Need a Super Ego? How about a Brain Cell? You can buy one at Tom Bihn's new retail outlet in SoDo. The local bag designer named some of his messenger bags, backpacks and laptop cases after Freudian and Jungian concepts, and cranial and physiological terms.

In business since 1992, Bihn just moved his design and manufacturing operations and opened his first retail outlet. Previously, his well-made bags were only available online. It's becoming a rarity to actually manufacture a product right before your eyes, but Bihn does and he encourages gawking. Step into the adjacent production room, where sewing machines hum and skillful workers busily whip up Imagos and Brian Cells. Keeping the operation within sight is a way to ensure quality bags (and job opportunities). Most bags are made from sturdy, water resistant Cordura or Ballistic nylon with convenient pockets for electronic gadgets.

Bihn has been sewing bags for more than 30 years and some bags are still in use. He continues to sew up all of his own prototypes and often draws a crowd when he's in the sewing room. One of his newest designs, The Archetype, is a laptop carrier made from super-thin sliced cork which is then laminated. The water resistant case has added corners to keep your laptop safe from accidental bashing. It comes in four sizes and holds everything from a 12-inch PowerBook to a 17-inch MacBook and sells for $95.

Other recent additions to the collection include the Yang Imago and Yin Imago ($85), roomy bags with shoulder straps in cool color combinations such as cocoa and wasabi, or olive, steel and wasabi. They're great bags to keep in mind.

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