About Us

Are you tired of tossing all your dance shoes into one tote bag, then digging inside trying to find a matching pair? Are you worried of placing the soles of your dance or gym shoes in contact with clean items in your handbag? Do you want to protect your precious shoes from leaky ink pens and scratches that could happen inside your handbag? Have you ever left your dance shoes at an audition or at the studio, never to be found again (or heard this happen to others)? And do you save plastic bags so that you can wrap your shoes for travel as you pack your suitcase? If you answered yes to any of the above, then we have a fun and colorful solution for you!

Sunshine Gold Shoe Bags is a small hand-made business based in Houston, Texas, creating fabric shoe bags in fun, colorful, and whimsical patterns. We aim to offer a practical solution for storing dance (or travel) shoes on the go (to protect them from damage and to put a barrier between the not-so-clean soles of the shoes and the rest of the items in your bag), while bringing a bit of sunshine your way. We hope to bring happiness to the world one shoe bag at a time!

Our bags are handcrafted in small batches, with great attention to detail and are made to last. Small quantities are made of each design, meaning you are getting a unique item that very few others will have. Sign up to receive emails from us, so that you are the first to know when we add fun new designs to the store and when we run sunny promotions! 

Created out of a deep appreciation for the performing arts, with an express wish to support the performer’s journey, Sunshine Gold Shoe Bags donates 5% of each sale to The Entertainment Community Fund (previously called The Actors Fund) and intends to employ performers and other theater professionals in flexible positions in our company as we grow.

The Entertainment Community Fund is a national human services organization that provides a support system for performing arts professionals. Services include emergency financial assistance, affordable housing, health care and insurance counseling, senior care, secondary career development and more. 

Meet the Maker

Hello Sunshine! 

My name is Yael (pronounced Ya-Elle) and I am the face (and hands) behind Sunshine Gold Shoe Bags.

Yael from Sunshine Gold Shoe Bags at the sewing machine

A self-proclaimed stage-mom, I started sewing dance shoe bags when my daughter (now a NYC-based singer-actor-dancer) was young and her dance tote was a jumbled mess of ballet, jazz, and tap shoes. A small drawstring bag that came with a board game to hold the game pieces was quickly repurposed to store one pair of her tiny dance shoes, alas there was only one of those bags and I could not find another in stores or online. I therefore purchased a sewing machine, brushed up my sewing skills with sewing lessons, and created a whole set of whimsical dance shoe bags for her, and then for her friends. A line of travel shoe bags soon followed, created for my family and friends.

During my daughter’s musical theatre college training, the delight of her friends at receiving dance shoe bags as gifts brought sunshine to my days, and I decided to start supporting this beautiful community of performers, by establishing Sunshine Gold Shoe Bags.

My mission is to create beautiful, colorful, and cheerful shoe bags that will bring a bit of sunshine to your day, and remind you that even when things seem bleak, you are loved and appreciated, and better days are just around the corner. Please know that someone out there is rooting for you!

Shine bright,

Yael.