SANTORINI, Greece—John Volkoff spent a half-hour inside a cave here in July, with his head tilted sideways under the ceiling and the temperature rising because his 6-foot-3 frame was blocking the air conditioner.
The Oregon resident and his family were shopping during a cruise stop and Google Maps led them to an old storage space under this island’s famous blue-domed church, Agios Nikolaos. The 43-square-foot cavern was filled with colorful leather bags made by a local artisan named Iota Zaggle.
“It was hot, but that was definitely the highlight of the trip,” said Volkoff, who left with a laptop bag, a purse for his wife, and free leather keychains for his teenage daughters. “I wanted to stay there all day and talk to her more.”
What Volkoff didn’t know then was that he was in the presence of a global celebrity.
While most retailers rely on foot traffic and display windows, Zaggle has built an international following out of a rock alcove tucked down a flight of cliff-side steps. Her business has been fueled by fans, many of them Americans, who don’t just buy her stuff but also make it their mission to spread the word.
When Zaggle started her business in southern Santorini about a decade ago, she sold a handful of pieces a month. Her customer base now spans 34 countries, and in a good month she sells as many as 50 bags, ranging from around $100 to $700. Most sales happen in person, though she takes remote orders from repeat clients and their referrals.
Good with her hands from a young age, Zaggle initially crafted accessories out of felt. But after a friend asked her to make a phone case, word got out and orders began flying in. She started experimenting with leather.
In 2017, an editor at Blue Magazine, the in-flight magazine of Aegean Airlines , stumbled upon her and featured her work. More coverage followed, bringing new attention. She decided to expand her clientele.
She set her sights on Oia, the island’s tourist magnet.
On her first day of searching, she spotted the cave and called the landlord, who told her it wasn’t meant to be a shop. “I told her it’s okay because I can make it a shop.”
News spread about the move. Her customers pitched her story to guidebooks and TV stations in Athens.
A local TV segment triggered a wave of attention, drawing new customers from all over Greece.
Phil Cordell, a retired Hilton executive, first visited the cave in 2019 after a local guide led him there. “What a surprise it was because it was a dark cave, but yet it was filled with so many bright colors,” Cordell recalled. The Florida resident stayed in touch with Zaggle on WhatsApp through the pandemic, ordering new pieces from afar.
When he returned with a dozen friends, Cordell asked Zaggle to craft leather bracelets for the group. The travel party treated the shop like a clown car. “We all fit!” Cordell recalled. “I should have gotten a picture.”
The workshop is filled with finished bags alongside rolls of leather and spools of thread. In the middle, Zaggle sits at a small wooden desk, measuring, cutting and hand-stitching every piece.
Zaggle said about 70% of her business comes from digital word-of-mouth—from TikTok and Instagram to Google Maps and ChatGPT—along with repeat customers and referrals.
Nancy Davis, a teacher in Tennessee, googled “Santorini purses” while planning her 2025 trip and spotted Zaggle’s workshop.
Once in Oia, Davis carefully descended the steps while her companion waited at the top. “I wanted just to meet her and see her store and see what she made,” Davis recalled. She fell in love with a fuchsia bag and asked Zaggle to sign it. Zaggle added a heart to the pocket.
Shoppers can buy finished products, but Zaggle likes customizing each bag. The 52-year-old commutes to Oia from nearby Imerovigli, where she rents an apartment with a studio so she can spend every waking hour making bags. The workshop is open daily from March to November, though she took one day off in August to go to the beach.
Many customers stay in touch with Zaggle long after their trips. Christina Gonzalez wandered into the store in 2023, drawn to the handmade sign and leather purses on the door. A retired government employee who now works at Dodger Stadium, Gonzalez buys herself a purse for every birthday.
Part of what keeps business booming is a clientele that appears determined to make Zaggle famous.
“Every time I carry my bag, I’m waiting for someone to ask me about it because this is so much more than a bag,” said Layla-Faith Batts, a college student in North Carolina who bought a hobo shoulder bag on a family trip in July.
Despite her growing international client list, Zaggle said she has no plans to move out of the cave. The remote spot, she said, draws naturally curious people.
