East Coast Custom Knife Show

[Jerry Oksman]

http://www.ecckshow.com/

Yes it's coming up real soon March 7-9

I will be hanging my hat over at George Dailey's table.
Stop by and say hello.

Who's coming to the show?

[J.Arthur Loose]

I'll be there...

[Rant]

...if the grand state of NY can get their act together! Coming in to the NYCK show last Fall I got pulled over by NY's Finest at 9:50 AM for exiting off of the FDR on an apparent HOV only exit that ended at 10:00 AM. Never saw a sign. Never even heard of HOV only exits in Manhattan. ( Yep, those Vermonters are vile commuters who clog up NYC on a daily basis... ) So they let me off for that. But since I'd just changed insurance providers I had taken out that nifty little plastic thing that holds your insurance and registration to replace my insurance card... and left it on my desk at home. "No Prob," the officer told me; send in photocopies and you'll be fine. Well apparently New York bureaucrats can't read insurance cards 'cause they dismissed the driving-without-registration charges but maintained that I wasn't insured and suspended my #######!

The extortionists want $550.00 outta my hide. I'm appealing the suspension and Vermont gave me a hearing, but it looks like it won't be resolved until after the show... and fergit flying or the train with knives! ( I'm not in the show but I have pieces to deliver to customers there... )

GRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...talk about *why* I left NYC!

If they weren't such good shows I'd never put up with the hassles these days...

[/Rant]

[Les Robertson]

Hi Jerry,

I will be set up at the show this year.

Not like some of the makers who it appears will be "brown bagging" this year.

It's just a darn shame.

[tonyccw]

Originally posted by Les Robertson
Not like some of the makers who it appears will be "brown bagging" this year.

Hmmm, wonder if they're from Texas, like last year??? :confused:

I'll be there. As usual, at Bob Lum's table.

[LGF]

Hey all you knife lovers out there....................

I too will be at ECCKS this year visiting my friend and fellow knifemaker RJ Martin who asked me to stop by and show off my version of the Iron Mistress Bowie which is posted in The Display Case of CKD. Don't worry though because I'm not a brown bagger and anyway it's not for sale...........I just want to show it off a little. Hope you catch me there. She's a beauty.

Regards to all..........

LGF

[J.Arthur Loose]

Les,

I'm curious about the brown-bagging thing: Is this a common practice and what is the consensus on the matter? ( If you've heard one... ) I know that some craftspeople in the ACC circuits go to shows and rent a room at the hosting hotel for private shows of their own... taking advantage of the traffic and usually getting the word out on their own private mailing lists. There are mixed opinions about the practice but the high-end craft shows are more cut-throat and the folks running the shows are usually very impersonal, especially contrasted with the knife shows and their sense of community.

I've seen some knifemakers attend the shows as customers with the intent of displaying work but not really looking for sales.

As for me... I was just supposed to show up to drop off some orders I recieved at the NYCK show in the Fall... guess I'm shipping since I haven't heard from the nice folks at NY State DMV...

[SharpByCoop]

I'm there. I'll be wearing my grey backpack.

See you folks there!

Coop

[Les Robertson]

Hi John,

In most cases if you are caught brown bagging the show promoter will ask you to leave immediately.

Several years ago, even at the Guild Show they didn't even want collectors coming in to the show with knives to sell. Until some "businessman" pointed out that usally if a collector sells a knife at a show they buy another knife.

Makers flat out do not like other makers at the show brown bagging. As they have paid to have a table and have the opportunity to show their knives at the show.

There is little a show promoter can do to keep customers from going to a makers room who does not have a table.

However, to see a maker at a show in New York, who lives 2000 miles away is odd. As such everyone in the room knows what they are doing and it does build resentment. As Tony's post shows.

There is nothing wrong with delivering knives at the show. However, you would do best to advise your clients to leave the knife in their room, car, etc. As walking around the show someone will ask them about the knife. Somene will eventually miss-interpret what happened and the word will be you are selling knives at the show without having a table. Especially if you are then seen walking around the show. Make no mistake, this will happen.

So be careful about the "perception" you are giving.

[J.Arthur Loose]

Thanks for the response, Les...

It hadn't even occured to me that folks might think I was trying to sell there, so thanks for the heads up. When a show is as good as the ECCKS I like to go just to see the work and talk to the makers... I'm on the waiting list, but I understand it's pretty long.

[PaulD]

J,
If I can be of any help, E- mail me.

I work in the City and as a railroad employee, I ride down free and without close inspection.

I normally have Thursday and Friday off but may have to go down on one these days. My shift starts at 4:00 PM on Sat/Sun so I intended to go to the show before work if I couldn't get there Friday.

[tispectrum]

Hi Tony, Bring some watches with you.