Exhibiting in Urban Areas

pwheeler

pwheeler

Joined
Dec 30, 2013
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I'm looking at getting a booth at some upcoming street/craft fairs in Denver and Boulder. I have a pretty good idea of how I'd like it to look and I have a 10x10 ez-up, so I don't need much to do it and the fees are reasonable, even if it doesn't yield much in sales it won't be a disaster. My concern is sitting at a table with a bunch of 6-10 inch knives in an unsecured and urban area. They are in nice and affluent areas, but there' still plenty of whackos hanging around downtown Denver and Boulder. I know the knife show rule is to have everything out where people can handle and ogle to their heart's content, but do you think I should consider building a case for this kind of event?
 
A case would not hurt, and in fact may look a bit more professional.
That said - I've never use one in 13 years of shows.
 
Since no one else has answered, I will share my thoughts. There is a choice between having your knives in a safe place, and having them where possible customers can pick them up. The key to selling is to get the customer to pick up the knife. If the knife is in a case, it's safe, but a lot of customers will probably not ask to see the knife if it is in a case.
On the other hand, you don't want any of your knives stolen. I once had a knife stolen off my table and I was standing right there watching. We tend to assume everyone is honest, but not everyone is honest.
I have a friend who sells pistols at a local flea market and he has told me that more than once a thief has grabbled one of his guns and run off with it.
It's a tough choice. You will sell more if the knives are available to be picked up, but you don't want any stolen, or someone picking up a knife and stabbing someone.
 
Do your knives have lanyard holes? Maybe you can run a tether line from the knife to the table so potential customers can handle the knives but can't run off with them. Also, if you have a friend that can keep you company at the show you'd have a second set of eyes to keep watch. Should someone bolt with your merchandise someone can stay with the table while the other gives chase (don't be a hero though).
 
I would not even consider having sharp knives sitting on the table where anybody can pick them up at anything but a knife show. You are opening yourself up to a world of trouble. Theft will be the least of your worries. You'll have unattended kids; drunks; fools and idiots not to mention crazies. You might also open yourself up to negligence accusations if anyone gets hurt.

Make some type of case so that the knives are very visible with prices. Anybody really interested in buying will wait a second while you get the knife out to show them. Others who are visibly drunk etc. you can pass on.

I used to do an annual, very high end arts and jewelry show held in a museum here in Berlin. First year the knives were just out on the table like at any "knife show" I would set up at. Guy comes up, picks a large kitchen knife up and jams the knife blade first into the front pocket of his pants. I stopped talking to another customer in mid-sentence and we both just looked at the guy dumbstruck. I think I said, put the knife back on the table. Guys pulls the knife out of his pocket and hurries off and out the nearest exit. We both look to see if he's trailing blood. None visible.

Next year my knives are still out, at the opening reception in the evening, full of well dresses folks, guy comes up to the table, older fellow, picks up a large kitchen knife and - I shit you not - throws it spinning about 6 feet into the air over my table and catches it when it comes back down. He caught the grip but if he would have caught the blade he would be missing some fingers. Scared the crap out of me and everybody else around. I told he to get away from my table...

That was the last time I had any knives uncovered on the table. And again, this was inside a museum where you had to pay to even get in.

I don't wanna think what kind of riff raff you'll have wandering by if it is a street fair...
 
I let others reply, but my experience and advice would be to put them in a case at a public festival. A knife show has knife people and somewhat of a bit of order to it. A public fair or festival is not the place for sharp things out in the open. Loosing a knife to a thief would be a minor worry. Having someone cut would be a much likelier situation.

The closest thing I ever saw to a non-case method of secure display was a weighted bar that sat across the knife handles. It was at a knife show in NC, and the person had out about ten really nice large bowie style knives. To my observation, the bar was a 1/2" round bar of steel with a rubber coating on it. It was set over the knives so it rested on the handles just above the guard. There was some sort of blocks of wood on each end to keep it in place ( and maybe lock it down?). The bar could easily be lifted a tad and a knife slid out, but it also clearly implied without words to anyone looking at the knives "DO NOT PICK UP KNIVES". There was descriptive label next to each knife with info and price.

Kevin,
The last time I did a show in Hampton (never went again - nothing but crazies and goth types there), a mid-20's fellow came up to the table in a gi type tunic and obi. He picked up a large tanto to look at. Without asking or saying a word, he made a bunch of kung-fu moves in the crowded aisle, complete with Bruce Lee yells. At the end of his "kata", he pulled the sword back to his left side in a ferocious looking "Ready Position". As he did this, he caught the tip on his gi and cut right through it. Thankfully, he barely nicked his skin, but it made a several inch long oozing slit that could have been serious if it was 1/4" to the right. The knife was taken from him by a large military looking fellow who observed all this, and shortly after the nut job was escorted from the building by the police. He easily could have injured or killed someone.
 
Stacy, I think we're on the same page ... lotta nut balls out there!
While have seen a few minor accidents at knife shows, at least the folks there are usually well behaved, polite and safety conscious.
Honestly, I doubt I would even consider doing another non-knife show unless there was a major financial consideration and then I would be getting out my plexiglass table covers!
 
Dumb a$$s abound in the world. Darwin made himself famous writing about them. I regularly have had people pick up a knife and as they run a finger tip down the blade edge ask, "Is this sharp?" I say "Yes", as they see the blood. I hand them a band aid and shake my head. Then I have to clean the blade.
 
I was thinking many of the same things to CYA (lanyards, glass case, etc.), but had to chuckle at the mention of one guy who openly displays unsecured pistols and people grab-and-run.
And we worry about someone cutting themself...
 
Some of us may recall the story of a show in California many years back where a team of thieves worked a gun show. Displayed guns were all required to be on cable restraints through the trigger guards or under glass. Two of the thieves created a disturbance at a table (loud argument with a dealer, IIRC). The tables were set up in a long double row with the dealers inside the two rows. While the dealers in that center section turned around or went to see what was happening, young boys ducked under their tables, grabbed guns and cash that the dealers had in their bags that were kept behind the tables, and ran out of the building. In the chaos, the fellows creating the disturbance disappeared, too.

I have my doubts, and think that this is probably a FOAF type story, but the point is well taken about the risks of public selling of knives and guns.
 
I'd suggest making double sure you have real good liability insurance at a street fair and try and find out beforehand if alcoholic beverages will be sold by other vendors ... nothing better than a drinking crowd, kids running wild and sharp knives laying out on the table ... just sayin'
 
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