An Unusual and Interesting Store!

Since we were already in the Sevierville area visiting Floyd Garrett’s Muscle Car Museum, I decided that we should show our out of town friends Margaret and Bruce a retail establishment that is a bit ‘different’…almost 'off the grid' in the usual retail sense!

This is the Smoky Mountain Knife Works.  This multi-level building covers 108,000 square feet of space.  It has the distinction of being the largest knife store in the world!  More than 1,500,000 folks visit this store every year.  The parking lot was packed when we arrived…

I took this photo of an overview of part of the store…Bruce is at the left, Kershaw knife cases in the foreground and canoes providing décor in the background.  Note the different levels evident in the photo!

Laurie and I had assured Margaret and Bruce that this store offers a lot more than ‘just’ knives. 

One unusual shop within the store sells nothing but Zippo lighters.  I can’t remember the last time I saw a Zippo lighter anywhere other than in an antique/collectibles store.  Old Zippo lighters, which date back to 1933, are very collectible.

The Zippo Manufacturing Company also owns the W.R. Case and Son’s Cutlery Company, the Ronson brand of torch style lighters and Northern Lights, a candle company.  To learn more, go to https://www.zippo.com/.

So…I’m guessing that the fact that a nearby department sells Case knifes isn’t just a coincidence.  Shrade Knives displays were nearby.  Other popular brands include Buck, Gerber, Cold Steel, Tops and Victorinox (Swiss Army) knives.

The business that was to become the Smoky Mountain Knife Works started back in the early 1970s with 2 guys selling pocketknives out of the back of their pickup trucks.  After building positive relationships with vendors and customers, in 1978 they opened their first store.  The business kept growing and growing!  The company outgrew the first 2 buildings, hence the current retail behemoth that we were touring…

More knives…big machete style knives in this case.  Just how many machetes from how many brands can a store sell?  It’s a bit overwhelming.  Check out the variety at https://www.smkw.com/knives/fixed-blade-knives/machetes.

I told you that this store sells more than knives.  Helmets anyone?  Heck…with all these knives and assorted blades around one needs some protection.  How about a Trojan Deluxe Helmet with a Red Horsehair Mohawk for $77.99.  Alternatively you could pick up a Medieval Crusader Helmet for $56.99. 

This is just one of the showcases displaying Samurai Swords.  In all, when I input Samurai Swords on the Smoky Mountain Knife Works website, it showed ninety-seven (97!) results.  I liked the Magnum Hand Forged Damascus Ninjato blade for $155.99.

Another showcase offered a selection of throwing stars.  “Only” 55 products popped up when I input throwing stars into the website… FYI, throwing stars or more accurately “Shuriken” originally came in a variety of shapes.  Contrary to popular belief, Ninjas didn’t really use these weapons.  They were mainly used by Samurai and Ashigaru soldiers as a supplementary weapon. 

Crusade anyone?  Or perhaps you’re a Medieval Times re-enactor… There are 44 options for this type of sword listed in the inventory.

 

I didn’t take any photos but if you are a little bit older and use a cane, you could also arm yourself against robbers or marauders of various types.  Twenty-eight listings for these ‘gentleman’s weapon’ are shown…

Enough with the knives already!  Scattered throughout this big store visitors will find scenarios and vignettes that add to the overall décor and mind-bending feeling one can experience as they wander along…

It was near this big bear that I dropped my cane (not the sword type).  A young lady from the nearby rocks and minerals department climbed over the railing to fetch it for me…  I just have to get my knees fixed!

Yes…the store does carry apparel!  T-shirts, hoodies, watches, conceal/carry totes, hats, camo, gloves, pants, shorts, rain gear, boots and much more.  Note all the art displayed on the walls as well, a big selection for sure. 

Here’s another little vignette for your viewing pleasure, depending on your viewpoint… Do you love the hat on the deer?!  Lots of stuffed critters hanging around that canoe plus the spears, ceremonial and otherwise on the wall at the back.  Actually, there are taxidermy mounts all over the place.  You just have to look for them as many are up high along the walls.

To me, the Relic Room and the adjoining area was the most interesting area of the Smoky Mountain Knife Works store.  First there were stones, stones, and more stones!  There is an entire department featuring a plethora of stones of varying colors and types.

At one entry to this area was this display of geodes and fossils.  Note the Jurassic dinosaur bone for $2,250.  I would prefer the Fossilized Ammonite Matrix or one of those big purple geodes!

Fossils…yes they have fossils, and lots of them too!  Prices are all over the place but there are plenty of options for the beginner who is looking for a couple of conversation pieces.  On the other hand, a big spender wouldn’t have any trouble finding something of interest either…

Do you collect ceremonial masks?  No... Then how about old bottles or arrowheads?  Perhaps a bit of petrified wood?  I also spotted a bit of Australian Aborigine art. (We have a piece of the latter ourselves that I’d be willing to sell…)

Here are 2 of the several tall display cases that are all just chockablock full of collectible goodies!  The first case contains a wide range of items including matchbooks, noise makers, slate pencils, DAR badges, lead toys and even an early breast pump…and much, much more. 

The second showcase is full of items from the Far East.  Items I noted are from China, Japan and Vietnam and they included antique guns, knives, old coins, textiles, Samurai armor plating and calligraphy tablets…the variety goes on and on!     

How about a Russian (USSR) military jacket from the 1970s or 1980s?  Or, if you prefer, you could go home with either a complete set of Japanese Samurai Armor from the Edo Period…or an original Ninja Warrior Chain Mail Suit.  I do like the 150 – 200 year old Japanese Foot Soldier Helmet!

To watch a great YouTube video showing the Relics area at the Smoky Mountains Knife Works, you can just go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWkk-iTsRoo.

I thought that I might be in trouble when the ladies found the housewares/kitchenware department…but I escaped unscathed!  FYI, it shouldn’t be a big surprise but kitchen cutlery is a big selling item here with a huge selection of products.

Just in case I haven’t convinced you that the Smoky Mountain Knife Works is a ‘different’ kind of store that carries a wide variety of products, here’s a little sampling of some of the items they stock: nail clippers; manicure sets; sage bundles; mounted and framed piranha (or butterflies); a jar of Confederate clay; toilet ‘elixir’; camo face paint; coffee mugs; cell phone stands; gold foil ‘money’; a pocket microscope; crosses (new and relics); vintage looking US flags; signs of all types; flash lights; journals; antique locks; an alabaster stone nativity scene; several items made from Moroccan Thuya wood; a framed meteorite fragment; whips; back scratchers; a fossil excavation kit; playing cards; guns; ammunition; thermometers; models made from bullet shell casings; ‘predator’ masks; marbles; Apollo Mission coin set and; a Trump toilet brush.  Whew!

I’ve just scratched the surface regarding this store’s variety.  If you live in or plan on visiting East Tennessee, I’d recommend a stop at the Smoky Mountain Knife Works.  It is sensory overload for sure…and if you are a knife collector, this is “The Place!”  This store is located at 2320 Winfield Dunn Parkway in Sevierville Tennessee.  Its open daily.  Phone: 800-251-9306.  Website: https://www.smkw.com/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by to see what we’ve been up to!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave