This week’s Meet a Mom Feature is the local mom behind Koopack Collection, Danni Large!
Read more information about her below!
Hi Danni! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your family?
I’ve been married to my husband, Steven Large, for 5.5 years! We met through work and after we had our first baby, I ended up staying home with our kids. My oldest daughter, Kooper, just turned 6 in April. She loves swimming, gymnastics, and running. My son, Brock turned 5 in June. He enjoys his parkour class, being at the lake, and teeball. We just welcomed our daughter Blayke in June. We love them so much and are enjoying adjusting again to newborn life. My husband works for Nutrabolt, is also back in school at Texas State to finish his degree, and is an amazing dad! I really don’t know how he does it all, finding time for us all, and is also somehow the most patient person regardless of his busy schedule. I’m constantly amazed at all he does and it is always inspiring for me to try and do more.
We love your beautiful collection of bags! How did you come up with the idea to start your business?
My business name is Koopack Collection. I tried to find a way to use my kids names when coming up with the brand name. Kooper and Brock were born close in age. Early on, I found myself trying to carry the large shoulder strap diaper bags, which was a pain with two little kids. Shopping around, I struggled to find backpacks that felt cute like the purse I used to carry before kids. Eventually, I was gifted a backpack-purse. I loved it and made it work as a diaper bag, which led to the original idea for Koopack Collection. My kids have been out of diapers for awhile, but regardless I prefer the backpack style. All to say, Koopack’s design goal is to achieve fashion we love to carry on arm, messenger style, or backpack, while also taking into consideration multifunctional benefits in all aspects of our lives. The clutch on the front zips off for quick trips, date nights, girls nights, etc. Since you can zip these off, eventually I’d like to change colors/designs of the clutch and sell those individually. This would change the style of the bag for fun when carried altogether. Before Blayke was born, I carried the clutch alone most of the time as my wallet, but it’s also large enough to hold my phone. Now that Blayke is here, I’m back to carrying the bag as a diaper bag with plenty of space for my laptop, for when I’m out and still need to do use my computer.
Do you have dreams of expanding your collection? Opening a storefront someday?
I’d love to expand my collection! As the brand hopefully continues to build, I’d love to come out with other colors (already a few in mind), other sizes and also a few different bag designs altogether. As mentioned above, I also have a few ideas for the clutch on their own. I’d love to eventually offer ‘seasonal’ color launches to sell on their own, or when zipped on the bag, change the look of the overall bag slightly. A storefront would also be amazing, but I think my first goal is to see about getting my bags into boutique stores locally before opening my own store.
What is your favorite thing about living in South Austin/Dripping Springs?
We have loved our move to Dripping Springs. We’ve been here for 2 years, and I really enjoy how everywhere we go feels family-friendly. There are parks and play areas nearly everywhere, and we’re surrounded by kids in our neighborhood, which is so much fun for the kids. My husband and I have enjoyed several wineries and a couple of distilleries on anniversaries or date nights. I also love that South Austin has a little of everything we need for daily living. We’re close enough to malls, downtown, Target in other areas for when we need or want to go but without fighting the daily traffic of a bigger city.
Favorite local restaurant (with kids and without)?
Favorite restaurant with our kids is Flores. We love the playground and being outside there. The food is really good and I’m definitely a fan of their Mexican Martinis! Our favorite without kids, is Z Tejas in downtown Austin. The pork tacos are amazing, and my husband will go on and on about how much he likes the corn bread!
Favorite coffee spot?
Favorite coffee spot is Le Muse. The coffee is great, and there is a park for the kids to play outside while we enjoy our coffee.
Our mission is to give moms the gift of time. What are your best time-saving tips/resources as a mom?
I’m not sure I’m great about saving time! I try to just take in the moments, even though some days are harder than others. Our newborn was born about five years after my son, making me realize how fast it goes. Because of this, I’m trying to enjoy all the cuddles even if it means toys are EVERYWHERE or I get nothing done, and being okay with the mess. When my older two kids are both in school, I know I’m going to miss the chaos, sounds, and mess. I guess my answer would be to try and slow down and enjoy the moments… soak them up because it goes too fast!
Do you offer a discount or promotional code for our readers?
Visit KoopackCollection.com and use the code Austin10 between August 9-15 to save 10%!