Employee-Owned, USA-Made - Kitsbow Closes Its Doors

Shame. Not awfully surprising given American’s priorities however.  I’d imagine so many brands blowing out their overstock made the last year particularly tough.

VC funding dries up and so do brands without actual revenue. Funny how that works. 

Sad story for sure. They tried to do it different. 
But, yes the VC funding thing was odd. It seemed the business was operating largely on that to keep enough cashflow to keep doors open. I wonder how many other bike companies run with this method rather than using (all or almost all) their own revenue to stay afloat. 

While I never want to hear about a business closing, especially a small business, I always questioned who was buying their clothing.  I'm fairly well off, and I spend a lot on cycling (probably more than I should), I have several high-end bikes, nearly every shop tool, and I spend a good bit on traveling and riding, I did a 10 day riding trip in Iceland this past summer.  Despite all that, I couldn't stomach spending $250-270 for a single pair of riding shorts, or $290 for a flannel.  I probably should have been their ideal customer but at a certain point, price comes into play for everyone, even customers with lots of disposable income.  I hope all the employees land on their feet at other companies.  

I feel you. I would have loved to get their stuff, but for items made from materials that get damaged easily in 1 crash or stained from one chain, it gets hard to stomach.

But I will go buy a $300+ pair of leather boots that I know will last me 10 years if treated right. Maybe they should make leather bike shorts..