The canvas tote will always hold a special place in my heart. Today they’re a dime a dozen—even de rigeur in cities that have banned plastic bags—but remember back in elementary school when totes were reserved exclusively for storytime outings and library excursions? I can still recall the sweet anticipation of a tote hanging from a wooden peg near the classroom door, laden with books to be read in exchange for gold star stickers…
After college the tote slipped my radar for a number of years, then it returned with a vengeance when the ‘I Am Not a Plastic Bag’ bag popped onto the scene. Remember those? They spawned a zillion knockoffs (I had one that fell apart immediately) and launched the tote as a fashion statement. Today, my entryway closet literally overflows with totes every time I open it!
So the way I see it, if I’m going have a surplus of the darn things, I might as well use them. And if I’m going to use them, they’d definitely better be cute, smart, funny, snarky, or all of the above. From ban.do’s adorable ‘Hooray’ bag to contemporary interpretations of the classic library tote from Out of Print Clothing, there’s no shortage of charming options. Now if only we could bring back the gold star system for every chapter book we complete!
Love canvas totes! Let’s bring back Book It while we’re at it, where star stickers could be exchanged for a personal pan pizza from pizza hut.