SAN ANTONIO – Go to a ballgame, a concert or even a movie and, chances are, there is a policy about the bag or purse you want to take inside, so a local entrepreneur has made bags her business.
Deni Sciano is the founder and owner of Score, The Official Game Day Bag. She is passionate about purses, even referring to particular items in her array of satchels and crossbody bags as “she.”
“She’s a great bag,” Sciano said, referencing a popular model. “She’s small. She’s stadium-compliant. She’s stitched, not glued.”
Sciano's bags are primarily clear and are sized to comply with policies at a growing number of stadiums and venues. She points out that the inner ticket pocket allows tickets to be scanned through the plastic.
The idea came to her in spring 2014 while standing in line to get into a Spurs playoff game at the AT&T Center. Security was searching bags, and the line moved so slowly that Sciano and thousands of other fans missed tipoff.
“At the game, I thought, ‘Why doesn’t somebody make a really cute purse that’s blinged out and says, ‘I’m a Spurs’ fan,’ but yet it’s clear and you can get into the game?’” she said.
Sciano became that somebody, despite her lack of retail experience.
“I did not know the difference between wholesale and retail,” she said. “I did not know what a margin was.”
What followed was months of research on everything from Pantones to social media algorithms.
“I started learning about marketing, manufacturing, retail, online sales, sourcing,” she said.
It took two years to finally get a bag in her hand. Now, she has five employees and her garage serves as distribution central.
Sciano's bags are now sold in 60 stores across the country, sporting 42 team colors and catering to female fans.
At her office, shelves are organized by school colors, ranging from colleges, such as the University of Texas at San Antonio, UT-Austin, Texas A&M and Texas State University, to local high schools.
“I wanted to bring color into our lives, especially for us girls who are so excited about our schools, our teams and our organizations,” Sciano said.
While individuals buy from her website, she also sells larger wholesale orders to retailers.
And just recently, she got an order for silver and black bags to be sold at the Spurs fan shop, bringing her journey full circle.
“It’s so exciting when I see someone carry one of my bags,” Sciano said.