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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2009 14:48:50 GMT
Chuck that was a knife store called Chesapeake Knife and Tool. They had about 15 locations and went belly up after about 15-20 years of sales. They were local to me and off and on carried our stuff as well.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2009 15:06:50 GMT
Baltimore Knife and Sword is about 30 minutes from me; I didn't really know much about them til Shadowhowler paid them a visit. Until then, I had no reason to be in or around Baltimore; guess I got a reason. Suppose I'll have to pay them a visit...I'm just afraid of what it'll do to my wallet.
But I like the idea that they ARE there...not just a showroom, they hand make all of their swords. Very, very cool.
We used to have CKT (Chesapeake Knife & Tool) in all the malls around here, but they seemed to have dried up and went online only; long before I knew of SBG (it may not have even been realized yet) I used to go in there and shoot the breeze with the store manager- some of the stories he told me I WISH I'd put down on paper.
Edited to add: same place that Kerry's talkin about; the one I used to go to was in Montgomery Mall, Bethesda. I guess they went out of biz about 3 years ago...at least that's when I noticed they were gone.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2009 17:54:02 GMT
Places somewhat near me: 1. Mall cutlery store, sold overpriced wall hangers, bit the dust years ago. 2. Arlington, TX is about 2 hours from me, but if I am in Dallas for business, sushi, or friends, then its not that much further. 2 great places there, first, an Asian martial arts store, everything from uniforms, shurikens, to the occasional antique Chinese sword. They once had an antique Nine Rings Dao for $500.00. I was tempted Second, a used computer and electronics store. This is a large store with a 10 x 20ft approximate area in the middle of the store packed with swords and other weaponry ;D They also have quite a few Nihonto, some of which they have out in the glass display cases with the other swords, but the real expensive ones are kept locked up in a safe, and will only be brought out by request Their prices are great, and one day I went in and they were having a buy 3, get 1 free sale, I left the store with a shopping cart full of swords ;D Computers + swords in one store! What a great idea ;D
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2009 17:58:48 GMT
That IS a great idea!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2009 19:30:20 GMT
Ebon and Kerry - CKT was a pretty decent place. I'm sorry to hear they went under. They were my first stop every Otakon and whenever I visited family up that way. I looked for them when my dad was in University Hospital, but they were gone. That sucks. Like Ebon said, I used to go in and shoot the breeze with the manager everytime I was up that way. Never saw anything by BKS, though I would have gone broke had I known at the time some hometown fellas were making my favorite implement.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2009 23:57:03 GMT
We had a "Chivalry Sports" that sold general renfaire likst stuff, including the hanwei practical medieval swords, but their prices were pretty steep, they ended up going under a while ago. There's a "Knife Shop" (such a creative name) in the mall that had one or two of the practical medievals for decent prices, but last time I saw them they didn't have any, and only had maybe a dozen knives anyway, looked like they were set to go under soon.
Does anyoen know if there are ant sword stores in the Phoenix area? I think we have a couple members from there.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2009 0:52:12 GMT
Let's pretend that the thousands of swap meet "sword stores" that sell sword like objects as real swords do not count. The KOA showroom looks pretty awesome, but it also looks like nobody has every been there. It looks like a showroom that is there for the sake of saying "we're not just an online store". The SLO stores prices are typically awful out of ignorance, but the stores that know what they are talking about tend to be more expensive because they have actual overhead. Unless a store was getting product for the price that distributors normally get, selling for KOA level prices would drive them out of business much faster than losing business because of people looking for a bargain.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2009 1:29:07 GMT
Wayyy up here in Canada we have only one bricks and mortar place worth mention, Reliks. It is an excellent place that I know some people have taken the time to go and shop in person. Other than that there is nothing worth mention unless you want to go in and spend mega dollars for very questionable products and service. In such places I have seen Ryumon swords for close to 2000$!!!!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2009 8:15:18 GMT
Here in Charlotte, NC the only place I know of would be the Carolina Renaissance Festival during Autumn. However, the only choices there are Sabre Smiths and Starfire — both of which are priced too high for what you get, and neither of which I care for regardless.
In Atlanta, GA, you'll also find both those smiths at the Georgia Renaissance Festival during Spring, and there's also the knife show on Memorial Day weekend. Tinker and Angel Swords were both there this year, but by the time Odingaard and I arrived, there was no sign of Albion or any of the other smiths we had been informed would be there.
As far as permanent shops, Atlanta has Charlotte beat again as Conyers, GA is home to Museum Replicas. While Windlass may be the General Motors of the sword/costuming world, I have a couple of their blades that I'm actually quite pleased with. If their store was in Charlotte, I'd certainly pay them regular visits...
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2009 5:53:50 GMT
1st of all : if you guys continue to buy only from KoA you're gonna put Windlass and Hanwei out of business. period. there are literally NOT 2 ways about it. that ONE retailer can't support those TWO factories. the distributor network PROBABLY could, but their customers are, you guessed it : NOT KoA. the more brick and mortars go under, the less likely it is that KoA will have anyone to buy FROM.
2nd : if you all had the option to compare the various models and sizes and weights and manufacturers, wouldn't you take it? if your satisfaction with your purchases was increased to 100%, i bet you'd feel a lot better for shelling out the $xxxx MSRP that a sword carries. but you guys don't KNOW you like most of the swords you buy online until after you're out the cash already, making any purchase a "Risk" till you "see what you get". if you picked it out from a shop, had it's nuances and subtleties explained, than you might think that $400 for a Practical Plus katana for instance, was completely worth it.
3rd : don't EVER complain about the price of something you couldn't make if someone gave you the same amount. that's just pompous.
me and TheOwl have the distinct pleasure of being local to a sword store that stocks about 900 swords at any given time and has a WICKED-knowledgeable staff, which obviously y'all don't. but if you guys would help make the sword business actually PROFITABLE maybe there'd be more sword stores around.
transmission ends.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2009 6:01:59 GMT
here in brissy we have war sword. they stock wallhangers to several thousand dollar swords. let you handle them as well terry
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Post by sparky on Dec 20, 2009 8:07:12 GMT
1st of all : if you guys continue to buy only from KoA you're gonna put Windlass and Hanwei out of business. period. there are literally NOT 2 ways about it. that ONE retailer can't support those TWO factories. the distributor network PROBABLY could, but their customers are, you guessed it : NOT KoA. the more brick and mortars go under, the less likely it is that KoA will have anyone to buy FROM. 2nd : if you all had the option to compare the various models and sizes and weights and manufacturers, wouldn't you take it? if your satisfaction with your purchases was increased to 100%, i bet you'd feel a lot better for shelling out the $xxxx MSRP that a sword carries. but you guys don't KNOW you like most of the swords you buy online until after you're out the cash already, making any purchase a "Risk" till you "see what you get". if you picked it out from a shop, had it's nuances and subtleties explained, than you might think that $400 for a Practical Plus katana for instance, was completely worth it. 3rd : don't EVER complain about the price of something you couldn't make if someone gave you the same amount. that's just pompous. me and TheOwl have the distinct pleasure of being local to a sword store that stocks about 900 swords at any given time and has a WICKED-knowledgeable staff, which obviously y'all don't. but if you guys would help make the sword business actually PROFITABLE maybe there'd be more sword stores around. transmission ends. Welcome to SBG! ;D As you visit here you'll probably find that there is a little bit of knowledge floating around here at SBG. I'm envious of all who live near a store that gives them the ability to handle swords before buying them.
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Brett Whinnen
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Post by Brett Whinnen on Dec 20, 2009 22:40:16 GMT
here in brissy we have war sword. they stock wallhangers to several thousand dollar swords. let you handle them as well terry Is that the one in Carina Terry? I've been tempted to wander over and have a look as they have a decent range of books on the webpage too.
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Post by shadowhowler on Dec 20, 2009 23:13:32 GMT
1st of all : if you guys continue to buy only from KoA you're gonna put Windlass and Hanwei out of business. period. there are literally NOT 2 ways about it. that ONE retailer can't support those TWO factories. the distributor network PROBABLY could, but their customers are, you guessed it : NOT KoA. the more brick and mortars go under, the less likely it is that KoA will have anyone to buy FROM. 2nd : if you all had the option to compare the various models and sizes and weights and manufacturers, wouldn't you take it? if your satisfaction with your purchases was increased to 100%, i bet you'd feel a lot better for shelling out the $xxxx MSRP that a sword carries. but you guys don't KNOW you like most of the swords you buy online until after you're out the cash already, making any purchase a "Risk" till you "see what you get". if you picked it out from a shop, had it's nuances and subtleties explained, than you might think that $400 for a Practical Plus katana for instance, was completely worth it. 3rd : don't EVER complain about the price of something you couldn't make if someone gave you the same amount. that's just pompous. me and TheOwl have the distinct pleasure of being local to a sword store that stocks about 900 swords at any given time and has a WICKED-knowledgeable staff, which obviously y'all don't. but if you guys would help make the sword business actually PROFITABLE maybe there'd be more sword stores around. transmission ends. Greetings... Gotta say, I find the tone of your post somewhat rude and I also think the the statements you make in it show you to have less of an udnerstanding of the retail sword buissness then maybe you think you have. Food for thought.
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Dec 21, 2009 0:10:32 GMT
I can tell you from personal experience that KOA is by far NOT the only place we buy from. yes, KOA does get a lot of business from us but there's a good reason for that: they have earned our trust. with KOA's return policy you basically get the same advantage as going to the store with a sword in mind.
it's true that being able to hold the sword before you buy is a good thing, but we have found ways around that here. no matter what, there isn't enough of a market for swords locally for there to be sword stores everywhere, let alone GOOD sword stores. the fact that there were (and are) so many hucksters both on line and in bricks and morter is what created us.
and pay $400 for a Practical Plus katana? no! that's just silly.
If I had the skills (and equipment and time) to make a sword that was every bit as good as one I would buy then guess what, I would be making and selling swords instead of buying them. so what you are saying here is it would be pompous of me to tell a Shinwa dealer who is charging 600+ for his really cheesey, poorly made swords that will fall apart and be unsafe that he is charging too much because I can't make better? you could give most of us 10 times the cost of a sword and we still couldn't make one equal to or better than the sword we were looking at. simply because we don't have the skill set and the equipment is uber expensive. so does that mean that we should buy that $650 shinwa crap-tastic ninjato when that same $650 could get us a really good ATrim or Hanwei, or Kensei sword that would last a life time and be 100 times more satisfying? does that mean that we shouldn't tell our friends and the people we talk to "hey you know for that $650 you are about to drop on that shinwa there are other options that would be a better sword."? is THAT pompous? no! what is pompous is you telling us we have to accept inflated prices for inferior merchandise simply because we cannot go out and make it ourselves. by the way, did you employ that same rule when you bought your computer? did you apply that same logic when you bought the PROCESSOR for that computer? can YOU build a microprocessor? especially one that is better than a big name one? for any price? if you answered that YES you used that rule, and NO you cannot build a processor then my friend I have a processor to sell you. ;D
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Post by sparky on Dec 21, 2009 1:14:22 GMT
I thought it odd for a first post, but hey that's just me. I wish I could make my own swords like Sam but time and knowledge ( lack of) stand in my way!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2009 1:17:44 GMT
Greetings... Gotta say, I find the tone of your post somewhat rude and I also think the the statements you make in it show you to have less of an understanding of the retail sword business then maybe you think you have. Food for thought. Enlighten me. that's what discussion is for. I'd love to see the light, but i have a pretty pessimistic view of the future of sword companies and sales. i WISH i could see some light at the end of the tunnel. Tom K. : i couldn't make a computer. thats why i didn't complain about the price. which was my point. i do realize i come across as rude, and i guess I'm sorry if hurt feelings are the result of my words, but a shock to the system is my goal to some extent, since i think people are just being too short sighted to realize that them NOT spending the money doesn't mean it's money SAVED. it just means THEY have it instead of the other members of the industry who would otherwise have used it to feed THEIR families. and the PPK retails for $399. if you buy a lot of swords then I'm sure your store of choice will offer you some sort of good customer discount, but you SHOULD be paying $399 as the base price that discount is removed from. considering the markup on books, clothes, fast food, groceries, medical care, real estate and movies that you're all I'm sure happy to pay, you should try spreading the love to the hobby that brought you here too. no sword retailer has ever made HALF the profit your local Levis retailer does [Edit to add: that "enlighten me" i start with isn't sarcastic or confrontational, it's pleading ]
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2009 1:20:28 GMT
me and TheOwl have the distinct pleasure of being local to a sword store that stocks about 900 swords at any given time and has a WICKED-knowledgeable staff, which obviously y'all don't. but if you guys would help make the sword business actually PROFITABLE maybe there'd be more sword stores around. transmission ends. Hey give us a head up on where that store is? I'll see if they want to stock 1000 rather then 900 Speaking of Kult Of Athena, I just MIGHT be there on the 16 or 17 of January. I'll be in the area with a big pile of stock and am concidering stopping into see KOA myself. Since they already sell our swords I figured I should bring stuff by if they wanted to see it. I havent talked to them about it yet but if there are enough people interested (and they are open of course!) maybe a 'trunk show' ? I'lll only be a couple blocks away and it just makes sense for me. I'm making my travel plans this week so if your interested let me know.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2009 4:30:20 GMT
It's always a little risky trying a retailer on line for the first time, so when you find one you like you tend to stick with them. Kult of Athena is about two hours drive from me so if I time it right I can order from them and have the sword in hand the next day. That's a big selling point for me personally. I've also dealt with Sword N Armory and when I ordered I messed up on my order and their customer service responded promptly to my email and fixed the problem for me. I ordered an inexpensive backyard cutter katana but they treated me as nicely as I'd have expected if I'd ordered a thousand dollar sword. Consequently these two are on my "Check first" list when I'm looking into buying a sword. Also, because I've heard so many good things over and over and never a bad word about the man Marc at Wiwingti is someone I'd trust even though I've never done business with him. Anyone else would have to have a sword I couldn't get elsewhere or a deal I couldn't pass up (That's why I first tried Sword N Armory) as for brick and mortar technically I live close enough I could drive to Kult of Athena but for various reasons that's actually a bit out of my range (Mostly my bad back doesn't like long car rides, but one of these days I'll pop a couple Vicodin and head on down, I really want to see the place).
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Dec 21, 2009 5:53:07 GMT
Acidexfoliate,
I know the profit margins are thin but I see lots of sword sellers on line making a business out of it. I think what they realize is that a sword is a lot different priority than medical care, food, shelter, or even bluejeans for that matter and they simply cannot demand the same sort of mark-ups. it's that whole supply and demand thing. I'm glad there are people willing to sell at hard discounts because otherwise I would never have been able to take the initial plunge or to buy half the swords I have. I have done a lot of wheeling and dealing to be able to own what I do and I am very lucky to be able to own them. loyalty to the industry is all well and good but if a PPK cost $400 and all similar swords were similarly priced there's a whole lot of my money that never would have made it to the industry AT ALL. maybe you didn't complain about the price of your computer but I bet you shopped around to find the best value for your money. I don't see any reason not to go for the best price possible. for that matter I haven't ever complained about the price of a sword either, I have only made judgements about whether or not I can afford it. I'd be a fool to buy a PPK for $400 when I can get it for under $200. I didn't tell tell the vendor they HAD to sell it at that price but I was sure happy to see it there. while we are talking MSRP it is obvious that many companies inflate their MSRP so they can put it "ON SALE" have you ever looked at the MSRP on Cold Steel swords? they are outrageous and no, their swords are NOT the sharpest or the strongest in the world dispite their advertising claim. they are, in fact rather lower quality. maybe the problem isn't that sword vendors sell at too low of a markup maybe the rest of consumer industry sells at too HIGH of a mark up. are you going to argue that medical mark ups are reasonable? those often hit multi-thousands percentages and they also play dirty tricks like charge you for a whole roll of sergical wire when they only used a few inches of the 100' roll. things like this have made news reports and insurance companies fight hospitals and doctors constantly to try and keep this sort of thing in check. without that constant vigilence we would be getting taken advantage of. so where do you draw the line? that's for each person to decide. if you think sword vendors don't make enough money don't be one. if you want to be one maybe you should talk to Sonny Suttles or the Stagmers or the folks at SwordNArmory or KOA or Albion or any other vendor that is making ends meet. obviously it is possible as the market is expanding and the quality of the products are getting better per dollar and companies are STILL starting out and going in new direction and being successful. maybe you just need good business sense to survive as a vendor in the sword market, but isn't that how it should be? make an honest living and don't fleece your customers.
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