If you see a line snaking halfway around the Manhattan Village mall, and thousands of handbag aficionados waiting their turn for a chance at a bargain... it's definitely a Hammitt sale.

The luxury handbag company Hammitt is headquartered in Hermosa Beach, but it has a longstanding following (and a flagship store) in Manhattan Beach, and it has fans who are willing to line up in droves - and travel for thousands of miles -  to prove it.

As of Friday, more than 4,200 people had registered for the [free] event. On Saturday, those fans began lining up as early as 4:45 a.m. for a first shot at the 10:00 a.m. opening of the sample sale.

And Hammitt, which is known for over-the-top productions, didn't let them down at its "Hawaiian Holiday."

At an entrance bedecked with tropical flowers, Hawaiian-shirt-wearing models greeted guests with leis. A traditional Hawaiian dancer entertained the crowd, while a flower weaver created personal mini bouquets and an engraver customized tiny surfboard charms to hang on Hammitt bags. There were elaborate Hawaiian-themed photo opportunities and fresh coconuts bearing  "Hammitt Hawaiian Holiday" stamps.

But of course, people are there for the bags and the bargains. At Saturday's event, dozens of tables filled the plaza, spilling over with bags of all colors, with shoppers crowding and jostling to find just the right style. (All bags were 50% off the marked price.)

MB News spoke with shoppers from Manhattan Beach, Long Beach, Orange County, and the Santa Barbara area. When asked how many Hammitt bags she currently owns, one woman clutching a pile of bags said with a wink, "I decline to answer on the grounds that it may tend to incriminate me."

So what is it about Hammitt bags that engender such fan devotion?

"I tell people, 'If you want to know Hammitt, just phone a friend,'" said Drockton. "If you talk to someone who knows us, they know that this is the level of integrity in our designs, in me, in my team, in this event... I love to say that the Hammitt that we make today is literally the worst quality Hammitt someone will ever purchase because they get better every year... Every year we make not just the product better, but the experience better, and the team better. Even if it's the same team, next year it will be better."

"I'm always blown away [by who shows up at these events]," Drockton added. "I met people who flew in from Florida - and they're just in general admission. They flew in," he repeated, shaking his head in disbelief.

But Drockton said he wasn't surprised that people would be drawn to a place like the South Bay.