Organize All Your Handbags With One Genius Hidden Gem From The Thrift Store

Pretty much everyone who shops at thrift stores knows they're a most excellent place to find a cool, often one-of-a-kind handbag — or more than one if fortune smiles on that particular second-hand store haul. However, those who truly think outside of the box know that second-hand accordion racks are worth hunting for, too. And why is it such a good find? Well, all those handbags need to be stored somewhere, and repurposing an accordion hook rack, with its myriad knobs and flexible design, is perfect for the job. 

Accordion racks' construction includes a series of pegs attached perpendicularly to two flat, intersecting movable bars. The piece becomes taller or shorter, depending on how wide you open up the accordion mechanism on the rack. Despite being a popular, budget-friendly storage hack for displaying coffee and tea mugs, the accordion shelf's pegs can also be used as a handy catch-all storage system to store bags and purses. Storing items on the walls like this frees up valuable floor space and gives you ready access to items you use often, like a handbag. Handbags, in fact, work well with this storage setup, having straps that are easy to hang on the rack's pegs.

If you happen upon an accordion rack in a second-hand store, make sure that all of the pegs are securely attached to their support bars. With significant use, the pegs can become loose, and the rack can get flimsy due to wear and tear. If it's missing a peg, it might be better to skip buying it at the second-hand store and go with a dupe like the OROPY wood wall-mount wall hanger with 14 pegs instead. 

Accordion shelves check off so many boxes as far as wall storage is concerned. Obviously, they can be expanded or contracted to fit the space. They look great, whether you hang them horizontally or vertically. They're also pretty renter-friendly. When you're ready to leave your rental, just remove your handbags from the accordion rack and take it to your next place. Instead of leaving your stylish wall hooks behind, you'll take them with you.

As far as organization is concerned, you get an at-a-glance look at all of your handbags in one place. If you store them in the closet in stacks or even compartments, you may have to pull them out of their perch to get a truly good assessment of them. For example, is the bag you want to take with you on a day hike going to be big enough? You'll be able to see it better if it's hanging on the wall in front of you.

On a related note, if you have bags of different colors, it's easy enough to hang them in sections according to color. If you have a lot of bags, you might even want to get more than one accordion hanger — one for each handbag color or type that you have. Finally, it's okay if you don't have enough room for a wall full of handbags. If your closet door opens outward, consider hanging the accordion rack vertically instead of horizontally to expand your space organization options.