Retirement is in the bag for Debra Fink
It’s been more than seven years since Debra Fink became Maricopa’s first municipal employee to retire. Her retirement to Sonoita with husband John has been everything she wanted it to be, “and more,” she says.
Three years ago, she and her sisters Vicki Mabery, who lives in Maricopa, and Gayle Maloney of Sonoita went into business together converting cowboy boots into bags, purses, totes and other items.
“If they don’t want to get rid of their boots, we can make something out of them that is like another heirloom,” she says. “We hand-make every one of our items.”
That started when their father passed away and the sisters wanted to do something to preserve his boots. They had seen a small article in a magazine featuring a conversion and thought they could do something similar.
They did, and the craft has become StageCoachBags.com.
The family venture and her retirement exploits are a far cry from her three years as the customer service manager for the city of Maricopa. That was during the boom years from 2004 to 2007.
“My gosh, we were so busy, but it was quite entertaining at the same time,” Fink says. “It was so new. There were just a few of us. We did everything. Everybody got along. And then it started to grow. It was fun to watch that happen, actually.”
A planner by trade, she came to Maricopa specifically to help with the incorporation after more than 30 years at Tempe City Hall. Her work included processes for permits and economic development in general.
“I was one of the handful that needed to put the pieces together,” she says.
