I don't have as much time as I'd like to chat with customers, but every now and then someone catches me and we get a chance to visit.  This afternoon I had such an opportunity and I can't begin to tell you all how our discussion hit home and made me think about the trend in the cutlery business and GEC. 

Had a pleasant fellow from West Virginia call, placed an order for a knife and told me just what he thought of Great Eastern knives.  He's ordered several knives from me in the past, so he wasn't a 'new comer'.  In the course of a fairly long chat we discussed the trend of so many companies, that are, or used to be USA based, who are now building cutlery overseas.  While folks have fallen into the pattern of finding the same or similar goods at lower prices, more and more manufacturers have moved production offshore to meet the demand for  still lower prices.  Buck, Schrade, so many old names.

I was part of a shift in marketing patterns in the 70's and 80's when I owned a brick an mortar sporting goods store.  The economic conditions were somewhat similar to what we're experiencing today with high unemployment, energy shortages but with the complicating factor of sky high interest rates.  Remington and Winchester were two of the first to start catering to the demands of the discount stores. They ignored the small independent dealers and cut the best deals with the WalMart and Kmarts.  By the mid '80's their quality suffered and they found out the "independents" they had lost had been the backbone of their business.  It was the independent dealers that had originally built the market for the manufacturers by competing for who had the best customer service, product knowledge and could deliver the goods.  Price was secondary to most everything else.   Anyone can be trained to run the Blue Light Special cart but that only works so long.  The firearms industry went through a major change and struggled to regain their base.  To a certain degree, I think we're on the cusp of a similar trend in the cutlery industry. 

Todays conversation just confirmed my commitment that I made to carry the Great Eastern line.  I didn't 'join up' because GEC was a good knife, or a cheap knife.  I took on the line because it was one of the best line of slip joint knives "Made in the USA" that I'd come across.  Since then, I've used a lot of their knives, sold a few, listened to what others had to say and changed my mind and can confirm, it's the Best!  Thanks to Ken, Bill and the whole crew at Great Eastern Cutlery, it's folks like you that have committed to building the best products you can.  Don't ever compromise.  And to the fellow from West Virginia, thanks for reminding me.