I have to apologize for my absence from this thread; things have been very busy for me these past few days. But I'll do my best to give you all a quick overview of the show, and my impressions.
First, I should clarify my use of the word "terrible" in prior posts. Terrible is one of those words that, when spoken in an English or American accent, means exactly what it says, but when spoken with a French accent, "terrible" actually has a positive connotation, almost like "badass" to an American.
Anyway, on to the show. I made the drive up on Friday, crossing through northern Austria, Germany, Luxembourg and finally Belgium before arriving at my (AirBnB rental) apartment just outside of Gembloux. The apartment was terrible (and I mean this in the literal American way) but I was tired and wouldn't spend much time there anyway so I simply laid down for some much needed sleep, and awoke early the next morning to get ready for the show.
When I got to the venue, I grabbed my things and went inside looking for the registration desk to get my table assignment. I had no idea where to go so I thought I'd ask someone nearby. "Excusez mois, parlez vous Anglais?" The guy looked at me and smiled. "Son, Anglais is about all I speak!" And this is how I met Ed Schemp.
Ed showed me where to go and as I got to the desk I ran into Sam Lurquin. We exchanged greetings, then took care of our registration business and headed off to set up our tables. As I began to unpack my gear, I saw my friend Herve, whom I had met at a hammer-in at the Forge d'Ostiches earlier this year. Herve had the table to my left, and shortly thereafter my friend Claude Bouchonville arrived at the table to my right. Apparently Claude had arranged for me to have the neighboring table, which was a wonderful gesture on his part and made my time at the show much more welcoming and enjoyable than I had expected. Thanks Claude!
At this point the hall was already bustling with people, and before we knew it the Gembloux knife show was officially underway. The aisles were thick with foot traffic, and a steady stream of collectors and enthusiasts made their way through the room, checking out the knives and meeting the many makers in attendance. Gembloux is definitely one of the larger shows in Europe, and there was an awful lot to see.
After a few hours I decided to step away from my table and have a look around. I saw makers from Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, and probably several other countries as well. I stopped for a quick visit to Erik Markman's table and handled some of his pieces, each of which were uniquely his own and, as expected, superbly made. Erik's handle ergonomics and integral construction methods have become quite refined over the years, and it's always a pleasure to view and handle his work. Just down the row from Erik was Toni Oostendorp (Eastvillage on BFC) who also had some wonderful integrals on his table. At the end of this row was Gudy van Poppel, who had a diverse array of fixed and folding knives, covering everything from traditional to tactical.
But there were also a lot of makers I had never seen or heard of: some of them local part-time makers and others lesser-known or newer makers from outside the region. I was also struck by some of the prices I saw. To say that this was a "buyers show" would be an understatement, as there were a lot of very low-priced knives to be had, some of which appeared to be very well-made. For example, I saw quite a few damascus fixed blades with nice hardwood handles offered for 150-200 each. Some were a bit rough in the fit and finish department, but here and there I saw some really nice pieces for significantly less than a high-quality monosteel factory knife.
I mentioned this to a few people, and they informed me that a lot of the Eastern European makers can afford to price their work so low because of their very low cost of living. Makers from Poland, for example, were very well represented at the show, and again, I saw several with very nice knives offered for prices that I didn't even think possible for custom work. But I suppose if you can work out of the family barn and live comfortably for a few Euros per hour for your labor, then perhaps it makes sense to do so.
OK I have work to do. More later....
