In A Pikle

In A Pikle began with two neighbors. Marianne Porter and Tamara Foster met in 2004 when they lived a few doors apart and were raising kids the same age. In 2006 Tamara moved to Southern Utah. For her birthday in 2007, Marianne surprised her with a visit and a homemade gift: a little “emergency kit” made from a hot pad and some snack baggies. Tamara loved it, and soon called Marianne with the idea of making and selling the organizers to other busy moms.

The first product launched in October 2011. It was called the Pikle: a compact organizer “camouflaged to look like a designer wallet,” as the company put it, with eight clear pouches inside. In 2012, LDS Living quoted Porter on the price: “Our product ranges from $35-$40 and each bag comes complete with over 20 convenience items.” Local TV followed. Fox 13 featured the company in May 2016, and KUTV's Fresh Living showed off the Pikle as a travel organizer that July.

The company stayed small and family-run. Its team page listed a product designer, a customer service lead and a warehouse worker alongside the two founders, and it shipped from Utah. Its slogan was “Life's Crazy...Dill With It!”

The Pikle was the heart of the line. It was a wallet-sized clutch with eight clear, removable pouches that clipped to a fashionable cover, and it came filled with a Starter Pak of small essentials. The company said everything in the Starter Pak was TSA compliant.

• Pikles: the original clutch in more than 30 colors and prints, plus a Petite size and the Sweet Pikle line.
• Gherkin: a version aimed at men and kids.
• Bundle: a bigger organizer for car trips and diaper bags.
• Paks and refills: themed packs such as a first aid kit, a Travel Pak, an eye care Pak and refill items.
• Other: a Pikles Tool Wrap, Warmze Paks, straps and accessories.

Typical contents included bandages, tissues, floss, a nail file, nail clippers, tweezers, safety pins, bobby pins, hair bands and a stain remover pen. Customers could also pick their own items. By 2024 the company said it offered more than 150 products, with retail prices from $1 to $50.

In A Pikle tried two different ways of selling through people.

Pikle Professionals and parties (early years)

In its early years the company ran a party plan. Its 2015 website offered “Pikle Parties” for hosts and a “Become A Professional” page for sellers, who were called Pikle Professionals. It said at the time that it was “a pending member of the Direct Selling Association.” Direct Sales Aid's earlier listing recorded a starter kit of $49 to $199 and commissions of 20% to 25% for that program; those figures could not be checked against an archived copy of the plan.

Independent Distributors (later years)

By 2019 the party program had been replaced by an Independent Distributor wholesale program. Distributors applied online, bought products in bulk at a discount and resold them at the suggested retail price. Discounts rose with order size: 25% off a $150 retail order, 35% off $300, 40% off $500 and 50% off $750 or more. There were no monthly quotas. The company was blunt about the model: “we are not a Direct Sales company and therefore do not have teams with Uplines and Downlines.” Distributors built their own websites, sold at vendor shows, parties, salons and on social media, and swapped ideas in a closed Professional Facebook group.

In A Pikle closed in 2025. Its website was still trading normally in March 2025, according to archived copies. By July 15, 2025, the homepage carried an “EVERYTHING MUST GO, WE ARE CLOSING” banner and a farewell message.

“After 13 unforgettable years, we’re turning the page… This chapter of In A Pikle is coming to a close, and it’s with full hearts that we share our decision to discontinue sales on our website.”

In A Pikle closing announcement — inapikle.com homepage, July 2025

The message said the online store would stay open “while supplies last.” The company did not give a public reason for closing. By September 2025 the inapikle.com address was redirecting to unrelated websites, and it no longer belongs to the company.

Today the Pikle survives only second hand. Former distributors may still hold a little stock, and used Pikles turn up on resale sites. No company makes the Pikle or its refills any more. People who want a party-plan alternative can browse live companies by category on Direct Sales Aid.