My name is Fran Pennypacker, and I grew up going to the beach in Ocean City, New Jersey- where bikes are more important than cars. You bike to get surf, you bike to the beach, you bike off island to get beer, you bike to the grocery store etc… I had a milk crate zip-tied to my bike for years - functional, but lacking style. I wanted something new and something different. It was sill necessary I was able to haul around groceries, surf gear, scones, and cases of beer, but the new goal was to make a more stylish storage option that matched the flair of what I was riding- my dad’s passed down Schwinn.

I made my first Penny Crate in 2019. It was a Brunello di Montalcino Italian Wine crate with the most beautiful engravings and designs I had ever seen. I sanded it down, stained it, put a few coats of varnish on, and glued a Penny on the back. I strapped it to my bike and soon enough, heads started to turn and people started asking questions. I enhanced the quality and craftsmanship, refined my process, created a universal mounting mechanism, started taking orders, personal installations, and created an instagram called Pennypack Cates.

I handcraft each Penny Crate myself. I put an immense amount of time and effort into crafting each Penny Crate to ensure each crate is the highest quality product on the market. The level of detail that goes into creating each crate really makes you question if a Penny Crate a product or a piece of art… especially the crates with added hand burned designs!

My wife and I recently moved to San Diego where I will continue to grow Pennypack Crates. As long as I’m staying creative and having fun, the brand will continue to expand! Thank you to all that have supported me and followed along in the journey! Yeeww