Covid 19 Will our demand drop?

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JTknives said:
I'm not really sure it will. yes there is a surge o unemployment but that is not because thy lost their jobs. Its because states and cities have set up restrictions on people and in some places thy are restricted to their home for 15-30 days. Thy have not lost jobs, thy have been on hold for the most part in some areas to keep it from spreading to fast. We know its going to spread we just need to flatten the curve so we don't have a huge spike and not enough resources to help them like italy.
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A lot of the surge in unemployment is permanent lost jobs too unfortunately. here in Seattle area we've already had 50+ restaurants go under. its by no means a majority, most filing for unemployment will be back to work when this ends. But as the days go by that is changing more and more. 2008 is going to look rosy compared to how plays out.
 
JTknives said:
I'm not really sure it will. yes there is a surge o unemployment but that is not because thy lost their jobs. Its because states and cities have set up restrictions on people and in some places thy are restricted to their home for 15-30 days. Thy have not lost jobs, thy have been on hold for the most part in some areas to keep it from spreading to fast. We know its going to spread we just need to flatten the curve so we don't have a huge spike and not enough resources to help them like italy.
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JT. - the problem is the companies that had hired them won’t survive. The jobs are gone. You know more than most here what it is like to build a business to the point where you could hire another person, then another, etc. harsh reality ... it is a long road ahead I fear
 
Debating weather to create an inventory of Zombie or Kitchen blades :thumbsup:

Cutting out (Pun) unnecessary trips for right now
 
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A.McPherson said:
Sure the stock market is crashing, but man, what a great opportunity to buy if you've got a little capital!!!
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their are a few I have been watching.

yeah it’s hard starting a business. Always scratching and clawing for every ¢ and spending every waking moment on it. We have slowed down a bit but that’s to be expected as people tighten up financially. The nice thing is this is not a full time business as in I have a full time job. So we aren’t going anywhere. But if things do get crazy we have property, shop (kit sitting in the ground), and a tiny house all bought and paid for. So we are luckier then most and our heart goes out to all our friends in this time of hardship.
 
Our work dropped a little. A few orders cancelled or suspended.
But our shop is less specialised. Knives is not our primary product.
Who knows what the future holds. If this thing drags on 6 months or more, it might have to tighten our belt but we wont go under.
 
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I don’t see how this doesn’t drop the market. General economic stress plus, we make a product nobody needs, plus a lot of major shows cancelling means a lot of high end inventory.

I’m making a bunch of kitchen knives, and making Damascus before the summer heat.
 
When the new shop is up and running, I will switch out of high end knives, Japanese blades, and art knives.
I will ramp up moderately priced kitchen and lower priced general use blades.

I will still work on some unfinished swords and Japanese blades for fun, but won't expect them to go anywhere for a good while.

Of course, when all the people with guns run out of ammo, they will all be at my door wanting to trade for swords and Bowie knives ;)
 
My hope is that we "Knifemakers" as artists have maintained a solid following capable of rebounding
 
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It’s rough here locally. Lots of lost jobs and laid off folks. We’re already in a financially strapped area and now it’s 3x worse... my main two local suppliers are closed.
 
Governor just shut down all businesses except the essentials today
Luckily can still do handyman stuff on the side...
Guys and ladies stay safe and stay inside
 
Fortunately I have one customer who has bought three of the last five I've put out for sale to my mailing list. He's single handedly keeping the machines running.
 
I really feel for any of you guys that are making a living out of making knives, particularly down in the States.
This damned virus is a freight train coming at us all and it is indiscriminate.
Stay strong and stay safe.
Mike
 
Dear friends, the United States is a great country with a strong economy, I hope it knows how to react well and in order to limit the damage. Here in Italy, we have a population with a fairly high average age and hence the high number of deaths. For almost a month now we are all locked in the house, it is not possible to go out except to shop for food or even go to the pharmacy. All activities that are not connected to the food or pharmaceutical sector must be closed ... and this will inevitably lead to a recession that Rome, I hope, will be able to manage! What can I say .... I can't make knives because the laboratory is 30 miles from home, but luckily here in Positano, where I live, there are no cases of covid-19 and there is no shortage of ammunition.

stay sharp for all uses!
 
mknife said:
Dear friends, the United States is a great country with a strong economy, I hope it knows how to react well and in order to limit the damage. Here in Italy, we have a population with a fairly high average age and hence the high number of deaths. For almost a month now we are all locked in the house, it is not possible to go out except to shop for food or even go to the pharmacy. All activities that are not connected to the food or pharmaceutical sector must be closed ... and this will inevitably lead to a recession that Rome, I hope, will be able to manage! What can I say .... I can't make knives because the laboratory is 30 miles from home, but luckily here in Positano, where I live, there are no cases of covid-19 and there is no shortage of ammunition.

stay sharp for all uses!
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But do you have toilet paper? Can you imagine how all of us are going to smell without it here in the USA?
 
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