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HISTORY OF BRIGHTON

Brighton's story is really a love story that began over 30 years ago when high school sweethearts, Terri Kravitz and Jerry Kohl (who have now been married for many years), started their own specialty store. Being store owners taught them that people love being treated specially and how important it is to have beautifully made products. Years later, in 1991, Brighton was launched with a single collection of belts. Over the years, Brighton has become an accessory company with something for everyone, including handbags, shoes and eyewear.

As their journey has continued, everyone at Brighton continues striving to offer something creative and different to touch people's hearts which is why the symbol and motifs adorning the products is a heart. Today the business has grown beyond Jerry and Terri's wildest dreams yet one thing never changes - the people of Brighton put passion, inspiration, and their hearts, into each piece you see.

The company prides itself on the "Brighton Difference", which is rooted in the philosophy that the difference is in the details. Brighton is one of the few remaining design houses where designers sketch each creation by hand and then follow the product from concept to completion. Brighton leather accessories are hand assembled and often require as many as 140 individual manufacturing steps using up to 40 different parts. The results are timeless creations that women have come to love.

Today Brighton is the only major accessories line featuring products that coordinate from head to toe. A customer might choose a lipstick case that matches a wallet, earrings that match a pair of sunglasses, a handbag that matches footwear, or an entire coordinating collection consisting of multiple accessories. Each piece in the Brighton collection is a unique original design. The company's design team travels the world seeking new leathers and inspiration for the products' one-of-a-kind ornamentation.

Brighton is a division of Leegin Creative Leather Products based in City of Industry, CA. For more than 30 years, Leegin has been manufacturing belts and other leather accessories at a California factory that has expanded from a shop with five employees to a technologically advanced plant employing more than 600 people. Components for some of the products are manufactured internationally in countries such as France, Italy, Spain, China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan.

HISTORY OF BRIGHTON COLLECTIONS BY ANGELA

Brighton Collections by Angela was a new concept store for Angela and Craig Pettitt. Angela and Craig founded an upscale western lifestyle store called Out West.  Out West opened in Fashion Valley Mall in San Diego, CA in 1994 and operated through February 1999.
Out West began as a traditional upscale western lifestyle store. Carrying boots, apparel, furniture, home furnishings and of course:Brighton. After four years of operation, Angela and Craig recognized that Brighton was far exceeding any other manufacturer.

Angela and Craig approached the Brighton folks in early 1999 on the idea of opening a Brighton only boutique and were approved as only the second licensee in the world to have Brighton in their name. The first official Brighton boutique opened in the Dallas Galleria in fall 1998 and was called; Brighton Collectibles by Brenda.     Out West opened Brighton Collections by Angela in North County Fair, in Escondido in May 1999. Our new location (within North County Fair) and name is Brighton Collectibles.

HISTORY OF BRIGHTON COLLECTIBLES

In late 1999, Jerry Kohl, the owner of Brighton, recognized the national appeal for Brighton by the consumer and by mall developers. In addition to the few existing licensees, he opened his first (company owned) store in Sherman Oaks, Ca. The company now has over 170 stores nationwide with plans for 10-20 more each year. In addition, Brighton Licensees have over 30 stores combined. Angela and Craig have five Brighton Collectibles stores in Southern California: Escondido, Temecula, Riverside, Palm Desert and El Cajon.