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About Founder

Having survived the Cambodian holocaust and lost her father and brothers at only one year old, Sunchea Phou was forced to flee the country with her mother when she was just seven. They wound up in a refugee camp for almost five years until they emigrated to Montreal with no money, education, or skills. To make ends meet, Sunchea worked in a sweatshop after school. After she finished her studies in computer science and fashion, she moved to the United States, where she had the incredible opportunity to work with brands such as REI, Eddie Bauer, and Nike.
During this time, some of her projects included creating a medical device for NASA astronauts and engineering NFL uniforms - including those used by Seattle Seahawks during their Super Bowl victory. After these remarkable tasks, Sunchea decided to take a leap of faith and pursue her dreams of starting her own business - YAY NOVELTY. Her most notable achievement thus far has been the resounding success of her high-quality reusable shopping bag, the YaYbag JUMBO. This accomplishment has allowed her to make a significant contribution towards reducing the number of single-use plastic bags and inferior-quality bags that ultimately end up in landfills.

YaYwallet with the Super Bowl XLVIII Trophy - Yes, the real one!
Discovering the Beginning of YAY NOVELTY
Our inaugural product, YaYwallet, was first discovered by The Grommet and then The Container Store. Since then we have created more products such as reusable shopping bags, all-natural grass-fed beef jerky with anti-inflammatory benefits, luxury clay bar soaps, ALL-IN-ONE mineral tinted sunscreen infused with anti-aging skincare, vaccine/medical card holders, lip balm holders, Swedish dishcloths, luggage tags, illustrated notepads, elegant greeting cards, reusable gift jars, and pet bird toy. YaYbag has attracted some of the largest retailers such as QVC and over 5000 independent stores. At YAY NOVELTY, our main mission is to make a positive impact on both environment and human wellbeing.