Old Bags Luncheon marks 27 years of charitable fundraising and international growth as founder Eileen Cornacchia seeks future ownership.
— Old Bags Luncheon™, a Palm Beach charity institution, is celebrating 27 years of philanthropic fundraising as founder Eileen Cornacchia prepares the organization for future ownership and wider international expansion.
(Old Bags Luncheon, source: Old Bags Luncheon)
Founded in April 1999, the luxury handbag fundraising platform has spent nearly three decades building a reputation around charity luncheons, designer auctions, and socially driven donor events that have reached communities across the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
The brand, Cornacchia highlights, has grown purely by word of mouth, driven through personal referrals and community enthusiasm. She shares, “I never did advertising anywhere in the world. This grew simply because more people sought to replicate the same experience in their own community.” That growth has expanded the event into high-profile seasonal markets, including Southampton and Saratoga Springs, where she notes that influential local committees and honorary chairpersons help elevate participation and fundraising visibility.
“People open an invitation and see names they know and trust, and suddenly they want to be part of it too,” she adds.
Old Bags Luncheon™ events combine luxury handbag auctions with celebrity guest appearances and charitable giving. Cornacchia points to past events that have featured high-profile celebrities and pop-cultural icons, which she believes signal the caliber of gathering Old Bags Luncheon™ has strived to deliver since its inception.
According to her, the atmosphere surrounding the luncheons has always mattered as much as the fundraising itself. “I want everybody leaving there saying they hope the event comes back next year,” she shares. “The women are donating to a good cause, finding beautiful handbags at auction prices, and spending time together in a joyful environment.”
Luxury handbags remain the core of the organization’s identity, with committee members and attendees often contributing designer pieces sourced from personal collections and retail relationships. Cornacchia believes those contributions helped transform the auctions into major fundraising drivers over time. She shares, “People started bringing better and better handbags every year.”
(Old Bags Luncheon™ 2026 at The Breakers Palm Beach, source: Diana Zapata)
As Old Bags Luncheon™ reaches new milestones, Cornacchia is actively seeking buyers interested in carrying the brand into its next phase. During that process, she is offering to remain with the business for one year post-acquisition to personally guide the next generation of charitable partners through the model she has refined over nearly three decades.
“I would stay on and teach the next generation how to run the events. There’s a formula to it, and after all these years, I know what keeps people excited and engaged,” she explains. Cornacchia has also developed a detailed operational guidebook that outlines the event model, committee structure, auction process, and organizational strategy used throughout the brand’s expansion.
Interest in the luxury handbag sector continues to grow globally, according to Cornacchia, who recently attended a handbag-focused event hosted by a luxury auction house. She notes that the experience reinforced her belief that Old Bags Luncheon™ holds strong long-term potential within charitable and luxury markets.
Trademark expansion also remains underway, including a pending trademark application in Japan, which Cornacchia identifies as one of the strongest luxury handbag markets internationally. She adds that future growth opportunities could also include Great Britain and the UAE.
“Word of mouth carried this business from Palm Beach to other parts of the world,” she remarks. “I still believe there are many places where this concept can grow and thrive.” Old Bags Luncheon™ now enters its next chapter with Cornacchia focused on preserving the organization’s philanthropic culture while identifying ownership capable of expanding the brand’s international presence and longstanding fundraising legacy.
Contact Info:
Name: Eileen Cornacchia
Email: Send Email
Organization: Old Bags Luncheon™
Website: https://www.oldbagsluncheon.com/
Release ID: 89192648
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