Is it slow for you too?

Curtiss Knives

KD Founding Member #1, Knifemaker
I've seen a significant slow down in the past month or so. My waterjet side has slowed down but my custom knives are about the same. What about you? Do you think its just the economy? Elections? Christmas coming? Moon phase? Not holding my tongue right? I don't have an answer. It usually slows a little this time of year and starts to pick back up to being wide open by the end of November. What's your take on things?
 
Hey Dave, Well let me say that i am a jeweler first and dabble in knives. Its been tough for me the last three or four months. With gold being in the 1350.00 an ounce range doesnt help! I think it all boils down to most things we make are a want and not a need. A friend down the street is a auto mecanic and he is having his best year yet. People are not buying new cars they are getting their old ones fixed. Its tough for sure and i think its a little bit of everything you mentioned except for maybe the tongue thing.
 
money is going in directions it has not flowed for years. I am seeing it every single day at my day job. I do know here in the midwest corn hit $5.09/bushel and that has farmers buying a few things they have been holding off of.
 
money is going in directions it has not flowed for years. I am seeing it every single day at my day job. I do know here in the midwest corn hit $5.09/bushel and that has farmers buying a few things they have been holding off of.



yep. we have had a sharp decrease in non-ag depts. for all of october. at one point i was down about $50k for my monthly sales. we got it back to within $10k but it was still a horrible month. but AG dept was up about 32%.
 
I have been slow for over two months now, I'm in the computer repair and data recovery business. The hair salon next door, been there for 25year, Slow and snails.
I have talked with two other stores in my area, they actually called me. they are very slow. I have been in business for 18years and noticed that right before a election people hold back on spending. Just a trend I have seen. I hope on today is over, people will know where they are at and start spend a little more. I sure the economy is also part of it......

Just my 2 cents
 
I'm glad its not just us. We have a retail cutlery store, sharpening shop and we are knife makers. Last year September dropped off and it picked up again mid October. This year business took a dive in the last week of August and didn't start to pick up until after the elections last week. Thankfully, it seems to be back now but boy was it dead!!! I think people are saving up for the holidays and they are really freaked out over crazy politics and the economy. Last year we ended the year strong so I'm hoping for a repeat.
 
Actually it's been all that I can do lately to try and keep up. I've had more orders in the last few months than I've had in a long time but I'm not complaining.
Mike
 
Most of my web design and graphics work is for fourteen tattoo shops. The last two years have been horrible for them where they are paying out of their pockets to keep the doors open. That has put me and my retainer on hold. The smaller jobs seem scarcer also. It has been brutal. That seems the case with most businesses here in the Carolinas.
 
I think that most of us are hanging on by the skin or our teeth. Knife shows for the past 18 months have been pretty dismal. Although I still have a few orders on the books, knife sales across the board have slowed to a crawl. There was a time when I would start an order, then call the client and let them know that their knife was in the works....not anymore. I make it a point to call the next person on the list PRIOR to finishing the order that I'm currently working on. Over the past 6 months, I've had several clients back out on orders, and a couple of others whom I've called upon completion, only to be asked if I could hold the knife until times get better. I'm hoping that things start turning around soon with the recent elections being complete....it may be bad form to mention it on the forums, but I honestly think that unless or until the current administration in the White House is gone, not much is going to change.
 
There are some good points here. In just a couple of days after elections, my waterjet side has picked up. I'm still way behind on getting my finished knives done, so that part never changed. Hopefully things will even out soon.
 
I have to agree with ED , the knife sales are pretty slow , Hopefully we dont have to wait until the current administration leaves town ???????? prior to this year , I was so busy I couldnt keep up , lately it has been slooooow.
 
I am a part time maker, and this year started out better than last year for me, but then in late September it just died, and is still dead, I have left over stock from a September Trappers meet that I may be keeping for some time.
I also agree with Ed!
 
Wow, after the elections, business picked up in a big way. The Christmas season has started in my store two weeks early as well. Thank goodness, I almost forgot what it was like to have a good day. Hope y'all are seeing the same thing!!! Happy Thanksgiving all...
 
The thing to remeber in this or any economy for that matter is to stay diversified. I was talking to a knifemaker at a gun show last week and his fixed blade knives had been selling for $350 he now has priced at $80 and he still can't sell them. He has been making mini neck knives with antler tip handles and a neck sheath for $10 and has sold 1100 of them. He is staying diverse and offering something that will sell.

Last spring I took the screenprinting and sign making side of my business and moved it to town from the farm. I knew that wouldn't be enough to keep the doors open so I also started selling fishing and hunting supplies and also guns. For only having been in business since April I'm doing quite well. Had I not diversified into the sporting goods and guns I wouldn't have made the first 6 months. I hope to get to where I can drop the screenprinting and signs and add the knifemaking and repair and also gunsmithing in the future but I won't drop anything until I see it will work.

The key is to stay diverse. If you are not selling knives, ask yourself what you can do to create sells. If making small $10 knives out of scraps is what it takes to keep you in business then by all means get to cranking them out! Stay fluid so that you can stay in business yet still make money.

We all need to think outside the box sometimes. At times it will make you a lot of money and keep you in business.
 
Craig, I think the election had a lot to do with a short slow period. It's back to business as usual now. Actually a little busier than usual. Kinda like a YoYo.
 
Back
Top