Here is my question: LT

lt632ret

lt632ret

Joined
Jan 21, 2001
Messages
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I live in a Hamlet, not a village, town, or city. When I moved in we had PO boxes four digit phone numbers and party lines. ( Not everybody who lives in NYS lives in NYC.) Now we get mail delivered to our street addresses we can order pizza delivered and can buy chinese food. Being within a couple of hours commute to NYC the area is under a massive influx from people wanting to escape NYC and as such giant housing developments (are ) and will within a few years drive our taxes to the point where most of the locals will be forced to leave. However property has sky rocketed so the farms will be sold ( the few left ) and progress will continue. Many locals are older and the young folks can no longer afford homes in the area. Frankly in my case I do not care. Heck I own property on the great Champlain where chances are not many white people have still ever set foot ( NYS has a lot of surprises if you know where to look). I can go 20 miles in one direction without seeing a neighbor and you cannot cook bacon on an open fire for fear of bears coming up behind you. Besides I am old and none of this will really matter much to me.

Now the reason for telling you all this is because in this Hamlet is a hardware store it is still rather nice. When I moved in the hardware store was called by the name of the owner ( who's name I have forgotten ) then it became the western auto hardware store you could get pistols over the counter and the catalogue were filled with items ( now considered obsolete or to dangerous for free americans to have access to.) Then it became True Value then DO It or something like that. It was owned by a family named Weber who were the type of folks who if you could not figure out how to repair something would stop over have a cold drink and show you how it was done. I never carried money when I went to the hardware store just showed them what I was taking left the tag and paid at the end of the month hell I do not think I ever checked the price tag. However on big items they would always say I am Knocking 10 or 15 percent off the price and I would thank them.
Now I bet you probably think I am writng this to complain that all this is gone. Nope still here however the Webers retired and there children wanted to go on in life. So the store has been sold. A nice young fellow ( He looks young to me hell everyone looks young to me ,) He has kept policys pretty much the same.

While I was in there today one of the locals said hey why don't you ask LT he might know something about knives. So here is the question the new owner asked me. He said he wanted to put in a line of knives would I have any suggestions of what brand to put in? I was kind of taken aback because frankly I did not know who to recommend Now up till a couple of years ago that certainly would not have been a tough question for me. In fact a few years back I had bought the old Schrade cases from the Webers and they had not replaced the line or really sold knives for the last several years.

I told him I would bring in some dealer catalogues and he could pick out what he thought would interest him. Then it occured to me I was not even sure what companies were around who could fill the niche left by Schrades death. Now I guess you have figured out that I will not suggest a foreign manufactor which makes me think I may not be able to suggest anybody. One of the fellows mentioned KERSHAW. I don't know much about them other than an assisted opening model they sell.

As most of you may know I live in the past knives under, 30 or 40 years old, I consider new. So seeing as how I have in the past answered any questions pertaining to the limited knowledge I might have. I am calling in my markers and would appreciate the opinions of any of you folks who might want to make a positive donation to this question and thread.

Remember this is a hardware store, in a small community ( HAMLET) preferably it would be nice if it was an american product. However I would be interested in everyones opinion even those who are partial to imports ( as long as they can offer a viable reason for choosing them ).

I will have to end this now there is talk that some folks want to install a stoplight in the center of town and I want to get to the meeting, heck we don't want no dang stoplight whats next McDonalds. LT
 
Out on a limb......

W.R. Case would be my suggestion for traditional, US, made knives. Their yellow derlin CV and brown delin SS working knives are priced so Joe average can afford them and they are good knives from my experience. They offer a ton of different bone patterns and colors, to many for me to keep up with, but serious collectors go nuts over all the options available. Plenty to pick from for gift giving.

I'd also say they should offer a modern line, Benchmade perhaps, the majority of their stuff is still made in the US, although some stuff is made in Taiwan. Lots of guys will want the modern stuff, so they should stock it. Maybe Spyderco would also be a goos choice.
 
Camillus for the low end, Buck for the middle, Queen for the high end, and Canal Street for the rich tourists. Browning also has all of the price points covered.
 
As when we were wishing that ISC would be bought lock, stock, and barrel by one company, refinanced, and turned around, my leaning is still toward Camillus. And a side order of Canal Street to satisfy those who wander in from the big city looking for a locally made knife of high semi-custom quality. Camillus now owns Western (since the early '90's, I think), so there is a second line built into their offerings for sportsmen. I am not aware of their importing knives yet, though it may be that they do have some space junk from abroad. And, if I am not mistaken, one of the granddaughters of the Baer family has a stake in Camillus. I have a couple of their knives and they are top quality knives. One is a 1986 Sears Roebuck & Company 100th anniversary bone handled LARGE two blade pattern that is a delight to look at. I have no idea how it really works day to day, but the other Camillus knives I own are top notch. Like Schrade, Camillus has struggled in the past few years. Hopefully they will find an increased market niche within the vacuume left by Schrade. Lord knows, the importer of that.... that.... the "imposters" has failed miserably to fill those shoes.


Codger

(Bill, the knife is fixed in a display)
 
Hey LT, rather than look like I'm ignoring your question I'll just admit up front I learned most of what I know about production knives in general right here from you guys on the forum. I am fairly well caught up on the fundamentals of sales though, having spent my life so far doing just that. I have, compaired to my peers here, very limited knowledge about production knives, but that lands me right square in the middle of the majority of knife buyers out there. Most don't know what they want until someone tells them. Now I wouldn't knowingly buy an off shore produced knife at all, but I would and still do buy Case, so that might be one suggestion. If he can sell some higher end goods, then I'm pretty impressed with our friends over at Canal Street. Codger mentions often the companies here in the USA that are making knock offs of the 152, but they are US knockoffs. I imagine the big share of his knife sales will be in folders, but while I'm not personally impressed, Bark River has a few nice knives. Well, that's enough of showing what I don't know.

Paul
 
Well, here's a start...

I believe that Queen probably makes the best American made working knife. Their standard line in D2 steel is a good knife at a fair price. I'm pretty sure you know they make knives and components for others such as Blue Grass, A. G. Russell, and the Moore Maker folks in Texas. I don't however, know what their policy is on retail store sales. Phone # is at the bottom of this page...
http://www.queencutlery.com/index.html

Of course, there is Camillus...
http://www.camillusknives.com/contact.shtml
...maybe still a little bit like family to Schrade. Great range of products. They also make some product for the Moore's of Moore Maker...and a zillion other folks.

There is also Colonial of course...they are making some better quality product these days...
http://www.colonialknifecompany.com/contactus.htm
...the contact phone # and email are at the bottom of that page. Colonial does, however, import some products in their lineup.

I'm sure others will offer you some suggestions as well, LT.

Bill
WOW am I slow on the switch...or what?????
 
I appreciate the replys and really welcome anyones input. If you feel that other lines of knives are more appropriate in todays market or have other comments please express your opinions. I realize that my beliefs are not everyones. I enjoy the luxury of not having to deal with the economics of the day. GM is on the way to becoming the second largest car producer, Ford announced 30, 000 job losses today, Winchester will no long produce the model 94. When Schrade died I said it was a plan. I was told it was bad managment, Now with the present situations perhapes it was not a plan in fact perhapes we are just to stupid to compete. I hope not. I would like to see the young fellow in the hamlet be able to stay in business and I guess he will have to do what it takes to do so. LT
 
Here is a scarey thought, Bill and I seem to agree on a lot of things these days.
IMHO..
I think Camillus might just have everything a local hardware store needs. Displays, multiple lines of knives (USA and others) and all price ranges. It would be nice if they could put in the Canal line but I hadn't heard they were doing retail yet.

My .02.
Later
Larry
 
Gee lARRY,

Thanks for the (SMACK!!) complement. :D

TTLY. er, tylt, er, whatever. BYE.

bILL
 
For the customers who like a high-carbon steel blade because it's easier to sharpen,the choice is pretty limited.
Camillus knives seem pretty good and the prices are reasonable.
For today's kids,I don't know of any knives being made with an LCD screen and joysticks.Do kids even carry knives today? They sure can't take them to school!
Heck,when I was kid and we boys ran our traplines on the way to school,we parked our .22's in the cloakroom during school.
 
We solved our problems. straight up, still there were problems.. Using your pocketknife incorrectly ment you might lose it. So you tried to avoid doing so. Of course that was then. LT
 
I've been asked the same question. I recommend Camillus/Western, and I think it especially appropos to those retailers in New York State.

Yep, I grew up near a small town and the Western Auto store was where one went for outdoor gear and guns. Here's a 1954 ad from that great hardware chain, featuring as you can see, Imperial and Schrade Walden knives.

Good old days.

That is a beautiful Sears/Camillus you show us, Mike. And I love that classic bullet pattern.

Phil

westernauto.jpg
 
I would also chime in with Camillus. They are fairly close anyway, and still make a decent knife at a decent price. Those are the type of knives I would expect to see at a Hardware store. I would also say Colonial.

Glenn
 
My 1st recommendation would be Buck knives. Being this is a hardware store in a Hamlet, I think they offer the best ( & diverse) choices in either fixed or folder's at very reasonable prices. Yes, they are now bringing in some of their slipjoints from China, but the majority of their line is made in Idaho. Add to that their outstanding reputation for friendliness, customer service (well deserved) & lifetime warranty on their knives. IMHO, I don't think the new owner could go wrong with the Buck line. I've owned their knives for years & dealt with them personally a couple of times. They truly are a 1st class operation that hopefully will be around (& on American soil) for many years to come.
 
Hell LT, with all of the Schrade inventory that you currently hold, he could carry Schrade and YOU could be his supplier for quite a while.
 
There is nothing like standing in front of a display case starring at all of the nice new shinny knives, trying to decide were to put your mad money for that week. I seem to remember that most of the hardware stores around here had at least two brands to choose from, sometimes in the same case. When I go into a hardware store now the first thing I look for is the left over Schrade knives then the Bucks, then anything else stamped USA. If all else fails, I look for the Victorinox, they make a pretty good knife for the dollar. I guess it would come down to who offers the best deal that would allow a person to sell them at a competitive price and still make a Buck..
 
And you have the display and the point of sale advertising materials. Maybe two cases, one full of "not-for-sale". A mini-museum.

Codger
 
LT,
I was browsing through some out-of-the-way hardware stores on my way home from the doctor today. In three of them I saw newer displays of Frost Cutlery knives in a nice display case, (the display case was nicer than the knives, IMHO) and of course they are imported. The price point of $10 to 20 is probably good for a hardware store like that. However it's not a knife I would personally want to sell.

If I were going to stock a small-town hardware store I would probably carry some Kershaw, even though they are made in Japan, they are good quality for the money and their price point's aren't bad. They make good user knives, with decent steel, fit and finish. Their service was also good, at least when I dealt with them in the 1980s and early 1990s.

I would probably also carry Buck knives for their quality American made fixed blades and some of their better folders like the 110. Their service is also outstanding, at least for my recent experience with them. I have never been impressed with their slip joint knives, and am even less impressed now that some are made in China, but their other knives are pretty good.

Depending on what I had to work with for a budget, I would probably add a small display of Canal Street, one each of 5 or 6 different styles. By not carrying a lot of back stock in the upper end knives, one can offer a good selection without tying too much money up in inventory.

I would also put in a few Camillus because of their quality and price point. They still produce some carbon steel slip joint knives. I would probably use Camillus for the bulk is my slip joint stock.

While not my personal preference, tactical knives are big sellers. Columbia River Knife and Tool (CRKT) has some reasonably priced tactical knives. They are made in Taiwan (at least it isn't Red China) and are of reasonable quality for the price. In my experience their customer service has been very good.

I would be remiss of course if I did not mention my friend Les d Asis and Benchmade knives. Les is a great guy to deal with and produces some wonderful knives. I think all of his knives are American made, except for the lower end ones in the red boxes. These are good quality and lower price point, but they are imported. Benchmade offers some higher-end tactical knives and some good user knives for the Sportsman.

Your question has no easy answer. I do not know the knife market in New York, as all of my work in the cutlery business has been in the State of Oregon. The customers in Oregon seem to have a lot of loyalty to products made (or imported) in Oregon. That seems to be a major factor in their buying choices. If I were stocking my store with my money, (always a major consideration), I would probably begin with a wide variety of knives from several companies, without a lot of back stock. I would try to operate on quick turnover and reorder. After doing this for a while I could determine the pattern of what sells out what is slow.

After writing all this, and reviewing some of the good choices available, I would probably take a shotgun approach, especially if my money for inventory was limited. I would figure out what I need to stock, for example slip joint's, fixed blade hunters, lock back knives, tactical knives, etc. and then figure out how many knives of each type I needed. I would been cherry pick the best of what is available to me and order a few knives from each company that I chose to carry. I would keep close track of my inventory and what sold and what didn't, and reorder accordingly.
If I has trouble hitting the minimum order amounts from some companies I would probably choose a local jobber to begin with. Some jobber's have display cases for little or no cost and some are willing to take back stock that does not move and trade out for a better selling pattern.

Just my two cents worth.
I hope this is helpful. I sure appreciate your contributions to the forum.

Thank you,
Dale
 
Yes I also know Les. he is a good guy. We sat together at the Schrade auction. I want to thank everyone once again for there input and ideas it will be interesting to see what the new owner chooses. LT
 
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