Megan Druckman owns Lola Saratoga. They have a location in Saratoga Springs, as well as one in Stuyvesant Plaza.
Jim Franco/Times Union
This article is an excerpt from Kristi Gustafson Barlette’s weekly newsletter, Just Kristi. To get it sent to your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here.
Q: What do Louis Vuitton, the NFL and Lola Saratoga have in common?
A: Allison Kuch (real name, Kucharczyk).
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The relationship, if you will, started when TikTok sensation Kuch posted a 7-second video of herself in a suite on an Emirates flight. In the clip, she tucks her $10, knock-off Louis Vuitton bumbag (AKA a fanny pack) under the seat while covering her mouth, feigning embarrassment.
The post — like pretty much everything Kuch shares on social media — garnered hundreds of thousands of likes, shares, saves and comments.
But it was one comment from Saratoga Springs back in March that stood out to the Las Vegas-based Kuch and her husband, NFL defensive end Isaac Rochell.
“@isaacrochell Mrs. NFL needs you to get her an authentic LV from us,” read the comment from Lola Saratoga’s account. The consignment shop specializes in upscale, designer accessories and handbags from brands such as Gucci, YSL, Louis Vuitton and others.
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Kuch commented she agreed; Rochell followed that with a set of eyeballs.
That exchange launched a 6-plus-month-hunt for a genuine, monogrammed Louis Vuitton bumbag bag for Kuch — and led Lola Saratoga to a viral video and 13,000 new followers on TikTok.
The whole thing is a surprise said Megan Druckman, owner of Lola Saratoga in Saratoga Springs and Stuyvesant Plaza.
She and her team are constantly engaging with accounts that are on brand for the upscale boutique, Druckman said. But, like with so much that happens in the vast world of social media, nothing major typically comes from those interactions. Until now.
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“It is a very rare bag, and extremely hard to find,” said Druckman, explaining why it’s been more than six months since Rochell first said he was interested in the bumbag which was discontinued in 2022 and resells for $3,500 to $5,000. “It really did take us almost 6 months to source this bag for Isaac in like new condition that he was looking for.”
As soon as the luxury handbag came in last week, Lola’s social media manager Allysia Zotto texted Rochell (yes, they’re on texting terms now) and “he was over the moon excited that we found this bag for Allison,” Druckman said.
To wrap up the story of the search, the team at Lola created one last video telling the full story — and it was that share that really caught on. That video has received more than 1.2 million views. The only others from Lola that have seen that kind of traction featured their luxury claw machine (you can see one of those here).
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“We almost didn’t even post it because we weren’t sure if it was going to be overkill,” said Druckman. Lola Saratoga had previously shared a handful of videos about Rochell shopping with them. “But that’s the amazing thing about TikTok — you honestly never know what’s going to take off.”
Since the original video, Lola has gained 13,000 followers on the social media site.
