My name is Traci O'Connor, and I am the owner and founder of OAK AND EMBER.

My first luxury bag was a light blue Gucci camera bag with silver hardware. The bag arrived in a box filled with beautiful tissue paper and as I opened it the faint scent of perfume hung in the air. I unpackaged it, slipped the strap over my shoulder and looked at my reflection.

A stranger. Staring back was a woman who has always worked hard but never felt she deserved the finer things in life. A woman who has never felt she was polished enough, pretty enough, or wealthy enough to own a luxury bag - but there I was with my very own Gucci. Not just any Gucci - this was a bag with a story. In that moment I put myself first. I realized I didn't always have to sacrifice for others. So many emotions surfaced that day. It was as though I had a secret, and I wasn't ready to share it. I waited two weeks to let my best friend know and even longer to let my daughter know. I felt they might somehow judge me. The first time I left the house wearing my Gucci, I felt polished and classy. It's difficult to explain, but I felt noticed, as though others were seeing me for the first time. To this day, each time I leave the house with one of my bags, I experience the same wave of emotions I felt that first day.

We are all deserving of the finer things in life and that means something different to each of us. Luxury, beauty, and craftsmanship aren't reserved for a certain class of people. We all work hard, and we all deserve to treat ourselves. Oak and Ember makes that possible. My shop offers authentic, preowned luxury bags from Louis Vuitton, YSL, Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Burberry, Ferragamo and more. I personally spend hours sourcing these authentic bags to ensure you receive a beautiful, authentic ICONIC bag at an affordable price. I chose the name Oak and Ember because Oak represents the strength deep within us and Ember expresses the warmth, light, and flame shining outward. Together these symbols elicit our ability to endure and withstand anything coming our way. These are the foundational and defining symbols of Oak and Ember