While medieval alchemists sought to turn lead into gold, we strive to turn useless stuff like blown-out inner tubes, old seatbelts and advertising banners into useful stuff like bags and wallets. Another word for this is upcycling. Recycling turns stuff into the same thing over and over again. Upcycling turns something of lesser value into something of greater value.
Ag History
People say that “necessity is the mother of invention,” and that’s exactly the way Alchemy Goods got started. My messenger bag got stolen and I needed another one. But the perfect messenger bag eluded me.
There were always extra inner tubes lying around my apartment, and I realized that I could probably build the perfect bag out of stuff I already had. The first prototype was born on my home sewing machine. It wasn’t perfect, but it was exactly what I needed.
Soon, my friends wanted their own. Then local bike shops caught a glimpse and expressed interest. Each bag improved over the last. Thanks to my friends, demand grew and grew, which led to the founding of Alchemy Goods.
So to whoever it was that stole my bag...you were the inspiration for my imagination. Thank you.
Tiny Numbers
The logos stitched to our bags have a small number in the upper right corner. This tiny number has big significance. It represents the percent (by weight) of upcycled material that goes into each product.
We strive to make this number as high as possible by incorporating as much upcycled material as we can. Show off this mark with pride!
Recycling Your Inner Tubes
The inner tubes in our goods are reclaimed from cyclists and bike shops across the country. Do you ride or know someone that does?
All REI bike shops are participating in our recycling program. Check here to find an REI near you.
All Trek shops are eligible for inner tube recycling. Ask your local Trek dealer if they are participating in our inner tubes recycling program.
If you live in the Seattle area, the chances are your local bike shop is collecting tubes for us.
We are always happy to take boxes of tubes (not tires) addressed to us. Contact the Recycling Coordinator if you have any questions about recycling your inner tubes.
Custom products and private labeling
We custom manufacture unique upcycled products from used advertising banners and reclaimed inner tubes. We can manufacture from materials you provide, or private label items from our existing product line. Let us help with your next product, event or festival!
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