Timbuk2
 | |
| Formerly | Scumbags |
|---|---|
| Founded | San Francisco, California (1989) |
| Founder | Rob Honeycutt |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Key people | Patti Cazzato, CEO[1] |
| Products | Messenger bags, Backpacks, Travel bags, Accessories |
| Website | www |
Timbuk2 is a San Francisco, California, United States, based bag manufacturer and marketer. The company produces a variety of pre-made and made-to-order bags.
History
[edit]Timbuk2 was founded in 1989 by bike messenger Rob Honeycutt in a garage in San Francisco's Mission District.[2][3] Honeycutt was fascinated by "just in time" manufacturing and studied the Toyota manufacturing model which led him to develop a bag pattern that was able to accommodate custom orders from independent bike dealers in San Francisco.
The company was originally named Scumbags; Honeycutt changed the name to Timbuk2 Designs in 1990.[4] The name Timbuk2 was inspired in part by the American rock band Timbuk3 and the company's swirl logo was designed by Honeycutt and is meant to mimic the rotation of a bike wheel.[5]
Non-custom products are manufactured in China, Vietnam, and Indonesia.[6]
The company launched its flagship retail store in Hayes Valley, San Francisco in 2006.[7] In 2011, Timbuk2 launched a bicycle share program in its retail stores.[8] In 2013, the Timbuk2 opened a retail location in Seattle, Washington.[9] That same year, the company incorporated recycled Bike to Work banners into messenger bags and donated a portion of the profits to the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition.[10] Patti Cazzato was appointed to the role of CEO in July 2014.[11] That same year, the company encouraged bag owners to reuse and recycle their bags through its Timbuk2 Life Cycle program.[12]
Timbuk2 also added retail locations in Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles and Toronto in 2014.[7][13] That same year, Timbuk2 collaborated with Blue Bottle Coffee Company to release a coffee travel kit.[14] As well, the company was ranked as the second largest manufacturer in San Francisco by the San Francisco Business Times.[15]
In July 2016, the company collaborated with the footwear company New Balance to release specially branded products.[16][17] The company opened a flagship store in NoHo, Manhattan in October 2016.[18] In June 2017, the company opened an additional location in Brooklyn.[19] As of 2023, the Manhattan and Brooklyn locations are no longer open.[20]
Ownership
[edit]The company was sold to a venture capital firm in 2005. In 2006 it sold to private equity group TB2 Investors, which owned it until 2019. In August 2019 it was sold to Exemplis, a Los Angeles-based furniture company.[21][22]
References
[edit]- ^ "Timbuk2 Appoints Patti Cazzato as Chief Executive Officer" Specialty News. 2014 Jul. 9. Retrieved 2014 Jul. 26
- ^ Sarkar, Pia (2004-11-09). "Facing economic reality". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-01-26.
- ^ Ally Bogard; Allie Hoffman (January 10, 2017). "On Resilience: How Hitting Entrepreneurial Rock Bottom Gave Timbuk2's CEO New Life". Forbes. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ Spring, Melanie (January 30, 2014). "How The Timbuk2 brand Went From Basement to Famous". Entrepreneur. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ "Meet Timbuk2" Timbuk2. Retrieved 2014 Jul. 26
- ^ "Timbuk2 About Manufacturing" Retrieved 2016 March 18
- ^ a b Pyrah, Alli (September 2, 2014). "San Francisco Bag Company Timbuk2 Breaks Ground on Portland Store". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ "Bikeshare" Timbuk2. Retrieved 2014 Jul. 26
- ^ "New Store News: Timbuk2". Seattle Magazine. April 18, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ Benedict, Tyler (May 3, 2011). "Timbuk2 Recycles Old Bike To Work Banners Into Ltd Edition Messenger Bags". Bikerumor.com. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ Shoot, Brittany (July 14, 2014). "New Timbuk2 CEO Patti Cazzato On Her Next Chapter". Fortune. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ Fox, MeiMei (March 16, 2017). "How This Female CEO Has Made Environmental Impact A Priority in Her Career". Forbes. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ Jackson, Leigh-Ann (August 21, 2014). "For Chic Cyclists, San Francisco's Timbuk2 opens on Venice Beach". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ Ong, Bao (October 14, 2014). "The Portable Blue Bottle". The New York Times Style Magazine. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ Revis, Ahavah (August 15, 2014). "Top 25 San Francisco Manufacturers". San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ Mejia, Zameena (July 15, 2016). "New Balance & Timbuk2 Collaborate On Cycling Collection". Footwear News. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ "Timbuk2 and New Balance Join Forces to Ensure Your Bag Matches Your Biking Shoes". Fast Company. July 13, 2016. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ "Biker Bag Brand 'Timbuk2' Announces New NoHo Flagship Store". BoweryBoogie. September 21, 2016. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ "Timbuk2 to Open Flagship Store in Brooklyn". SGB Media. June 21, 2017. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ "Timbuk2 Retail Store Locations". Timbuk2. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
- ^ Narayan, Shwanika (2019-08-14). "San Francisco bag maker Timbuk2 sold to furniture company". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
- ^ Lee, Adriana (2019-08-15). "Bag Brand Timbuk2 Now Belongs to … a Furniture Maker?". WWD. Retrieved 2024-08-08.