Clackeys, a big name in artisan keycaps, is closing down: 'I am sorry I could not keep this boat afloat'

HardwareGaming KeyboardsClackeys, a big name in artisan keycaps, is closing down: ‘I am sorry I could not keep this boat afloat’When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Clackeys)

Clackeys artisan keycaps on display

“… we don’t make enough money to stay open and we never did reach profitability, but we somehow did have enough overlapping sales + business clients to keep us going strong for years,” Robert Vignone, founder and CEO, said in a post on theClackeys website.

“Unfortunately the lack of sales (no demand?) and business clients combined with growing overhead costs has made it impossible to keep Clackeys open.”

That means it may be a good chance to secure an artisan keycap at a decent discount. If that makes you feel like a vulture picking at the corpse of the deceased, Vignone said: “Any last minute purchase from our store would be a huge help.”

Vignone apologised for being unable to “keep this boat afloat”.

(Image credit: Clackeys)

Clackeys’ Transformers artisan keycaps

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AsVignone told me during an interviewin 2021, after putting his 3D modelling skills to the test on an artisan keycap, “I basically accidentally started a company.”

The Clackeys studio, located in California.(Image credit: Clackeys)

Image from the Clackeys Studio in California

“Clackeys was never profitable,” Vignone says. “At our peak our monthly operating cost was over $20,000 a month! (I absolutely hate managing cash flow).”

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