Hello
I am Lisa Abeyta, the creator of ByzyBags. By day, I am the Associate Deputy Director of Aviation for the City of Albuquerque, but in my free time, I am the passionate advocate for reusing and restoring our wealth of vintage leather bags. As part of that journey, I've learned that I love restoring damaged, stained, and ruined bags by painting designs over the ruined sections to make them beautiful and usable again.
My Story
When the pandemic hit New Mexico, it wreaked havoc on my life like it did for so many. In a single year, I lost almost everything. I had to reinvent myself and adapt to a new reality, and it often left me reeling. I realized I needed to find something to do that would give me relieve, and the only way I was going to find that relieve mentally was to find something that required my entire focus. I needed to learn how to do something outside of my skill set and talents. I started painting on leather and fell in love with the process. For every bag I brought back to life, it felt like a little part of me was renewed as well. For the past several years I've gained new skills and knowledge that have helped me take on harder challenges and learn more about the behavior of vintage leather - and how to bring it back to life. While I am thrilled every time a bag leaves for a new home and new adventures, I am just as thrilled when someone reaches out to show me what they've done or to ask a question because they are trying to restore their own bag.