Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris McCasland.
Hi Chris, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Chris McCasland, Founder of City Bonfires & The Chair Blanket
College-dropout turned entrepreneur Chris McCasland is the Founder of City Bonfires and The Chair Blanket. After losing his job during the COVID-19 pandemic, Chris invented City Bonfires in his garage to create a safe, portable fire pit that could bring people together anywhere. That invention quickly went viral, helping grow the brand from a simple homemade product into a national outdoor lifestyle company with over $30 million in sales and more than 400 million online video views. The product was later called a “game-changing product” by People Magazine.
Chris now leads operations across multiple direct-to-consumer brands, overseeing procurement, manufacturing, logistics, and fulfillment. He manages end-to-end e-commerce systems for City Bonfires and The Chair Blanket, with a strong focus on product innovation, customer experience, and scalable growth. He has appeared on Fox News, Fox Business, CNBC, and QVC, sharing both his products and entrepreneurial journey.
In addition to founding and scaling his own brands, Chris is an active investor in emerging companies, including MightyMeals, and regularly advises startups on product development, go-to-market strategy, and operational scale.
Prior to the pandemic, Chris spent more than 15 years in the concert, sports, and event ticketing industry. He served as Chief Procurement Officer and Partner at Encore Tickets, one of the highest-grossing ticket brokerages in the country, overseeing $350 million in ticket sales across the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL. He led high-volume purchasing teams with annual sales exceeding $80 million and developed deep expertise in acquisition strategy, consignment models, and relationship-driven dealmaking.
Since 2014, Chris has also been involved in the ownership and operations of multiple restaurants and bars in suburban Washington, D.C. He grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland, and currently lives in Potomac, Maryland with his wife and two sons.
Chris’s entrepreneurial resilience — born from job loss and turned into invention — continues to drive innovation across every brand he builds.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
t definitely has not been a smooth road — and honestly, the challenges are what shaped the business into what it is today.
City Bonfires was started after I lost my job during the pandemic, so the very beginning came from uncertainty and pressure. There was no backup plan — just the need to create something that could support my family. We were figuring out manufacturing, packaging, hazmat shipping, and e-commerce in real time, often learning through mistakes. Early on, we faced supply chain shutdowns, material shortages, shipping restrictions, and constant rule changes from carriers. Demand would spike from viral moments, and we’d scramble to keep up without the infrastructure big brands have.
As we grew, new challenges replaced the early ones — scaling production, managing cash flow, hiring the right partners, and recovering when the wrong partners let us down. Not every fulfillment or logistics relationship worked out, and those setbacks were costly and stressful, especially during peak seasons.
Launching The Chair Blanket brought a new wave of hurdles — patent filings, product redesigns, overseas manufacturing delays, counterfeit knockoffs, and educating the market about a product that had never existed before. Innovation is exciting, but it also means you don’t get to copy a playbook — you have to write it.
There have been plenty of ups and downs, but we’ve stayed focused on solving real problems, taking care of customers, and moving fast when something breaks. The road hasn’t been smooth — but the resilience, creativity, and constant improvement that came from those obstacles are exactly what built both brands.
We’ve been impressed with City Bonfires, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
City Bonfires and The Chair Blanket are built around one simple mission: make outdoor comfort and connection easier, more accessible, and more memorable for everyday people. We design practical, innovative products that solve real problems — then build brands around warmth, experience, and togetherness.
City Bonfires is best known as the creator of the Original Portable Fire Pit — a made-in-the-USA, ready-to-light, mess-free mini fire pit that made it possible for people to enjoy a real flame almost anywhere. What started as a garage invention after I lost my job during the pandemic grew into a nationally recognized outdoor lifestyle brand featured on major media and used everywhere from backyards and tailgates to beaches and corporate events. We now specialize in portable fire experiences, s’mores kits, gifting packs, and custom branded fire products for retail and promotional markets.
The Chair Blanket was born from another everyday problem: outdoor chairs are often wet, dirty, or freezing cold. We created a patented, all-in-one chair cover + blanket system with a waterproof exterior and soft comfort interior — something that simply didn’t exist before. It’s now used at sporting events, tailgates, campfires, beaches, concerts, and more, with custom, licensed, and seasonal editions continuing to expand the line.
What sets us apart is that we are true product innovators — not me-too sellers. We invent, test, and refine products ourselves, and we stay deeply involved in operations, customer experience, and fulfillment. We move fast, we listen to customers, and we’re not afraid to improve products mid-stream when we see a better way. We also specialize in customization — from fully custom Chair Blankets and branded fire kits to corporate gifting and promotional programs with low minimums and fast turnaround.
Brand-wise, what we’re most proud of is that our products are experience-driven and giftable — they bring people together. Families use them, teams gather around them, and companies give them as meaningful gifts instead of throwaway swag. We’ve grown from crisis and uncertainty into multiple thriving product lines, and we’ve done it while staying personal, founder-led, and customer-focused.
What we want readers to know is this: we’re not just selling products — we’re building tools for memory-making. Whether it’s a fire, a chair, or a bundle built for a moment, our goal is always the same — make it easier for people to get outside, get comfortable, and connect.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is simple: just start — even if you don’t know how yet. You can figure almost anything out if you’re willing to research, ask questions, and learn as you go. In the early days, we didn’t have playbooks or perfect systems — we had YouTube, trial and error, and a willingness to move fast. Waiting for perfect is usually just another form of procrastination. Progress beats perfection every time.
Starting City Bonfires after losing my job during the pandemic forced that mindset. We had to act, test, adjust, and improve in real time. The same was true when we launched The Chair Blanket — new product category, new supply chain, new challenges. You don’t need to know everything on day one — you just need to be willing to take the first step and keep solving problems as they appear.
I’ve also learned that resilience and adaptability are more valuable than any single strategy. Things will go wrong — partners fall through, shipments get delayed, products need redesigning — but if you stay close to your customers and keep moving forward, you can out-learn and out-execute most obstacles.
If you’re willing to start before you feel ready, learn quickly, and keep going when it’s messy, you can build things you never thought were possible.
Pricing:
- City Bonfires $24.95
- S’mores Night Pack $34.95
- The Chair Blanket $59.99
Contact Info:
- Website: www.citybonfires.com and www.thechairblanket.com
- Instagram: @citybonfires
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/citybonfires
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/citybonfires
- Twitter: https://x.com/CityBonfires
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@citybonfires
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@citybonfires
