Chrome Industries

Chrome has gotten popular really quick. Having lived in Chicago, I was on the Chrome bicycle quite some time ago. once upon a time, they pretty much just had a few bags.
Having moved to Seattle a couple years ago, I was pleased to see Chrome has expanded in several places outside of SF, CHI and NY. The location is questionable to me, seems like they’d do really well in Capitol Hill. But anyway, the store is fantastic! The people working there are generally cool and laid back. Anyone complaining about people here are obviously used to the kind of annoyance you’d get at the GAP or Nike Town or something. If you’re a bike hipster, you’ll dig the vibe. They have a mini coffee bar too which is kind of hilariously cliché of both Seattle and Chrome. So I guess it works, still a bit weird.
Okay. The bags are hella pricey. The signature messenger bags are US made, though. Some of the other bags are made in China, and some of the jackets are made in Canada. Some in Vietnam. Various locations of manufacture are questionable, but at least the quality is consistent! I hope Chrome doesn’t start to get lazy and outsource their warehouses to sweatshops.
The hub is super cool, you’ll get to sample all sorts of bags. They even have cut outs of all apropos devices so you can see how they fit. They have weights, too. They thought of everything! The design of most Chrome products and durability is worth the price; the bags are made to last! I’ve had mine since about 2005 and it’s still rockin.

A couple years ago I bought one of their bags from a local bike shop. I’ve been using the bag to commute to and from work. The bag is called «Ivan» and it is probably one of the largest backpacks you can find. The bag is virtually indestructible and totally rainproof, even in downpours for hours!!! All their gear has a sort of timeless good looking style, and made to last a lifetime. When they opened a store in Seattle I had been wanting to visit it for quite some time. I finally got a chance to see the store. of course I bought a really nice new duffel bag, but I have to say that the sales staff was among the most pleasant I’ve run into and if you do nothing more than stop in for a cup of coffee it is well worth your time.

I’ve been a chrome industries fan for a while now, rocking my messenger bag everywhere I can. Popped into the store when it was time to grab a bag with a little more room.
Great experience with Steven and the whole team on staff that day! Steven listened to my needs and made some great recommendations. They seemed super interested in making sure I walked out of there with the right gear. Oh, and a bad ass cup of coffee as the cherry on top.

I actually came in here to check out Motofish Coffee which is a separate business entity even though the employees operate both. I stopped in for some coffee, however, stayed to look at some clothes. Prices were fair market for what it was. I found a really cool messenger back that caught my attention and may be a consideration. I was just talking to the bestie about the need for a messenger bag now that I am more on the go with my netbook.

Remember the age-​old tradition of saying hello to customers when they walked into your store? Remember the good old days when people would at least acknowledge your presence? I think Chrome either totally forgot about this or just chooses to ignore potential customers to add to their hipster image; «Saying hello is SO over.» I’m going with option two here. We stopped in on a lazy Saturday afternoon to check out some bags. Besides not being greeted, we were continually ignored even as we picked up several items to possibly purchase. They do have a great selection of merch from which to choose, but the vibe from the staff was just way too overbearing so we left. There is nothing worse than feeling like you’re bothering someone when really all you want to do is look and/​or purchase something. It’s especially bad if there aren’t even any words exchanged. All I can say is «meh.»
Two stars for selection and cool design of the space.

Went in looking for a backpack that was «OK» with office and meeting-​type attire. Chrome could maybe offer more in that arena. I get the usual Chrome aesthetics, but some of us need to dress. I’d like to use your waterproof, good designs, though. OK, now onto the «review»…
The folks at the downtown Seattle store were helpful but not overbearing. In response to a satisfied shoe customer who wanted to throw out his shoes, an employee suggested putting his shoes atop the garbage so that another might use them (they looked like there was a lot of life in them). I thought that was smart.
Anyway, I liked the bags I checked out and might be back for one of them — again, the look might not be optimal for my needs/​wants. Glad they had sample weights to put in the bags so I didn’t have to unpack my bag to load up the ones I tried.
Also they gave me cookies but that was an end-​of-​day fluke. DEFINITELY not a Unilocal bribe ;-)
I already own and love my Chrome Fidel hat and merino Cobra — please make them in brown again!

My teen daughter with shoulder problems just bought a bag with all of her Christmas money and was so looking forward to using and owning it. However, The weight of the bag proved to be to much for her bilateral shoulder instability issue and causes pain. I work downtown and attempted to return the bag for her. She paid in cash and the return policy that was stated to her was she could return the bag in 30 days with receipt and in original condition. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE FOR THE SALES CLERK TO MENTION THE CASH RETURN POLICY TO A MINOR. I could not get a refund of her Christmas money, only a store credit. She is not interested in another product and this store has just STOLEN all of Christmas money. We will not be returning and thanks for NOTHING. I hope if feels good for a high priced boutique store to be stealing money from minors. The Seattle store manager was of no assistance.

I just recently started biking to work everyday 14 miles round trip. It has been really great until one day riding in the rain I arrived at work to find all my clothes soaked from my old hiking bag. So i needed to find a new commute bag. I started searching around online and realized chrome was right down on 1^st ave so I stopped by.
1^st — the store is awesome. It is organized really well and good lighting. The styling is really awesome with cool painted brick, woods and metals. Feels really in tune with their branding.
2^nd — The staff is amazing. I went in and showed them my old bag and told them what i was looking for and they took me around the store and pulled 4 – 5 different bags and told me the pros and cons of each… showed me all of the features and helped me narrow it down to the bag for me. My initial feeling was it was a little pricey, but the quality and the warranty make it worth the price.
3^rd — I thought it was so cool that they have a seamstress right when you walk in the door working on bags. It makes for a really transparent and authentic experience. After purchasing my bag and riding for a few days, there were some small things about it that weren’t working for me. I went back in the store and asked if they had any solutions for it. Tida (their seamstress) had some great suggestions for me and even helped me do it. She was REALLY helpful and pleasant to talk to.
4^th — They have a espresso bar that serves Blue Bottle Coffee right in the store. It totally feels like you can go relax and hang out while you shop. SUCH A GREAT SHOPPING EXPERIENCE! Make sure you bring some cash for coffee though because it is cash only.
All said, I totally recommend shopping here for an awesome experience.

I don’t come to this part of town nearly enough, but I’m glad we stumbled upon Chrome today in search of a stylish utilitarian camera bag. Even if you don’t purchase anything, their store is certainly fun to look at, as everything is branded nicely and handsomely curated. Right when we walked in, we were greeted warmly. One employee sat sewing products next to the registers which was a pleasant and rare sight for even small boutique stores who usually hide this process in the back. Everyone who works here is real and pretty passionate about this stuff (and will help you out any way they can). All in all, very impressed. I love the look and feel of their bags and will be back!

Here’s the gist. When I lived South of Market, I lived less than a block from what I presumed was Chrome Headquarters on Folsom Street. And their retail store was almost never open. And the one time it was, there was an episode. I was never quite sure what happened, but someone at Chrome was disagreeing or fighting with Erik Zo, he of the eponymous Zo Bags, which may or may not have been the first/​original San Francisco messenger bag. And I walked into the Chrome store wearing my Zo bag, and chaos ensued. I was thrown out of the store, kind of odd at the time.
My spouse thinks this happened in the 90’s, which would be at least fifteen years ago, when he was (a) my boyfriend and (b) a San Francisco messenger. So I have a certain affinity or prediliction for San Francisco-​made messenger bags, as well as a certain predilection for San Francisco messengers. This is still true, because I walked into this Chrome store wearing a Rickshaw Bagworks messenger bag (also made in SF), which is Muni brown/​orange and has an SF Municipal Railway patch on it. This was unintentional; I wasn’t pushing for a fight.
«Nice bag,» one of the guys at this store says to me.
When I saw the storefront, I had the husband drive me around the block because I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The logo almost didn’t register. Couldn’t be the same, could it? But it ’tis. Same bags, still made in San Francisco, plus an expanded product line.
I disagree with the assertion that items are expensive, even for Seattle. They’re not. You can get a basic messenger here for about $ 149. And some bags still have that Chrome seatbelt buckle. They also do custom bags. The space is large, well-​lit and has an extensive selection of product. I can only speak to the bags themselves, but the quality is still there. This is so not their original SoMa store. And it was a pleasant experience for me. Trust me. I am an expert on SF-​made messenger bags. I still have my old Zo. (And I think Erik lives in Japan now, so no worries.)
UPDATE: I was told by a couple of Unilocalers that the original Chrome owners sold this business, and have started another SF messenger bag company. Oh.

Awesome store! I had no idea chrome made clothing in addition to their bags. They also have the option of having a bag custom made in store for you, I don’t know many places that do that. Friendly staff and cool aesthetic, definitely stop by if you’re in the area.

I don’t even own a bike but I love this store! This store design is so rad and the staff were all super helpful and guided me through the in’s and out’s of all the bags. From what I can tell they have the best gear in the game! Also — great socks and shoes!

Love their bags!
Easy on easy off, and durable like no other.
Staff is friendly, and helpful.
Word is they’re planning a big opening event at the end of the month. :-)