A mall knife store story

[Don M]

For twenty something odd years, I was within 7 hours of SMKW. I call that reasonable.

About every 3 months I'd take orders from friends, and make a road trip.

14 hours driving for a visit to the knife store? That's pretty hard core. And that makes the knives pretty expensive.

I end up going by there every so often (hiking in the Smokies) and I normally drop in as part of the trip. And when family come to visit from other areas of the country we often end up there.

I don't know when the addition will be completed, but it will make it a much larger store.

 

[Moondrop]

MP5ripper -

I'm in southwest GA. I've been to Savannah a couple of times but it's a good 6-7 hour drive from here. I think Savannah's a good test of the rust resistance of a knife, seemed extremely humid to me there. My sister lives up near Atlanta so maybe next time I visit her I'll take a run by that place you mentioned. Thanks for the info. I'll be going to Columbus again in a couple of weeks but I *won't* be bothering with Ranger Joe's again, no offense to anyone who might be a fan of that place.

Edited to add:
I know there are plenty of hunters in this state. This makes me wonder where they buy their knives.

Normark/Eric (not sure how to address you) -

My feeling about the hunting supply place was sort of a combination of things. One is that even though it's a fairly large building it seems kind of dark and creepy. Another is the feeling that I also get in stores that sell guitars and stuff. The staff in some of those stores doesn't help. I went into a music store once to see if they had a particular guitar or something (was so long ago I can't remember what I was interested in) and I remember a salesman looking at me like he thought I was gonna take down a guitar and smash it on the floor. Just an angry, unfriendly look on his face. It's partly a problem of mine, but also that the atmosphere of some stores just isn't exactly inviting. I do remember being at SMKW once and I felt perfectly comfortable in there. I don't know how to describe it but I know it when I feel it. Or don't feel it, as the case may be.

 

[ras]

My "Mall Knife" story was a few years back when I dropped by a knife store (no longer in business) and was looking but didn't see anything I wanted. Quite a few "fantasy"knives but nothing that suited me.

The girl behind the counter pulled out her personal Spyderco Wegner and said I should get something like that. I really liked that knife so asked her to get me one. "We don't carry them." Okay thanks for the tip.

I bought my Wegner over the internet.

 

[sharper]

My "Mall Knife" story was a few years back when I dropped by a knife store (no longer in business) and was looking but didn't see anything I wanted. Quite a few "fantasy"knives but nothing that suited me.

The girl behind the counter pulled out her personal Spyderco Wegner and said I should get something like that. I really liked that knife so asked her to get me one. "We don't carry them." Okay thanks for the tip.

I bought my Wegner over the internet.

You should have asked that girl out, you don't find enough women that know knives.
Danny

 

[Mitchell Knives]

I have to drive 2 hours to get to a decent knife store. The prices are actually pretty good and they have an excellent selection of guns AND knives. Most of the time I simply buy online because I really don't want to make the drive. It amazes me that some of you guys will drive 7 hours to visit the knife store.

 

[george tichbourne]

The existance of the internet makes it difficult for bricks and morter stores to stay in business because there are people on the net who advertise, take orders, then place the order with their supplier and ship the product out when it arrives a few days later at a markup of only a couple of bucks.

These people can make a profit because they work out of their kitchen and don't have to pay for the product until after they have been paid. They also do not have the cost of rent on a retail space or the need to staff the location six or seven days a week.

If you want the luxury of being able to handle the product before you buy it is in your interest to support your neighbourhood knive shop, even if the price is higher or it will disappear.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

If you want the luxury of being able to handle the product before you buy it is in your interest to support your neighbourhood knive shop, even if the price is higher or it will disappear.

George, this is unfortunately true. The stores can't stay in business without some kind of customer base, and the occasional fantasy sword buyer won't do it. But too many I've seen don't stock the kind of working knives that might keep them going, and maybe lead into educating their customers to buying better later on.

In one local mall here, they have wagons in the middle of the halls, like kiosks, selling mostly small stuff -- belts or jewelry or cellphones. One guy sells knives! and he's got a great location, right by the center of the mall, by the pool, in front of the food court. He's smart. He sells Victorinox, he sells the Walmart/Target type utility knives, but he also sells more interesting knives, and quite a few good Spydercos.

The actual storefront that used to be here didn't have nearly as good a selection as a store that size should have had, and I liked some of the people working there. But what to buy? I'm not a Viking, I'm not Conan the Barbarian!

 

[Runsalone]

Also there is a really cool knife store in Atlanta that is opening at the Cobb Galaria on June 5th that will have everything you could ever want and more and hopefully at a good price.

BLADESHOW!!!!!!! Cant wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Esav Benyamin]

Without really good knife stores around here, one thing that keeps us going are the two NYC knife shows, and another is the monthly meeting of the NJKCA, where we at least get to fondle each other's new knives.