How many knives to take to a show?

Les George

Les George

Admin - Founding Member
The knife show thread in the makers section got me thinking about a bunch of different stuff....

Keep the treads simple and try to get a bunch of different answers. 2thumbs


First question: How many knives should a maker take (or try to take) to a show?

Answers are welcome from makers and collectors alike!
 
I like to have at least 2 of everything I make, 2 bowies, 2fighter, 2 hunters, 2 slipjoints. It doesn't always work out that way, but That is what I like to have on hand just to show what I can do for potential customers. Some times I will have more of one than the other depending on the show. some show's Hunters sell better than everything else some Bowie/fighters do. Hope that helps.
Rusty
 
Bring every knife you aren't embarrassed to show!

Here is a bit of trivia. When I did my first knife show I set up with another maker. I laid out my knives on the table. He turned them all around 180 degrees. I laid them out with the point to the customer. He said you want customers to feel comfortable picking them up so they get the handle end.

Put the sheath next to the knife if it has one. It can make the difference for some one buying yours or the next guys.

Spread your business cards all over the front of the table, not just in one neat little pile. People pick them up more often that way.
 
NickWheeler said:
Five to Six (5-6)

Is that simple enough Les George????:duh:


:D
Click to expand...

yeah but kinda under achieving for someone as big and strong as you, don't you think? :p:cool::rolleyes:

I see your gonna need a "custom" user title too....

I wanted to keep it simple so I could ask specific questions in each thread and make myself look cooler so everyone would follow me on my path to world domination! Ya gotta have a plan NickWheeler! :D
 
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Good point!!! 2thumbs

In all seriousness, I DO think some makers bring too many. There are some guys that can bring 30 knives and sell them in 10 minutes.... but unless you're one of those 5 guys, then I'd NOT bring that many. ;)

There was a fella at the last show I went to, that had a table FULL of knives. They were VERY high end, fancy knives ($1500-$4,000) but he had so many that if you just glanced at his table it looked like an antique dealers table, or a guy selling cheap imports. Of course they were fantastic if you took the time to inspect them closely, but many people didn't take the time.

Don't overwhelm show goers!

Now on the other hand, DON'T let your knives get stolen in the airport so that you have NOTHING on your table like I did at my last show. :mad: :mad: :mad:
 
Someone got you for your knives!? What airport? Post pics if you got them so we can be on the look out!

That is a worst nightmare for sure man, that sucks!
 
I sure hope some collectors will chime in on this too...

What about guys that hold knives under the table and break them out as they get low? (never seemed like a good idea to me, I dont know though)
 
Seems like a bad idea to me too. One year at Blade a buddy of mine decided to do just that. He figured he was keeping his demand, but with a smaller (perceived) supply.

A collector bought one of his pieces. He later came by my table and was mad as hell after he went by my buddy's table and saw a "new" different knife that he liked better than the one he bought. He said even though the "new" one was more money, he would have bought it if he'd known it was available.
 
I'm a collector and have only been to 2 shows but I'd say only bring as many knives as will fit on your table comfortably. I hate to see a well made knife fall off the table and get scratched! ;)
 
I think that you should bring what you can. I haven't had a table yet, but my goal would be 12 knives.
-John
 
I usually like to have 10-12,but all mine have sheaths next to them so it pretty much fills the table.Dave:)
 
I also think it depends on the type of knives youre selling ,.. the 6-8 knives is usually high end folks, and all handmades that I see. Understandable, since its high dollar work, and can take months to acheive that many knives ,made at that level.

Guys who have the blanks cut,and do a lot of millwork ,and complete series of knives in batches can get a lot more made per show they attend. So you tend to see 15 and up from them. both have valid reasons for how they work it,.. and usually a diff kind of clientele as well,so it works for them.

I do agree that the "hold back' is a bad way to go. It not only makes folks angry because they feel a choice of a knife they may have prefered is denied them,.. it can also SEEM like bait n switch "I only make 12 knives a year"-- yet you keep having more knives on the table all thru the show. Looks bad , even if you dont intend it.
We all know how quickly people see the wrong thing these days ,and dont think it over before throwing a fit.
It only takes one angry guy,with a few memberships in various forums, to spread a ton of manure in an hour or three that can take you YEARS to wash off.
No one needs the hassle.
 
Extra Knives Under the Table

I think it is a good idea to have extra knives under the table with you. But like anything else, it's all about how you handle yourself.

For Example; A potential customer focuses in on what seems to be his/her choice. Simply say to him............"I brought another similar knife of that style with me.......would you like to see which one you like best??" It is just simple courtesy to do that. If they ask why it isn't on the table, you just tell them the truth.............too many knives on a table doesn't work very well at shows. Mostly, keeping the number of knives on the table to a minimum helps alot with theft. There are lots of things you can say that are the truth, and will make sense to the customer.

An advantage to doing this is that you can engage that customer in a little more conversation, which helps you figure out what they like............and hopefully they like you more too!

One other advantage is that making them an offer to see another knife of that same style, but not IDENTICAL, shifts the decision making away from four or five different styles.............to a choice between maybe two knives of the same style. Most of you know how some potential customers really have a tough time choosing. Simplifying the choice can be a big help.

With the expense and time involved in doing shows increasing so much, try to make the most of the time with your customers and find ways to offer them any choices you can............

And if you are telling people that you make only 12 knives a year, when you really make 30, you are setting yourself up for a problem that is of your own making.

IMHO..........(and I've been known to be wrong up to 49% of the time! LOL!)

Hope these kibbles help somebody, someplace...............

Thanks,

Tim
 
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As a fairly new maker I have been wondering this very question myself how many should I have for a show.

I will be attending Blade West ( my second show) at this time I have 7 ready for the show and 3 more that could be finished if I work hard.
 
I would take as many as I WANT to sell.

How many you display on your table is another thing altogether, I've heard that 8-10 on the table is the max so people don't overload.

I've never even been to a show so take that for what it's worth.
 
I agree with Nick on the number..... 5-6 is about right. Too many and customers get "sensory overload". I can't count the number of times I've watched makers who have 20-30 knives on a table....a customer walks up, takes one look, and there are so many to choose from that the customer gets that wild look in their eyes and walk away.

On the other end of the spectrum, if your going to go to a show with only one or two knives, whats the point in even going? I've seen this type of maker too, who will brag about how they just sold out, and later you find that one of the knives they brought was already purchased, and they were just delivering it, and the other was spoken for as soon as they walked into the door. I get a little miffed when your asked to bring at least 5 knives by the show promoters, and then there are a number of makers who only show up with one or two.....if they can't meet the criteria, let someone else who can have a table!
We walk a tightrope between showing that our knives are in demand, by taking a smaller number, and taking enough knives that the customers have some choices.
 
Very good points about the style of knife!

I think Ed and I are on the same page because we're targeting like minded collectors. It is the perception of most (and VERY true in my case) that a forged, finely finished knife takes a L - O - N - G time to build.

I think if somebody doing what Ed and I do, had 30 knives on their table, it makes it look like they're either cutting corners in order to be able to have so many, or they haven't sold a knife in a year.

There ARE exceptions to this. Ray Richard makes some GREAT forged stuff and Ray usually has a lot of knives... but I see Ray as an exception rather than the norm... All my very low value opinion. ;) :)

Ed made another good point about having too few. Even Larry Fuegen manages to show up with at least 3 knives at a show... and EACH one of Larry's knives has about the same amount of time into it that one of us mere mortals would put into about 5-10 knives.



There's a fella who always was behind me down at the OKCA show and he does frontier style knives out of 1095 and maple. He intentionally keeps the blisters from heat treating on the steel, and does VERY simple handles. He can make about 25 knives in a DAY. He would bring at least a couple hundred knives to the show, and in the $25-50 range... sell them all.

So I guess the answer REALLY does depend on your target market and style. :)
 
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