying a tennis bag that caught my attention. I actually did a double take. This bag was a backpack, the racquet handles stood out, and it was a pretty gray color with pink zippers. After asking if I could take a closer look, I discovered that there were so many pockets! I asked where to buy one, and I also found out who made this impressive bag.
Dale Breen was a retired flight attendant who lived not too far from me. I contacted her because I was curious to meet the woman who had solved the stylish yet functional tennis bag conundrum. I wanted to learn about her business because I was thinking about starting my own, but I didn't yet know what it would be. Dale shared that she had spent three years cutting and taping together bag prototypes. She then produced a few hundred bags, and friends began carrying them.
Dale and I discovered we shared a dream of creating the perfect tennis bag. We decided to design this ideal bag: one with all the right pockets in all the right places, easily accessible by a long zipper that opens wide for full visibility, and perfectly functional while possessing a modern design aesthetic. Before Doubletake, that bag didn't exist. We looked everywhere for it. Even the most expensive bags lacked the quiet ease-of-use and uncluttered design we wanted.
Since we couldn't find this perfect bag, we made it ourselves. I had always known I would run my own company someday, and Dale and I became business partners. Doubletake turned out to be an excellent fit for my skills because I consider myself an optimizer. I like to fix things, make stuff work, sharpen processes. I decided to perfect this bag and build this business in my spare time while still working as a marketing executive. My professional career has focused on designing products and processes that delight customers, and I was able to apply my customer experience know-how to bag design and functionality. After a year of collaborating with the production factory to iterate on Dale's original model, we achieved perfection-a bag that tennis players are crazy about.
As the business grew, I left my day job to focus on Doubletake. My team and I have designed an array of products for stylish athletes who want smart and efficient ways to stow and transport their gear. Pickleball players have discovered our bags, and now we make tennis and pickleball bags for kids and men as well. We also created a variety of accessories and gifts for athletes. I hope you'll Rally with Us! Stay in touch with updates on our Doubletake story by subscribing to our newsletter and following us on Instagram.
