Any relationship between BHQ and Blue Ridge Knives?

[rust collector]

Blade HQ continues to list the Adwolfe Road address on their website, while I see that BRK now lists 314 Lee Highway in Marion as their address. Did BHQ buy the old BRK location, or is there some mutual ownership interest?

 

[hso]

Blade HQ

BHQ isn't part of Blue Ridge Knives (although BHQ has that warehouse address right down the road from Blue Ridge) and everyone suspects there's some close relationship between Blade HQ and Blue Ridge. Phil Martin wouldn't be foolish enough to upset his retailers buying from Blue Ridge either by having a retailer as part of his portfolio. It seems BHQ probably bought a warehouse property from Blue Ridge after Blue Ridge built a new modern warehouse distribution facility. Smart move on BHQ's part having an "east coast" shipping facility close to the largest stocking knife distributor in the world.

Everyone in the knife biz used to joke about the "Hillbilly Knife Mafia" since there were some sort of ties between SMKW, Blue Ridge, and every knife shop between Central GA and S. PA making a web of mutual interest.

Once the PacNW businesses stood up that sort of died down.

Of course the intertwined family nature of the NY and PA knife businesses early on is legendary in the knife industry, so no great surprise that family ties run through industries.

Then you have the "started out There before going out on their own" relationships.

The guys that started CRKT left Gerber to start their own business. Al Mar was at Gerber before starting AMK.

 

[rust collector]

The cutlery business family tree is gnarled and ingrown. Pete Kershaw was also a Gerber grad. This somehow doesn't show up on Kai's website history section. Western Cutlery was started by HN Platts, who had married a Case daughter and worked there before moving to Colorado. Fascinating to trace the history of many of the old brands.