the GOODS from Knifewear

Vancouver, BC | Twice a year Kevin Kent, CEO and owner of Knifewear, travels to Japan on a buying frenzy. He buys up blacksmith’s experiments, knives from apprentice blacksmiths, prototypes, one-of-a-kind knives and cool stuff that he finds entertaining. These items, along with some retired sample knives and scratch/dent items are thrown into the mix to make things even more interesting. Then, it’s all priced to move.

The Garage Sale starts when doors open at 10 a.m. on November 6. Kent says there’s often a line of chefs and aficionados out front of each location by 9:30 that first day. While it’s true that the sale runs for a week, many people want their pick of the full selection as many items are in limited quantities. The Garage Sale is also an amazing opportunity for those looking for a beautiful one-of-a-kind Christmas gift for the chef in their lives.

This fall the Garage Sale happens from November 6 to 12 at all locations and online at knifewear.com/garage-sale.

Kent will be doing a special preview of Garage Sale goods by way of a Facebook Live event, November 1 at 7:00 p.m. This fun and popular event is a hit with our most rabid customers who love the chance to see the exclusive Garage Sale goods, ask Kevin questions about the knives and also about Japanese knives in general.

We never know what we are getting exactly until right before the sale, but here is an incomplete list of items we hope to get in:

The world-famous Shosui Takeda, maker of knives of unparalleled thinness and quality, has sent us some special hunting knives sporting one-of-a-kind handles of various materials.

Natural Japanese sharpening stones, coveted by knife sharpening enthusiasts for the beautiful edge they impart on their knives, are available for great prices not usually possible in North America.

New blacksmith alert! Mazaki-san is from Sanjo, a city well known for handmade knives of high quality. His workshop began production less than a year ago, but his apprenticeship at 100-year-old, 4th-generation knife making company Yoshikane has lent him skills that are undeniably awesome.

Tojiro has given us access to an affordable collection of mass-produced knives made for the Japanese market that don’t break the bank (some under $60!), including an amazingly priced sobakiri for the Japanese noodle enthusiasts!

Shop favourite Masashi Yamamoto has a new line of knives, SLD Black Damascus. It has a mirror polished damascus bevel with a black (not acid-etched) finished upper. These must be seen to be believed.

We’ve brought in a limited supply of Moritaka Family’s extremely popular Chinese-style cleavers in various sizes.

Various lines never before imported by Knifewear from renowned knife maker Sakai Takayuki. Sakai is a city known for its high quality single bevel knives. 90% of professional chefs in Japan use knives made in Sakai.

As always we will have retired demo knives, final items from lines no longer available and various intriguing cooking supplies from Japan.

Plus, many other unconfirmed items, TBD.

FOR WHO: For industry, fiery chefs, home cooks, food lovers and the public.
WHAT: Knifewear’s Fall Garage Sale
WHEN: November 6 to 12, 2017
WHERE: All locations, and online at knifewear.com

SPECIAL FACEBOOK LIVE PREVIEW:
Wednesday November 1, 7:00 p.m. MST, facebook.com/knifewear/videos

DETAILS

4215 Main Street, Vancouver, BC
Phone: (604)-215-1033 | Email: [email protected]
Web: www.knifewear.com | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Hours: 10am – 6pm

Classes Offered (Please call or visit ahead of time to prebook)
Cut Like A Chef – Saturdays at 10:00 a.m.
Hand Knife Sharpening – Thursdays at 6:00 p.m.

GALLERY

THE PEOPLE

Owner and President: Kevin Kent
Operations Manager: Mike Wrinch

ABOUT KNIFEWEAR

Knifewear sells crazy sharp knives that keep their edge longer than you ever thought possible. Japanese knives are made with harder steel, and because of this they stay sharper for longer. By bringing these knives to professional and home chefs, Knifewear creates happiness in the kitchen. No more squished tomatoes!

While working in London, at the famed St. John Restaurant, Kevin Kent, owner of Knifewear, developed a taste for exquisite Japanese blades. Upon moving back to Calgary he found there was nowhere he could indulge his new-found desire for them. Realizing he could help others find the same joy he found in the kitchen, he developed the relationships in Japan that allowed him to bring these shockingly great knives to Calgary. His first sales were to chefs, often from a backpack while riding across town on the company bicycle. Many great knives were purchased in the loading bays and back doors of restaurants, turning many of his friends into customers, but also customers into friends. In February of 2008, his first shop opened in Calgary. As of 2016, Knifewear has shops in four cities: Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa and Vancouver.

Performance at Knifewear starts where other knife stores top out. This means that their entry level knives are as good as the best knives in every other knife shop in Canada… and it only goes up from there. Japanese knives are also lighter than other knives, which makes them easier to handle and takes the struggle out of dicing and chopping.

Knifewear carries a huge selection of knives, the majority of them are handmade and many of these lines are never seen outside of Japan except at Knifewear. They are also super sexy, desirable works of art.

Never tried a Japanese knife? come by Knifewear and “test drive” one.