The Scoop
so & so | calendar | rhody gem
SILVER LININGS Westerly’s Tracey Cugno revolutionizes travel accessories Tracey Cugno knows a thing or two about consumer behavior. She had retail shops in T.F. Green as well as Connecticut’s Bradley Airport for a combined 15 years, and spent much of that time talking to seasoned travelers about their packing methodology. She learned the tips and tricks they use to maximize efficiency, from breezing through TSA security checkpoints to the art of tucking your carry-on into those remarkably small overhead bins. She also learned about their wants and needs that weren’t being met – and saw a market opportunity. “That’s how I got into luggage and luggage design,” explains Cugno, who has also owned Shades and Pier Optical, a sunglasses shop in Narragansett, since 2007. “I had a front row seat with thousands of people walking by me every day. I got to see how they picked their bags up, how they carried them, who looked like they were happy carrying their bag and who didn’t.” She interviewed thousands of passengers and then took two years to plan, test, and ultimately launch the LEIGH line of innovative luggage and travel accessories. In early 2020, LEIGH had a twomonth pop-up shop in Providence that Cugno functionally used to dip her toe in the marketplace. She garnered invaluable consumer insights before the COVID lockdown, and last June, opened the LEIGH flagship on Newport’s Thames Street in a designer collaboration with Azzul, a collection of men and women’s footwear handmade in Portugal. Photo courtesy of LEIGH July 2021 • SO Rhode Island Summer
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