Burnside Knives is an American knife company established in 2015, based out of Portland, Oregon. Burnside Knives is not one person, nor is it one idea. We are a tools first & gear company who sits in the space between everyday essentials and all walks of life. Our focus is form, function and style. Our trademark is our flag;
YOUR KNIFE SAYS A LOT ABOUT YOU®
Http://www.burnsideknives.com
[dis·cog·ra·phy]
The Rap goes like this [Hit the beat]
Burnside Knives started with a hashtag;
#KOTD best know as “Kicks of the day”
Instagram was poppin’ and I noticed the “popular' ' page had sneaker pics with a common hashtag. The top hashtags of the time were the major brand releases, however, under that was a language and subculture of enthusiasts simply taking pictures of themselves “stunting” in their new gear. Portland is the capital of two industries; Footwear and Cutlery.
I flipped the sneaker hashtag to knife of the day #kotd and started posting pics of knives I made.
To me, building this brand felt deeper than trying to be the best machinist in town. I wanted to build a company that had a purpose, some flare and reward. That’s the magic; I connected the dots and then added an edge… a really sharp edge.
For context, Portland is both beautiful and dangerous; Rich with hope, talent and misfits. Selfishly, I wanted to make something that would impress my peers, encourage the next generation of dreamers and by the Grace of God, make every armchair quarterback go mental. All the while keeping it 1000%.
Chapter 2 - Note to Self “Sleep On It Young Man”.
The next morning I woke up with the same idea and started doing research. The idea of creating a company from scratch and only personal experience seemed both daunting and fascinating at the same time.
I started by reading the US Cenus. It was there I saw a hole in the consumer marketplace for those who are not represented, specifically, people of color and women.
Early advertisements in the Knife & Tool industry felt aggressive and I wanted to create something that was both aspirational and functional for everyday life: Tools made for everyone. The market was mature and stable and needed some life blood. The idea that competitor brands in this category did not appeal to diverse consumers seemed like a huge miss. Most of these brands had decades of positioning themselves as tactical or hunting related and at the end of the day the industry appeared to make more weapons than essential tools. I wanted to change that landscape and design essential tools for outdoor enthusiasts and working professionals like yourself.
I phoned my grandfather and told him about this wild idea. He told me to sleep on it and if it was something I was really interested in doing, to put in the work, do my research and then report back.
I remember as a child that my grandfather always had a pocket knife on him to take out slivers, cut off t-shirt tags and do general work around the house and cattle ranch. He was a real life Cowboy and Horseman who worked as a Foreman of Hawkins Cattle Company in Hollister, California. People have written better books and articles about him, so I will leave it right there. Dick Vieira was Burnside Knives first Chairman, Customer and my Chief Advisor for both models Strauss and Cabrillo.
Before I get ahead of myself, Burnside Knives was an idea without a name for quite a while. My grandfather and I would call each other at random times throughout the day and suggest new names to one another. He had a list of all of his horses’ names that he thought were catchy but none of those felt right. It wasn’t until we were on the phone together one afternoon while I was driving up Burnside that a name finally clicked.
My grandfather and I used to talk sports; He would often say his politics came from the Sports Section and we would talk about shoes, projects and life. He would often say you could tell a lot about a man by looking at his shoes. That led to me to the creating the catch phrase and registered trademark
YOUR KNIFE SAYS A LOT ABOUT YOU®
I became a member of American Knife & Tool Institute, Knife Rights and Oregon Collectors Association.
My grandfather gave me my first pocket knife as a boy and start up money of one thousand dollars to start Burnside Knives. I gambled on alibaba.com with a tech pack and logo while I was waiting for my trademark to post.
Naturally, upon receiving my first sample I drove down from Portland, Oregon to Hollister, California to show my grandfather, friends and family my brand new tools. I reached out to Chelsea Layton, a friend who was also living in Portland, to take photos with my new prototype on an upcoming trip to Joshua Tree. Chelsea was exploring film photography and agreed to do the photoshoot if she could keep the negatives and my new knife. I happily agreed.
Eugene Kan was the Editor of Hypebeast at the time and I emailed him the idea about the brand and how I wanted to do something different. Eugene offered to push the story through without charge. The story went live and the first season began. Machus, CordPDX, Poler Stuff and Ace Hardware were my first local retailers. BladeHQ and Knife Center then followed. SEE SEE Motorcycles and STAMPD were Burnside’s first collaborations and the brand donated pocket knives to Hollister Rodeo contestant winners.
A Burnside Cabrillo was featured on an episode of CSI Miami and a Strauss was buried in the rose garden outside the Museum of Natural History in D.C.
I have since been advised to notify all parties that there are no knives buried in the D.C. rose garden outside the Museum of Natural History.
Season two by Burnside Knives is currently underway.
To Be Continued
—Rick
