How did makers do at Blade?

Keith Montgomery

Keith Montgomery

Joined
May 9, 2000
Messages
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I would love to know how the makers that hang around here did at Blade. For makers and collectors that attended, what was your overall impression of the show?
 
I was back in the nose bleeds in the "Handmade" section but I feel that I had a very very good show

I sold 3 on Fri and took 1 order
sold 1 on Sat and took 3 orders
traffic on Sunday was REALLY slow compared to fri and saturday and I didn't really get any business on Sunday, cest le' vie

I had a wonderful time and really enjoyed meeting everyone.

was REALLY looking for a piece of mammoth ivory for one of my JS knives for next year but just couldn't find a set that pushed my buttons, I'll have to keep looking
 
I was there most of the day on Friday, and my overall impression was that it was slow. It was my third Blade show, and it seemed to be a lot less crowded than previous years. I overheard several makers complaining at the show about how slow it was. The atmosphere was a bit more restrained this year, but it was still a great show. There was no shortage of great blades on offer, that's for sure.
 
I had a great time and very cool to meet you and the wife Stephan!!

I did exactly the same as I did last year. MAde my room number in $ amount so its meant to be :)
 
It seems a near unanimous impression that Friday was off attendance-wise. I was only there for Friday so I can't provide any personal impressions beyond that day, but I did hear from several people that things picked up substantially on Saturday.

roger
 
As I said in the other thread...........it seemed like there were about half the people on friday as there usually are.

It was VERY apparent at the pit every nite that there was a big decline in attendance.

Everyone should start ending their knife shows on Saturday afternoon!!!!!!:D
 
From a makers point of view the show was way off. This was the slowest show I have seen in 8 or 9 years of doing the blade show. They added 100 or so more tables but did not get the same extra percentage of people through the door. Ticket sales might have been up but knife sales were way down.

I know of at least 10 makers that did not sell a thing, some that have been around a long time and are prominent makers that used to sell out at every show.

I walked around Sat afternoon and there were a lot of knives left on a lot of tables.
 
I feel that the show was very successful for me. I sold 8 folders and 0 fixed blades.I had the pleasure of meeting many new people and seeing lots of cool stuff.Also hand picking my materials is like the kid in the candy store experience.I give it a A++++++:thumbup::thumbup:
 
I had prolonged conversations with a number of makers on Saturday, in the smoking area outside the Renaissance Waverly. I won't name names, however. One maker said by Friday, he had usually sold out and booked all of his orders for the remainder of the year - but had only sold one knife and taken two orders.

Another maker sold out within 1 hour. I confirmed his statement from comments that others had made about his sales. He hadn't attended Blade since 1997, but apparently everyone wanted one of his knives.

A major name in engraved folders said it was the worst Blade he had seen.

Another maker had 8 of 27 knives left, but had sold the majority of knives to dealers at reduced prices.

Just a summation, but hope it helps.

EDIT: Just my own observation about the show - Friday was slower than usual in terms of attendance. Saturday seemed like a decent crowd, but attendance seemed to be a bit down as well.
 
Just my second Blade Show and my first for having finished knives. Sold 9 folders and 2 fixed. Sold a lot of parts. The best part was meeting everyone. I think attendance was under half of last year. I was dissapointed to see so many bail out early at the end. I sold one knife at 3:45 on Sunday. Got to hang in there.;)
 
It seemed a bit slow to me. There didn't seem to be that "excitement" in the air on Friday like there usually is. Saturday seemed to pick up quite a bit attendence-wise though. As usual, it was great seeing everyone!
 
I sold a small folder and small fixed blade through one of my purveyors and brought home a knife to make a sheath for, so I covered some expenses. Even if I had'nt sold a thing it was worth the money spent to meet fellow forum members and friends I had only talked with on the phone, not to mention being able to meet people face to face and discuss many things in person.
 
2knife said:
I was talking to Kevin Jones at the CKCA table- he mentioned ticket sales (attendance) was up 16% over last year, and more table holders- i was corrected on this fact, since i noticed a small portion of the show hall was not being used, blocked off.
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A member of the Blade Show staff told us at the CKCA booth that FRIDAY's attendance was up 16% over last year. This surprised us all as the line seemed shorter on Friday and moved into the show much faster than last year. Perhaps entry was just managed better. :confused:
 
Kevin Jones said:
A member of the Blade Show staff told us at the CKCA booth that FRIDAY's attendance was up 16% over last year. This surprised us all as the line seemed shorter on Friday and moved into the show much faster than last year. Perhaps entry was just managed better. :confused:
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Kevin, is it possible that you misunderstood, or that the staff member misstated? The word I got about attendance was on Sunday AM, and that the gate was DOWN for the first two days by 16%. And those who told me actually thought it had to be more than that!

I only talked with a handful of people, but they all said the show was very slow. The makers made knives ranging from basic utility and tactical to the highest end interframe folder and presentation level fixed blades. One well known dealer said this was his worst Blade show in nearly 20 years of doing them. Obviously this is not a scientific analysis, but the show did seem slow, REAL slow, to me.

As for me, I sold a little and brought the rest home, I conducted future business with a couple of my collectors and a manufacturer, I met collectors and makers whom I've only communicated with on the forums, and I promoted myself and my work.

David Broadwell
 
I wasn't there on Friday except for the first couple of hours and it didn't seem as crowded or busy as Fridays normally are. Saturday attendance seemed off as well. Last year we had a great Sunday, but this year was pretty much back to normal for a Sunday show. For us, the people buying knives was spread out over the whole show rather than on Friday and Saturday morning like it usually is. We sold and took orders from Friday through Sunday. It didn't really matter much since we are going to be there till 4:00 on Sunday anyway, but it was a different experience from previous shows. I had many more people want to use credit cards to buy a knife than we usually have. The last several shows people never mentioned plastic money at all. A sign of the times?

We sold knives, took orders, and most importantly we got to see a lot of friends and people we have sold knives to in the past as well as meet some of the best people you could want to meet. It was a good show for us, but it was slower than last year. I talked to a number of makers that had not sold a knife by Sunday and one that had only sold knives that were presold and just being picked up at the show. The only glitch we ran into was not having a packet of materials, including name badges, when we went to register. They got lost somewhere I guess. After an hour or so they managed to make Charlie and I a couple of badges and we were good to go.
 
I kinda figured it would have been a weak show. I couldn't even swing going:(And I missed it BAD!!
Hopefully it was the worst and the future shows are much better!!:thumbup:
 
For the past 3 or 4 years, every show I have done has "changed" in some way from year to year. BLADE is no exception.
There was a time when some collectors rushed in and threw money around like crazy the first 2 hours of a show. Now, they are calling ahead and pre-ordering for delivery, or perhaps just ordering/buying off the net. Or, doing something else-But I have seen less of that lately, for whatever reason at the BLADE Show.

I suspect that fewer people are taking a day off from work on a Friday, because in times like these, it makes sense to some people. I can underatand that.

Fewer people are driving long distances to attend a show-We saw this last year when gas prices were higher.

People are definitely taking their time making decisions. Some look Friday, think about it, and buy on Saturday. The Blade Show is HUGE, and it can take a whole day to visit 10 or 20 makers tables. And, maybe if they can't find exactly what they want, they pass completely or place an order for it.

It is definitely more about value now. Les George, Lee Vorhees come to mind. Good knives at reasonable prices from new makers is always a formula for success.

I heard that gate traffic was up, and it may have been, particularly on Saturday. But I'd bet more people walked around the show longer and ultimately spent less money, or none at all. Which is fine-A good knife show is cheap entertainment and a lot of fun, even if you don't purchase anything. Eventually, new customers will buy knives, and I'd rather see more gate traffic with lower sales than lower gate traffic. It shows that new customers will be made at future shows.

I was fortunate enough to sell out. About 50% to my dealers, 50% to new and returning customers. And most importantly, as David Broadwell pointed out, I talked to people, shook hands, visited with friends and had a great time.

RJ Martin
 
dbl-edge said:
Kevin, is it possible that you misunderstood, or that the staff member misstated? The word I got about attendance was on Sunday AM, and that the gate was DOWN for the first two days by 16%. And those who told me actually thought it had to be more than that!

I only talked with a handful of people, but they all said the show was very slow. The makers made knives ranging from basic utility and tactical to the highest end interframe folder and presentation level fixed blades. One well known dealer said this was his worst Blade show in nearly 20 years of doing them. Obviously this is not a scientific analysis, but the show did seem slow, REAL slow, to me.

As for me, I sold a little and brought the rest home, I conducted future business with a couple of my collectors and a manufacturer, I met collectors and makers whom I've only communicated with on the forums, and I promoted myself and my work.

David Broadwell
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Hi David.
Sorry I didn't get to meet you.

We didn't misunderstand because it was about 1/2 dozen of us around the booth who heard it and all our jaws dropped. They just made an honest mistake in reporting the information.
Considering the horrid economy along with gas on the rise again, if minus 16% becomes the number I would say it could have been a lot worst, for Blade and probably will be a little worst for the remainder of shows this year.

Though I was very busy doing CKCA stuff, I was interested in sales/attendance and found it erratic. About 4:00pm on Saturday, one maker on the Guild side who I consider a mid-range guy was down to 2 from a total 37. On the other hand some maker's had not sold any. Rodrigo, had only sold his MS test dagger, I purchased his hunter then his other three went early Sunday I was told. I found maker's knives reasonably priced like they expected collectors to be hanging on to their $$$$.
Jerry Fisk sold his four pieces (one lower end model via drawing and three higher end by conventional sale) thought it took a little longer than usual.

I was there until about 5pm yesterday and did notice quite a few makers packing knives up.
IMO, was a very good Blade Show for a collector with cash in his/her pocket to start or increase a collection.

Thanks for starting this thread Keith, as I'm very interested in hearing other's findings as I was only able to make a couple rounds per day.
 
Kevin Jones said:
Thanks for starting this thread Keith, as I'm very interested in hearing other's findings as I was only able to make a couple rounds per day.
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I did notice you running with your hair on fire most of the time and wanted to say I appreciated you taking the time to come see me, even if briefly.

I had hoped to see you in the pit and get some input from you but it didn't seem to work out. hopefully next year.
 
I don't feel to bad now that I didn't make the show. Last year I was in a major depression because I didn't do that show. This weekend was spent out on the lake fishing and drinking a cool one. :D Actually I was out in the shop working on knives and its this weekend I'll be out on the lake.
 
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