We are Closing.

Yangdu,
You've been so kind to me over the years. I will treasure the blades I have now. and perhaps share them with others when I'm ready to part with some of them. Thank you for your infinite kindness and compassion for our community. I hope that we can come together in the future to continue to celebrate Uncle Bills dream and the works of all the great kamis who have labored for so many years to make it happen.

I'm very sad, but all things change. I pray that you will continue in joy and peace.

I'm really gonna miss this place.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all that you have done.
peace and love to you and your family,
Joe Fox

p.s. I feel like I have a stone in my chest.
I guess I really do love this place.
HI folks are my kind of folks.
 
Yangdu said:
Dear Friends and Customers,
It is with a heavy heart that i must inform you that after 36 years, Himalayan Imports can no longer continue. We have closed the Online Store. Effective as of December 31st, 2024, Himalayan Imports will cease all operations as a business due to ongoing issues with multiple services, shipping issues, credit card fraud and other logistics making it impossible to maintain such a business.

I have limited at stock at this time, if you know what you want and wish to place an order you may contact me at himimp@aol.com.

It was my hearts desire that Uncle Bill's legacy be maintained for as long as i was able to do so, unfortunately, time is not kind and i am no longer able to maintain the business as i once did. Please know that i wish this day had not come and it is a wonderful miracle that it lasted this long, but It is time for me to retire.
It has been a pleasure to serve and interact with you. Without you his dream and legacy would not have gone on all these years in his memory. For that i am very grateful. More than you could ever know. Thank you all for your patience, love and support through all these years. It has been wonderful.
My sincere blessings and best wishes to all of you,
Yangdu Martino
Click to expand...
I am truly sad! You had a wonderful business with incredibly lovely knives. I still have the 6 Khukuris that I purchase from you and I smile whenever I look at them! They are the pride of my collection!! You are going to be greatly missed!
 
I am very sorry to see you and Himalayan Imports go. I purchased 2 Ganga Ram and 1 WWII model from you, and I treasure them. You brought authenticity and integrity to this forum. That cannot be replaced.
Best of luck to you and yours!
 
While this isn't the best news I've ever heard, I am very happy that I've been able to purchase knives for myself and as gifts. If it wasn't for HI, I probably would have never given kukris a second look for fear of finding some tourist junk and no traditional styles.

Thank you for giving me an opportunity to enjoy these!
 
All the very best you are a huge part of this knife nutts community and been for so long you surely be missed, sorry to see you go.
 
This is sad news indeed, but I sincerely wish you a happy retirement.

I started reading this forum around 1998 and when I turned 18 in 1999 I excitedly bought my first khukuri, a 25" sirupati! Haha. I realized, for me, it was ridiculous and I returned it. Uncle Bill was gracious and I got a Ang Khola. Followed by a no name roughly BAS sized one. A Ganga Ram, made by Ganga Ram as a gift for a friends wedding, etc. Several followed over the years.

Uncle Bill, Rusty, Yvsa, and Nasty were good influences on a young man. I've learned so much from all of you. Best of luck to you and your family Auntie, and of course to the kamis too.

- Daniel
 
Yangdu said:
Dear Friends and Customers,
It is with a heavy heart that i must inform you that after 36 years, Himalayan Imports can no longer continue. We have closed the Online Store. Effective as of December 31st, 2024, Himalayan Imports will cease all operations as a business due to ongoing issues with multiple services, shipping issues, credit card fraud and other logistics making it impossible to maintain such a business.

I have limited at stock at this time, if you know what you want and wish to place an order you may contact me at himimp@aol.com.

It was my hearts desire that Uncle Bill's legacy be maintained for as long as i was able to do so, unfortunately, time is not kind and i am no longer able to maintain the business as i once did. Please know that i wish this day had not come and it is a wonderful miracle that it lasted this long, but It is time for me to retire.
It has been a pleasure to serve and interact with you. Without you his dream and legacy would not have gone on all these years in his memory. For that i am very grateful. More than you could ever know. Thank you all for your patience, love and support through all these years. It has been wonderful.
My sincere blessings and best wishes to all of you,
Yangdu Martino
Click to expand...
So sorry to hear the bad news.. I still have the ones I bought in the past and I will cherish them even more that Himalayan Imports has closed. God bless and enjoy your retirement. Smoke sent !
 
All I can say is "thank you."

Thanks to Uncle Bill and Yangdu... And all the forumites both new and old.

How can I NOT name names... So many. Thanks to Yvsa. Danny in Japan. Kismet, wherever you are. Jake and Norm, Howard Wallace... No, I can't. There are too many and my memory's getting shot.

I swore in 2005 to quit alcohol forever. Hundreds of forumites encouraged me, a peer group of warriors and friends. On May 23 it will be 20 years. With your help, I never touched the stuff again.

My kukuries I still have, save a few gifted. Maybe 40? Sharking was a joy. Though they gather dust, and should be appreciated by others- khuks helped me in many ways. What did Josh or Munk call it? Mystic khukuri woo-woo? Call it whatever you want, especially if you're unlucky enough to not believe in it. And metaphysics aside, a 18" Ang Khola is an inspiring problem solver.

Himalayan Imports may close. But Uncle Bill's example is there to teach us all something. Believe in the goodness in people, even total strangers on the internet.

Mike/AA
 
This is extremely heartbreaking news. I used to be on BF basically every hour every day when i first got into HI in the late aughts. These days I'll go months without stopping in, but HI will always hold a place in my heart. Thankfully over the years I've built a pretty solid collection, the crown jewel being a Sgt. Khadka Bonecutter, but my most used outdoors tool for the past decade has been a Tirtha ASTK. Thank you so much Auntie for all the memories, the work you've done to honor Uncle Bill and support the kamis, and providing us forumites with the absolute best working tools I've ever had the pleasure of owning.
 
Sorry for being late here, as is usual for me on the forums.
I feel both sadness to see it end, and deep gratitude to have had the opportunity to witness a tiny bit of what you've done.
This place, these knives, the craftmanship, it has touched me and wish the best to all of you.

To quote a wiser bear than me:
How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.
 
Ad Astra said:
All I can say is "thank you."

Thanks to Uncle Bill and Yangdu... And all the forumites both new and old.

How can I NOT name names... So many. Thanks to Yvsa. Danny in Japan. Kismet, wherever you are. Jake and Norm, Howard Wallace... No, I can't. There are too many and my memory's getting shot.

I swore in 2005 to quit alcohol forever. Hundreds of forumites encouraged me, a peer group of warriors and friends. On May 23 it will be 20 years. With your help, I never touched the stuff again.

My kukuries I still have, save a few gifted. Maybe 40? Sharking was a joy. Though they gather dust, and should be appreciated by others- khuks helped me in many ways. What did Josh or Munk call it? Mystic khukuri woo-woo? Call it whatever you want, especially if you're unlucky enough to not believe in it. And metaphysics aside, a 18" Ang Khola is an inspiring problem solver.

Himalayan Imports may close. But Uncle Bill's example is there to teach us all something. Believe in the goodness in people, even total strangers on the internet.

Mike/AA
Click to expand...

Just dropped in to see what’s up, and to search for Joe’s last announcement about Kismet, and saw your post Mike. I know it’s over 6 months old, but had to respond. Your words perfectly capture my experience here, thank you!

I’m sorry I lost touch, but still think of you stuck in the cursed FEMA trailer for a while, and us splitting those special order 30” (?) Mallas, you getting the horn and I the wood! 20 years ago anyway I think.

I see Yangdu is still offering the DOTD, so hope that continues. Eventually I need to dig through my collection and start parting with some gathering dust as you say (but never the Memorial Salyans!)

I’m not saying this place was necessarily everything to me for a few years, but in 2007 I got my first and only tattoo, on my left shoulder, at Farsyde Tattoo in Hanapepe, Kauai, and it’s my Avatar here, that changed when Uncle Bill Walked West. 🤷‍♂️😉
 
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