Findlay Hats // Est. 2013 Portland, Oregon
10 YEARS OF
GOOD TIMES
Celebrating a decade of Findlay Hats. What started with a lost hat on a river in Southwest Washington became a brand, a community, and a whole lot of good times.
A DREAM THAT GREW
BEYOND OUR WILDEST DREAMS
I have always cherished wearing my grandpa's hats, stored on his mudroom hat rack. A hat, to me, is so much more than an accessory. It is a sentimental reminder, a way to honor a legacy.
Over the last 10 years, the team here at Findlay and I have worked tirelessly to build something great. Our goal was never just about making hats. It was about creating a brand that stands the test of time, leaves a lasting legacy, and fosters a strong community.
What began as just two of us in a living room has grown into something far beyond my wildest dreams. This story is a tribute to that journey, and a celebration of what we have built together. I hope you enjoy it, and here is to some good times ahead for us all.
Jimmy
TEN YEARS, ONE TIMELINE
Drag or scroll sideways to move through the years
First 'Water Hat' was made on the Toutle River
The Instagram post that started it all
Findlay launched out of a living room on a floating home
Singer sewing machine purchased
Moved to a house with a garage. The Garage Era begins
Acquired first embroidery machine, a Happy HCD1501
Reddit front page. The 'Hug of Death'
Started advertising on Facebook with a real strategy
Bought our first laser engraver. It was a lemon
Moved into a 5,500 sq ft warehouse and a 15 head machine
Dialed in our systems to keep up with the scale
First Findlay Friday Live recorded on Facebook
Premium Mystery Box and weekly drops launched
Momentum building again, then COVID hit
Switched gears to face shields. Findlay Shields was born
First viral post on TikTok
Launched our retail store, Findlay PDX
The Findlay Archive released to the public
Moved to our new 10,000 sq ft warehouse
Upgraded to 60 embroidery heads
Celebrated 10 years by making this book
01.
THE
DREAM
Where it all began
A photographer, a rough winter, and a hat that would not stay on down the river.
THE HAT THAT
WOULD NOT QUIT
In my younger years, many a summer day was spent on the water. The Toutle River in Southwest Washington was one of my favorite places on planet Earth, at the foothills of Mount Saint Helens.
One day we flipped the raft in a sketchy section called the Hollywood Gorge, and I lost my favorite hat. Determined not to lose the next one, I cut a hole in my hat, took the laces out of my shoes, and tied them under my chin.
Sure enough, it survived. I started wearing it everywhere. Every time I brought it out, people asked where I got it. When I told them I made it myself, they said, 'Let me know when you make more and I will buy one.'
The mighty Toutle River. I brought a camera with underwater housing and photographed people going over the gorge, where I lost my hat originally.
POSTED FOR
FEEDBACK
Photography had been my passion for as long as I can remember. I shot the X Games, MLS, the NFL, worked with Nike, did senior portraits and documentary work. But Pacific Northwest winters were brutal. No one was hiring photographers.
I had a few ideas floating around. One was a photo book. Another was selling cool plates. The third was this hat idea in the back of my mind. I made some prototypes, took photos, and shared them on Instagram for feedback.
To my surprise, the feedback was positive enough to warrant diving further into the project.
WHAT BETTER
PERSON TO BET ON
It was just me and my partner at the time, and still co-founder to this day, Sarah Wishard. We had no idea what we were doing. There was nothing like it on the market.
A friend told me, 'What better person to bet on than yourself.' That quote stood with me. I had about $1,400 saved, and I pulled all of it out to invest in our initial run of hats.
We lived on a floating home within walking distance of a craft store. We visited it multiple times a day. Building the first run of hats was a puzzle we slowly unlocked.
HAROLD FINDLAY
We had a product. We needed a name. For years I called these hats 'Water Hats,' but nothing felt right.
My grandpa, Harold Findlay, played a significant role in my life. 'Findlay' is my middle name. I was the only male on his side of the family, and the Findlay name would end with me. He had a large hat collection from his travels, and his hats, with their sweat stains, were proof of his hard work.
He passed away shortly before the company launched, but he was around during the early stages of us testing the hats. We let him know the company would be named Findlay. It is an honor to keep the name alive.
TWENTY BUCKS
AND A SHARPIE
A few days before launch, my childhood friend Jacob asked if he could buy the first Findlay Hat. He was there the day we flipped the raft, and the day the idea was born, so it made sense he should have the honor.
He gave me $20. I had the forethought to capture the moment with a photo, and to sign the inside of the hat with a golden Sharpie.
Little did we know this would be the first hat of hundreds of thousands over the next decade plus.
NOVEMBER 30,
2013
Our friends at Sticks and Stones PDX let us use their space for the launch party.
We brought a plastic tote of hats, a laser cut wooden sign, and a new TV. The turnout was everything we could hope for.
02.
THE LIVING
ROOM ERA
2013 to 2014
A two story floating home on the Columbia River. A pop-up table, a seamstress table, a canoe, and a couple of orders a day.
SMALL SPOT,
SMALL COMPANY
The Living Room was where it all began. Tucked away in a quiet moorage on the Columbia River, we had a simple floating home with three bedrooms, a boat well, and no boat, just a canoe.
Our setup was basic. A pop-up table to pack and ship, my computer desk, Sarah's seamstress table, and not much else. We averaged a couple of orders a day, and most of our inventory fit in a small plastic closet.
This spot was small, but so were we. It worked well, and we were proud to show that we were based out of a living room.
PUSHED DOWN
THE FREEWAY
At the time I owned a limo, a random Craigslist find I got for cheap. We drove it out to Lake Sutherland to film a weekend of good times for our early marketing.
On the drive back from an event, the limo lost power and died at 2 AM on the side of the road in Washington. Some police officers showed up, surprised to see this old, sketchy, broken limo, and offered to push us to the next exit. They got us close to 45 mph with the bumper.
We made it, drove it to Sarah's parents, parked it, and never drove it again.
SIX HATS A DAY
We hand wrote everyone's names and orders on little pieces of paper, then cross referenced who ordered what. It was not the best strategy, but life finds a way.
OUR CORE VALUES
Stay true to good times for both our team and community
Have affordable, quality products and superior service
Give back and create magic moments
Do as much as we can in-house
Provide fair wages, benefits, and the best work environment we can
Be a force for good
Roho Tucker jumping off the top of the floating home, watched by Jack McColl. We tested if the hat would stay on through anything, including Skittles to the face. It stayed.
GATOR, BOARDS, AND GOOD TIMES
FINDLAY BY THE NUMBERS
10 MAN
WORLD CUP CHAMPS
I used to play professional paintball, right before Findlay launched. Once Findlay took over, paintball took a back seat, but we put together a fun team for the paintball world cup in Florida.
We won the event as the Findlay Force, competing in an open 10 man division, with some of my favorite people in the sport. A damn good time, and a great feeling to win with the homies.
On the podium as the Findlay Force. Open 10 man division champions.
03.
THE
GARAGE ERA
2014 to 2017
A house with a garage that filled up fast. A corner that doubled as a bedroom. The energy of a team living and working together, building the brand.
WHERE FINDLAY
FOUND ITSELF
The floating home was nice, but small. After our second summer there, we found a house with a garage only a couple of miles away. I remember staring at the empty garage, dreaming up where the equipment would go.
The garage filled up quickly. One corner doubled as a bedroom for Tyler, our first sales employee, before he was relocated to the dining room with a curtain. Our UPS driver became our friend, our USPS driver became our enemy, and the neighbor's dog Luna barked all day.
We took pride in being garage based, and used it in our marketing. To this day, 'Garage Based' Findlay gear is some of my favorite collector pieces out there.
A family friend and attorney told us it was unlikely we could patent the laces. After thousands of dollars and years of back and forth with the patent office, we finally got it.
FINDLAY DOGS AND THE HAPPY HCD1501
TEN STORES,
THEN SIX HUNDRED
Back in 2014 we got a random email from someone at Zumiez asking if we wanted them to try our hats. Over a year of follow ups later, they offered to try us in ten of their 600 plus locations.
Nick, Tyler, and I rented the cheapest car we could find, a Yaris, and charged down the West Coast. We slept in a Walmart parking lot in Pismo Beach, brought donuts, and walked in to see our hats on the shelves. It was surreal.
I have personally visited over 100 Zumiez locations since. At their peak they were close to 20% of our business. We are still carried in Zumiez today.
A FINDLAY HAT
IN ROME
Two days into a family trip to Italy, driving down a small alleyway in Rome, I noticed someone two feet away wearing one of our hats. I jumped out of the van and chased him down. 'Hey, I made that hat, that is my company.'
That night I posted the photo on Reddit: 'I run a small hat company out of my garage. I just ran into someone wearing one of our hats on the other side of the world in Rome.' Minutes later it hit the front page.
My phone made a 'Ka Ching' noise for every order, nonstop for an hour. We sold enough to afford our first multi head embroidery machine.
BUILT FOR GOOD TIMES
From skate team trips to surf sessions, wakeboarding to the mountain, the laces stayed on through all of it. These remain some of my favorite photos to date.
OUR HATS ON
THE FIELD
We landed a collaboration with the local minor league baseball team, the Portland Pickles. A pretty cool project by itself, but what made it even cooler is that the team wore our hats during one of their games.
Our 2017 Summer Line: Spacebound. We had some fun with this photoshoot.
OVER FIFTY AND COUNTING
One of the biggest honors is seeing how many Findlay Force members have gotten Findlay tattoos. At this point there are easily over 50 out there. Check #findlaytats to see more.
04.
THE COLUMBIA
WAREHOUSE ERA
2017 to 2022
5,500 square feet of unlimited potential. For every dollar we spent on ads, we made 17 back. The first time we felt like a real company.
UNLIMITED
POTENTIAL
In 2017 we noticed a dip in sales, so I took some cheap Facebook advertising classes and put together a quick video explaining why Findlay was unique. For every dollar we spent, we made 17 back.
That rate dried up, but our average jumped from 10 orders a day to over 50. The garage was packed, the dining and living rooms were full of boxes. It was time.
It was 5,500 square feet of unlimited potential. We removed the metal sheets on the ground, installed our own turf, and slowly made it our own. For the first time, we started to feel like a real company.
A NEW HAT EVERY WEEK
We simplified to one hat with one lace color and started launching weekly. Every Friday at 7 PM PST, a new run based on a unique theme. From concept to design to photography to shipping, completed every single week.
THANK YOU, DAVE
Our main USPS collections driver for years. Dave arriving was always a treat, and he would brighten the mood of anyone he interacted with. He saved the day numerous times and for years was a huge piece of our company.
So much of this story is the people who showed up: the embroidery machine connects, the financial advisor whose book we still use every day, and the drivers who became family.
ONE LAST HOORAH
To celebrate sponsoring David Gravette, we turned our warehouse into a skatepark. This was right before the COVID lockdown. It was a fun final hoorah before everything changed.
THANKS, GRANDMA
While my grandpa passed months before the company launched, my grandma stuck around a lot longer, and became a real member of the Findlay family. She would sign our Thank You cards and visit the retail store.
She was a big Frank Sinatra fan. We would play his music while driving her home. The day she died, my girlfriend Erica and I got in the car, and the artist playing on the radio was Frank Sinatra. Thanks, Grandma.
COLLECTORS WE NEVER SAW COMING
Something we never anticipated was that there would be collectors, let alone collectors with tens to hundreds of hats. Here is a small sample of what is out there.
PAINT ON THE BACK OF THE CANVAS
You gotta do something different sometimes. From hats made entirely out of Cheetos bags and Airheads, to hand painted hats, to hats made out of dollar bills.
THE HARDEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE
Break ins, vandalism, equipment busts, fraudulent charges, getting sued, defending our patent, and a local arsonist who would light things on fire outside the Columbia warehouse. Running this company has been the hardest thing I have ever done, and there is always something around the corner.
I chalk it up to the reality of running a business. Every one of these has sucked in the moment, but with every one there has been a lesson, a path forward, and sometimes even inspiration for a hat design.
A FORCE
FOR GOOD
Giving back is one of our core values. During COVID we introduced the Findlay Stimulus Package, sending $30 no questions asked to 50 Force members who were struggling.
After losing our team member Justin 'JT' Thornton to a rare cancer, his girlfriend and our team member Savannah started the JT Foundation Fundraiser for MD Anderson. We hosted a charity auction and sold 'Cancer Sucks' hats, raising over $7,000.
Over the years we have supported St. Jude, Children's Hospital LA with Jamie Lee Curtis, the NAACP, UNICEF, The Trevor Project, Basic Rights Oregon, and more.
A GAMBLE IN
A LOCKDOWN
We had always dreamt of a retail space in downtown Portland. One night in 2020, driving through downtown, I stumbled on a location right across from Upper Playground, always the coolest corner in the city to me.
A couple phone calls later, in the middle of a COVID lockdown, we decided it was worth the gamble. The shop featured limited edition hats, apparel, a space for other artists, and the Custom Hat Bar.
YOUR SPIRIT LIVES ON THROUGH ALL OF US
To our friends who passed, Justin Thornton and Herman Neal, we will never forget you. Thank you for being a reminder to live for today and make the most of the good times while we can.
Over the years we have had many family members reach out to share how much their loved one loved Findlay. We have even made final resting hats for members of the Findlay Force. It is a true honor, and a reminder that what we are doing here is about more than just hats.
With our manufacturing experience, we made tens of thousands of face shields and complex surgical masks. One order alone was 15,000 shields. My routine was the 9 PM to 5 AM shift, sleep, then my regular job, then repeat.
05.
THE INTERSTATE
WAREHOUSE ERA
2022 to today
10,000 square feet. Clean floors, insulated walls, big windows. Everything under one roof. Exactly what we needed for this stage of the business.
UNDER
ONE ROOF
Our first warehouse was perfect for us at the time, but it was brutally cold in winter, hot in summer, and had no windows. When we crunched the numbers, we realized we could upgrade both the warehouse and the retail store and consolidate them under one roof.
Our landlord David had a 10,000 square foot building available, almost double the size. On the day we signed the lease, I found myself sitting in a corner hit by a bit of a panic attack, worrying we had bitten off more than we could chew.
Clean floors, insulated walls, big windows, plenty of office space, a retail area. It has been exactly what we need for this stage of the business.
SEATTLE
UPRISING
The sport of paintball has always had a place in my heart. I started in 2001 and competed professionally in 2011 and 2012 with my team, Portland Uprising.
Over the years Findlay got more and more involved, from a booth at small local events all the way up to taking ownership of the pro team I used to play on, now Seattle Uprising.
There are only 20 pro NXL teams in the world, and we wanted to do it right. We embroider all of the jerseys ourselves. Each one takes about 3 hours. Pretty sure we are the first pro team to ever do this.
THE INTENSITY BEFORE THE FIELD
QVC, BUT
WAY MORE FUN
For most of 2023 we spent a day or two a week going live on TikTok. Think QVC, but slightly elevated and way more fun. It was a bit exhausting selling hats on TikTok, but people could buy directly through the app in just three taps, and it helped us reach many new Force members.
WE WOULD NOT HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY
Design. Embroidery. Laser cutting and hand dyeing the leather patches. Grommeting the hats. Laser cutting the wood clips. Cutting, tying, and styling the laces. Screen printing. Sublimating pocket fabric. Cutting, sewing, and applying the pockets. And so much more.
A lot of brands in our space outsource everything and never actually handle the product. Our approach is more expensive, time consuming, and challenging, but it is a big part of who we are, and something we are really proud of.
Moving the giant 18 head embroidery machine took a box truck and a tow truck for a two block drive, with the machine hanging off the back. This brought us up to 60 total embroidery heads.
THE BEST TEAM
WE HAVE HAD
The Findlay Hats home team, current at time of publication. Things get hectic in the warehouse, but we make a point to get out there and have some good times together, from river floats to lake days.
None of this happens without these people. The energy and spirit of everyone coming together is the whole thing.
06.
EPILOGUE
Here is to the next chapter
HERE IS TO THE
NEXT CHAPTER
As I close this chapter and reflect on the last decade of Findlay Hats, my thoughts circle back to my grandpa, Harold Findlay, and the legacy he unknowingly helped to inspire. From a simple hat on his mudroom rack to a brand that has touched lives worldwide, this journey has been about more than hats. It has been about building a community, fostering creativity, and living out good times.
To everyone who has been a part of this, our dedicated team past and present, and the ever supportive Findlay Force: you are the essence of what makes this company great.
Looking ahead, my hope is simple. That it is filled with good times, shared by amazing people wearing Findlay all around the world. Thank you for being part of this journey.
Jimmy
BUILT FOR GOOD TIMES
Ten years down. Here is to the next chapter of Findlay Hats, and to some good times ahead for us all.
THANK YOU
To everyone who pre-ordered the book, wore the laces down, sent a photo from the top of a mountain, and made the Findlay Force what it is: thank you. This one is for you.