Timbuk2

The U.S. Patent Office awards patent #139,121 for riveted work pants, and Levi’s blue jeans are born. So begins the San Francisco sewing industry.

Shoulder bags originally designed for telephone linemen by Globe Canvas (aka De Martini) of New York, are adopted by NYC bicycle messengers.

Manhattan Portage, the New York City-based messenger bag company, is founded by an NYC bicycle messenger.

Zo Bags is founded in San Francisco.

Rob Honeycutt, a San Francisco bicycle messenger, purchases a used Singer sewing machine and orders wholesale fabric and buckles. His total investment is $200, roughly everything he has. Rob makes 50 black handlebar bags that look good, but only sell at one bicycle shop in San Francisco, The Freewheel. Still working hard as a bike messenger, Rob notes how many non-messengers ask him where they can buy a messenger bag like the Zo he carries. Rob seizes the opportunity and builds his first messenger bag. The first unit sells at The Freewheel and Rob’s messenger bag company, Scumbags, is born.

Rob decides "Scumbags" lacks the necessary credibility of a real bag company. Inspired by the legendary African city, Timbuktu, and a popular indie band, Timbuk3, the name "Timbuk2" is born.

Timbuk2 receives its first wholesale order for messenger bags from The Bike Gallery in Portland, Oregon.

Rob conceives his "one-at-a-time" build-to-order production system. All materials required to make a bag are kept within arms’ reach of the sewing machine. Every bag is made-to-order by Rob; a one-man show.

Doodling on a cocktail napkin with a felt-tip marker, Rob pens the original Timbuk2 ’swirl’ logo.

Timbuk2 moves out of Rob’s basement and opens shop at 217 Dore Street, in San Francisco’s South of Market (SOMA) district.

Timbuk2 moves to Emeryville, across the Bay from San Francisco, and hires its first full-time sewer.

Rob becomes a student of mass customization and the lean manufacturing philosophy of Toyota Motor Corp. He perfects the three-panel bag design for production.

Timbuk2 debuts its signature three-panel, tri-color messenger bag design, and encourages bike shops and consumers to design custom bags with its "Build Your Own Bag" order form.

Timbuk2 relocates to Treat Street in San Francisco’s Mission District.

Timbuk2 transports an entire production line to the Interbike tradeshow in Anaheim, California, and produces custom messenger bags during the show.

Located in the heart of ‘multimedia gulch’, ground zero for the San Francisco dot-com gold rush, Timbuk2 begins work on an Internet version of its custom bag order form.

Timbuk2 sets up production at the Winter Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City. A freak tornado rips through the tented exhibit hall, destroying the equipment and killing one person (unrelated to Timbuk2).

Timbuk2 launches its award-winning Bag Builder on timbuk2.com.

Timbuk2 introduces its first computer carrying case and laptop computer sleeve.

The swirl logo gets a makeover, and the "happy swirl" replaces the original "scratchy swirl".

Timbuk2 kicks into gear and introduces the Commute computer carrying case, Graphic messenger bag, Metro mini messenger bag and iPod carrying case.

Timbuk2 launches a complete line of bags and accessories, adding the Yoga Bag, Artist Series messenger bag, Totes and Duffels.

Timbuk2 opens its first owned and operated retail store in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley.

Timbuk2 moves from Treat Street to 16th Street; moving up in the world.

Timbuk2 completes the San Francisco factory remodel at 16th & Alabama to create a work environment like no other. Plants are planted in/around the production lines to bring the outdoors inside, lighting is updated and expanded, open space remains sacred, and the lines are re-configured to improve ergonomics and production capacity by more than 20%. The improved efficiency and room for expansion is a huge positive for the Timbuk2 team and our customers. Read the blog post. See images of our factory.

The Timbuk2 Custom Cargo Tote is born. Designed and manufactured in our San Francisco factory. See images.

Timbuk2 introduces luggage, including the wheelie kind.

Timbuk2 celebrates its 20th anniversary and launches the Lived In Messenger Bag to toast 2 decades of abuse.