Clevelanders know quality. So when opportunity knocked in 2018, Cleveland natives Anna and Steve Latkovic and Glenn Pollock jumped at the chance to bring luxury leather goods brand Ghurka’s headquarters to Cleveland. “What made me really fall in love with Ghurka was the stories that we get from customers every single day on how they’d had their products for 20 years, for 30 years,” says Anna Latkovic, the company’s chief marketing officer, “the places that the bags have gone and experienced with them their entire life or how they’ve handed them down to the next generation.” Here are three things to know about the luxe company.
Stamp of Approval Original owner Marley Hodgson established relationships with artisans and factories in Norwalk, Connecticut, in the 1970s. Today, many of Ghurka’s items are still crafted in Connecticut, with each bag including a nod to the original design. A stamp on the inside reveals the name of the bag, an individual number and a code that’s registered with the company. “We know the exact year it was produced, who was on the line, who was stitching it,” says Latkovic.
Playing Favorites Ghurka makes a variety of bags that will stand the test of time (and plenty of flights). The Cavalier II No. 97 ($1,295) looks sleek in leather for the overnight business traveler. Another popular option, the Express No. 2 ($1,895) has outside organization great for weekend trips. “Our products are for the travel buff, an adventure seeker,” Latkovic says. “They’re the ones that are looking for that next trip.”
Historic Moments Notables such as LeBron James, Meghan Markle, Cameron Diaz, Pierce Brosnan and Bill Gates have been spotted carrying bags from the company. Latkovic remembers one particular conversation she had with a customer who has carried Ghurka’s Stadium handbag with her throughout most of her life. “She held that bag as she watched the Berlin Wall come down and told me all the other places that her bag had been in the world,” she says. “It was the best 45 minutes of a conversation that I’ve ever had.”
