“Dammit Boy” Products started when this saying was directed to owner of the company Nick Buckwell. It all began when Buckwell was fishing with his friend, Kent. It was July 4, 2015 and they were fishing on a boat in Lake Tillery. Buckwell is no professional fisher, but Kent has fished in a few professional events. As the morning was fading out, Kent was puling in a Largemouth, like it was not big deal, Buckwell caught a few dinkers.
Eventually they reached Kent’s favorite spot to fish at. Buckwell’s first cast landed in some huge brush on the bank and Buckwell’s spool bird-nested. Kent yelled out “Dammit Boy!” Buckwell after that fishing trip started using the phrase in his every day language. The more he used it, the more his family and friends used it.
Kent’s daughter, Karley is good friend of Buckwell. She is artistic and has a great imagination. So Buckwell came to her in summer of 2017 with the idea of making Dammit Boy a real thing. They both had set early goals and ideas that they would only play around with. When Buckwell decided to move from North Carolina to Denver, he made a couple shirts for friends who came to a bonfire as a test run. The shirts were a winner, and this inspired Buckwell and Karley to go further with doing an apparel line.
If you would like to find out more “Dammit Boy” then check out the website at https://dammitboyproducts.com.
Q&A:
1. Hello can you me a little bit of background about your apparel line?
It all began… with a poor cast. I was fishing with a good friend of mine – Kent – an older gentleman well seasoned in art of bass fishing. Kent also happened to be the father of the girl I was dating at the time, so, naturally, I was out to impress. I’d fished from banks and ocean vessels but never on a professional bass boat with someone who actually seemed to know what he was doing. Kent lent me one of his best lures for my first cast. I was stoked to use some professional gear and wanted desperately to prove to both of us that I was a capable fisherman. I targeted a clear spot near the bank in the hopes of landing an impressive first cast. I unlocked the reel, drew back, and threw. My lure didn’t come close to hitting the water. Instead, that shiny new lure lodged itself in a pine tree rooted on the bank about 15 feet up. My heart sank. I kept my back turned and prayed Kent hadn’t seen me tangle his best lure in the branches. I quietly gave the line a few yanks, but that only made it worse; the line wrapped a few more times around the limb on which it dangled. Facing defeat, I slowly turned toward the front of the boat where Kent was fishing. To my incredible embarrassment, he had witnessed the whole ordeal. He stood quietly, reeled in his lure, and shook his head. Before turning the boat toward the shore to fetch my lure, Kent turned to me, a cheeky grin on his face, and said, “Dammit boy.”
2. How did you decide on the name “Dammit Boy,” and was there any other names that you were thinking about instead?
The above story became one Kent would tell anyone who would listen or needed a laugh. “Dammit boy” became part of our everyday lingo. It spread to our families, our friends, and our co-workers. When Karley (Kent’s daughter) and I finally decided to pursue it as a company, we went through a few different variations. Being a high school English teacher, my original plan was for it to be grammatically correct. I wanted it spelled correctly and with a comma. Friends, family, and Karley helped me see the light and let go of my grammatical stronghold. After all, Dammit Boy isn’t about perfection, it’s for the ordinary mishaps, extraordinary screw-ups, and unexpected thrills.
3. Where do you see Dammit Boy in the next 5 to 10 years?
In 5-10 years, we would like to have expanded into a multitude of Dammit Boy product options. For the majority of the things we do each day, Dammit Boy can be applied. We want it to become more common in our lingo and lexicon. We want to be able to walk through tailgates and see people hoisting our flags, wearing our shirts, drinking our beer with our koozies holding it.
4. Have any famous people worn your items before?
The most famous person to wear our gear is Miss North Carolina United States Marcie Trivette. Nashville singers/songwriters Sarah Jones, Priscilla Block, and Dustin Herring have all worn our gear for shows. Darrell Harwood, a country artist in North Carolina, will be getting his gear this week and sporting it in his shows, as one of his favorite quotes just happens to be our brand name. One of our best friends who is a Cpt in the military and flying Black Hawk missions in Afghanistan has been sporting his Dammit Boy gear.He may not be famous, but he’s a damn good guy and we appreciate him.
5. What was the first item you made for Dammit Boy?
Karley always laughs at this because I designed it with minimal artistic ability. I moved out to Colorado in July of 2017 to get a change of pace in life. Before I left, we had a little bonfire with some friends I wouldn’t be seeing for a while. My dad helped me make a few grey t-shirts that read DAMMIT BOY in that Comic Sans font and Royal Blue font color. I’d like to bring the font back one day, but most likely not soon.
6. Is there anything new coming up with your company for the rest of 2018?
We’re pushing for a fall line. Baseball tees, sweatshirts, and hats. Our goal is to get some graphics on the shirts as well to depict certain common Dammit Boy moments.
7. What advice would you give to an up and coming apparel company?
Don’t be quietly desperate. If you truly want to be successful, be loud about it. Attack it with enthusiasm and don’t let your wishful thinking satisfy you.
8. What is one of your favorite quotes?
Live the life you love and you’ll love the life you love. It’s simple and accurate.
Social Media Accounts
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DammitBoyProducts/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dammitboyproducts/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDammitBoy
Nick Buckwell:
- Owner & CEO
- Social Media Advisor
Karley Reed
- Co-Owner
- Creative Cat/Design Guru
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