A Roanoke entrepreneur who served 25 years as a Senior Designer for a renowned quilted handbag company has launched her own designer handbag business. Anacleta Hoover, also known as Elit, started Anacleta Designs to design and produce her own line of fashionable handbags and accessories. The designer handbags will be produced locally and sold through Etsy.com, the popular online marketplace for creative goods, as well as through the Acacleta Designs website and area fashion boutiques.

Hoover, who was raised in the Philippines, says starting and operating her own business is her American dream come true. “With 25 years of design experience working with wonderful, talented people, I feel this new season is a great way to use my God-given talent to continue my passion for designing while also fulfilling my mission and vision of helping other people in need,” she said.

As a child growing up in the Philippines, she recalls how she made her own outfits out of rice sacks in third grade. She later graduated from Xavier University Philippines and became a high school teacher in her little village of Bobontugan to give back to her community. Hoover eventually met her future husband and moved to America to be with him. In Fort Wayne, she landed a position with a globally-recognized handbag company, where she served as a Senior Designer.

The Anacleta Designs handbags and accessories will be stylish, functional and of a superior quality, according to Hoover. The designer handbags will be locally produced in a variety of styles and sizes and will come with matching accessories.