The Gauntlet
The Gauntlet closed in 1998
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Perhaps no business name is as synonymous with body piercing as that of The Gauntlet. For nearly 25 years it defined the industry. Jim Ward formed the company in 1975 giving it the name "Gauntlet Enterprises." It later became "Gauntlet, Inc."
When mismanagement and deceit on the part of trusted key employees brought the company into Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 1998, an ailing Jim Ward watched helplessly as his life's work was seized by the bankruptcy court. The business and its assets were to be liquidated to pay creditors.
The inventory, furniture, and equipment were sold. But Efforts by the bankruptcy court trustee to liquidate the company's name, trademarks, and intellectual property failed, perhaps because her financial expectations were too high. The estate languished for nearly six years.
"My greatest fear," said Jim, "was that it would fall into the hands of someone who would not appreciate its historical significance. I only hoped that it would go to someone who would cherish and protect it and somehow make it available as a resource to the piercing community."
In June of this year the trustee finally took serious steps to rid herself of the property, by putting it up for auction on eBay. On June 26 an individual who has asked to remain anonymous stepped forward and placed the winning bid of $6,623.32, in the last five seconds of the auction.
In an email to friends prior to the auction, the winning bidder had this to say. "It brings a tear to my eye every time I think about what has happened over the years. Jim has done so much for me and others that words could never be put forth in this format.. Now it's time to give him something."
- Drew & Jim Ward
On July 20, 2004 the estate was finally turned over to the winning bidder who drove it to Jim and Drew Ward's residence in Berkeley, California. The winning bidder sold it to Drew Ward's corporation, re:Ward, Inc. for the sum of $1.00. They will be doing business as Gauntlet Enterprises, the original name of the business when it was founded in 1975.
"I am overwhelmed by the incredible generosity and outpouring of support." Jim said. "I never expected the estate to be ours again."
Many people in the piercing world fail to realize that without Jim body piercing would not be what it is today. He sowed the seeds that have produced an abundant harvest which is being reaped by piercers worldwide. Since Gauntlet's bankruptcy, he has enjoyed none of the fruit of his labors. Had it been possible for him to patent, copyright, or otherwise protect his innovations and contributions to the piercing industry, the royalties would have made him a rich man today. But that is not the case. Gauntlet's bankruptcy all but ruined Jim and Drew financially. They experienced what it is like to lose everything.
Fortunately Jim's health is better, and with the recovery of the intellectual property, he and Drew now have the opportunity to start again. A number of people in the piercing industry who are close to them have formed an advisory committee to help them decide how best to make the historical material available to the community, to generate much needed income for the Wards, and how to capitalize the endeavor.
Since Jim has retired from piercing and has no desire to reenter the jewelry manufacturing business, preliminary ideas include reprinting the back issues of Piercing Fans International Quarterly (PFIQ), possibly restarting publication of the magazine under his guidance, updating and publishing the Gauntlet piercer training manual, and to reissue the "Pierce with a Pro" videos on DVD.
Financial help is needed to capitalize the endeavor. To that end donations are being requested. Please give what you can.
Credit card and PayPal accounts have been established for re:Ward Inc. This provides a mechanism for your donations to Gauntlet Enterprises. Checks or Money Orders may be sent to the address below. Please be aware that donations are not tax-deductible.
Gauntlet Master Piercers
Beginning in 1992, several of the Gauntlet body piercers were awarded the certification of Senior and Master Piercer. Many of these individuals went on to become highly influential in the body piercing community, training later generations of body piercers, owning their own stores and evolving the craft to suit the needs of their clients, keeping up with sterility standards as well as jewelry trends.
- Elayne Angel – the first person certified as a Master Piercer.
- Michaela Grey – Director of the Gauntlet Piercing Seminars and later founder of the Association of Professional Piercers.
- Dan Kopka – Trained many of the piercers who worked at the Gauntlet New York City studio.
- Mark Seitchik – Long-time piercer at the Gauntlet San Francisco studio and later manager at the New York studio.
- Paul King – Long-time piercer at the Gauntlet in San Francisco and Los Angeles and later owner of Cold Steel America, a body piercing studio in San Francisco.
- Fakir Musafar – Introduced to Jim Ward by a mutual friend in the early 1970s, Fakir became heavily involved with Jim's fledgling company, Gauntlet. Fakir was integral to the content of PFIQ, a magazine published by the Gauntlet.
PFIQ
- Piercing Fans International Quarterly
The World's First Piercing Magazine
Gauntlet published the world's first piercing magazine Piercing Fans International Quarterly (PFIQ) beginning with issue one in October of 1977. Over the next 20 years a total of 50 issues were published. Issue #51 was nearing completion when Gauntlet went into bankruptcy.
One of our main goals is reprint these historic publications in specially bound editions with additional commentary by publisher and Gauntlet founder Jim Ward. That is one reason we are asking for your support. Please help us make this dream a reality.
Credit card and PayPal accounts have been established for re:Ward Inc. This provides a mechanism for your donations to Gauntlet Enterprises. Checks or Money Orders may be sent to the address below. Please be aware that donations are not tax deductible.
As our way of saying thanks, please download a complimentary PDF of the historic first issue of PFIQ. (6.5MB-requires Acrobat Reader) Thank you for your support!
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