IT'S TIME.....for another Blade Show!

EdCaffreyMS

EdCaffreyMS

"The Montana Bladesmith"
The knives are packed up, and the suitcase soon will be! Off to Hotlanta, and the Blade Show. If you're gona be there, stop by Table Q2 (in the ABS section) and say HI!

Tim has set me up with lotsa goodies from KMT (KnifeMakerTraining)..... hand sanding sticks, card/pen holder anvils, and USB keys which will give you access to ALL our current KMT videos. All at special Blade Show only prices! OH! I'll have some knives to. :) WOW! I just realized, this will be my 24th Blade Show! o_O

Hope to see you in Hotlanta!
 
Nope! Never did find it.... that incident put an end to me wearing those expensive hats to/at the show..... I've gone more casual now too. :) Polo shirts and baseball caps are where I'm at now. :)
 
Good luck Ed heck we should run a lil game too see who can guess how fast you sell out :) Knock em dead!
 
EdCaffreyMS said:
Nope! Never did find it.... that incident put an end to me wearing those expensive hats to/at the show..... I've gone more casual now too. :) Polo shirts and baseball caps are where I'm at now. :)
Click to expand...

I never understood why so many of the ABS Smiths wore the cowboy hats and sports coat. Is that still what you see a
lot of at Blade Show or has even one gone with the more casual attire? How many guys are sharing the hotel room this time?
 
Good luck Ed heck we should run a lil game too see who can guess how fast you sell out
Click to expand...

In all these years, that's only happened 3 times. The one that still blows my mind was a single individual from overseas, who ran up (with his interpreter) right after the doors opened, and took everything on the table. The other two times I had to work really hard at it....and took a few lumps in the process. :)

Is that still what you see a
lot of at Blade Show or has even one gone with the more casual attire? How many guys are sharing the hotel room this time?
Click to expand...

Some of the old die hards are still sporting the cowboy hats and jackets, but most have gone much more casual.....some maybe a bit too much in that direction for my tastes. Casual is fine, but I don't think I'll ever understand vendors who show up with cut-off shorts, flip-flops, and a torn up Tshirt..... then complain because they don't sell anything. :rolleyes:
 
That sure would be fun to go too. I wish we had a large knife show. Ed,,, I'm sure you will do great. You make fine knives.
 
Some of the old die hards are still sporting the cowboy hats and jackets, but most have gone much more casual.....some maybe a bit too much in that direction for my tastes. Casual is fine, but I don't think I'll ever understand vendors who show up with cut-off shorts, flip-flops, and a torn up Tshirt..... then complain because they don't sell anything. :rolleyes:[/QUOTE]

You must be talking about Little Abner and Daisy Mae Scragga. I didn't know they were into knives. Have you seen them lately?

Is Steve Kelly sharing a room with you anymore?

Any thought on doing Blade West?
 
Made it home last night from Atlanta. It was one of those "off years" for many. There were a number of folks who "sold out", but it tended to be mostly those who sell lower end knives.....and of course there are always those who bring 2-3 knives.....delivering two of them, and then selling the remaining one ... then going around with their chest puffed out, telling everyone.... "I'm sold out." :rolleyes:

I managed to meet expenses, and a bit more, but it was certainly not "stellar" from a sales standpoint for many of the "regulars". The talk of the show is that the Blade Show, Knives Annual, and several other "knife assets" was purchased, and is no longer owned by Krause publications. Whether that's a good or a a bad thing remains to be seen.

There was a second room used/opened to expand the show, and although I didn't get to visit that room, I heard a lot of comments such a "romper room"..... "flea market", etc. That doesn't inspire confidence, but it is what it is.

I chose not to renew my table at the show, mainly because with the new ownership, they were only accepting cash or check..... I didn't take my checkbook, and I'm not gona hand over that amount of cash without knowing where it's going. (there was no address or phone numbers at the bottom of the 2019 show contract) I'm sure I'll go back....just gona let the dust settle a bit, and let the transition take hold.
 
Ed glad it was at least a bit above meeting expenses! How were those two plug Damascus knives received...did they generate a lot of interest?
 
In my experience, every year, even at the same event, it's always different. Ya just never know what's gona sell, what won't, or what people want. After I spoke with a few folks who did very well at the show, the common thread was that each had put in a huge amount of effort to promote themselves, and what they would have prior to the show, particularly via social media. One individual even told me that he had hired a teenage girl part time to do nothing but promote him and his work on social media, saying that he had no idea what it was all about.....but that he was gona keep her on. :)

The Plug Welded blades got a lot of "oooohs and awwws", and a lot of "Oh wow! I've never seen that before.....how did you do that!?" I told them that my response was the same way back when I was an apprentice and first saw it. :) I did sell the smaller of the two culinary knives the first day, but the larger one will be up on the website for sale by weeks end.
 
This was my first year going so I can’t compare to the past. I looked through lots of knives and at Ed’s knives. It was great meeting Ed and his work was clearly exceptional. I was disappointed in some of the knives that I saw from other vendors. At first glance they looked good but they lacked attention to detail on the fine points. Unless a potential buyer knows whose table they are going to, the greats get lost in the mediocre. I went to the show knowing I wanted to go to table Q2 and had to look hard to find it. The event staff directed many of us to the add on room first. When I was done with that room, the only way I found the big room was knowing there HAD to be more.
 
I heard from several people that it wasn't very good. Sad to hear that this was the case. Seems like the Pakistan blades ruined it from what I heard.
 
I saw that at last falls gun show. There are always more then a few knife makers and venders. One in particular had nothing but damascus knives. Dirt cheap too. Workmanship,,,,
 
As difficult as it is to get a table at Blade, not to mention the cost involved, I am shocked that there’s anybody other than the best there. I’ve never been, so that was my expectation.
 
Ed,

Sorry to hear the show was disappointing. Every time I go fishing I feel like I am doing a knife show and when I do a knife show I feel like I'm fishing. An off day at either and disappointment will show up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top