This has the quietest lead up to a Knob Creek show in memory -- I don't know if it's just the economy, or if folks are still in shock over Blade, but for anyone not keeping track, Knob Creek is next weekend. Personally, I'm not as into it as I have been in the past, but still plan to hit the hotel the night before. Last show, I took the week following off, which meant I had free time to box up proxy orders and get them in the mail; that won't be the case this year.

However, what has worked pretty well is when people establish an account with Busse Combat, so that they have your payment info, you give me a list of what you're looking for and your contact info, then if (and this is a big IF) I can get what you want, I hand the knives to the Busse crew and place an order in your name, using your contact info. Then they put your knives and order form into a box and upon returning to the shop, Busse Combat will bill you directly and ship the knives to you. You'll still be charged KY sales tax, as if you'd actually bought the knives in-person, and shipping, but I won't have to estimate shipping (which was a pain), collect payment, box up packages and send them out, so that's what I'm willing to do for a few folks.

Back to my big IF I can get what you want: Last Spring, they had us lined up outside the Busse Crew's hotel suite -- I'm not talking a fancy suite mind you, but it's a few bedrooms off a hallway at a country motel, and at the end of the hallway, they share a living room/small kitchen dining area. The crew set up tables last year, which worked well, although in the past they've sometimes just laid knives on the floor along the hallway and throughout the common area. When Garth says its time, people surged into the room, and began snatching knives as they went. Within a few minutes, probably half of what was brought will be off the tables and in peoples hands or piles -- the rule is that you don't touch another man's hoard. The initial rush is a bit chaotic, but as the evening wears on, many knives are returned to the tables as folks take stock of how much their whole pile would cost (I've returned retail-priced AKs myself); those knives are often grabbed by someone who may have to return something else as they adjust their hoard, or returned knives may be snagged by a late arrival, so things continue to settle for a while until people start paying and leaving. I'm not sure how or if Drew being out from a motorcycle wreck will affect the setup -- it's been pretty consistent, but every time is a little different. Also, since open invitations to the the pre-show sale were made, attendance has increased dramatically.

Basically, just because they have something in the Busse picture doesn't mean I'm going to be the first one to it. Also, the crew hand-delivers special orders to some of the established old-school hogs they know will be attending, so some things in the picture may not even be for sale. Finally, if you want something that I also want, and quantities are limited, I'm taking care of myself first; it's selfish, but I'm the one making the trip -- even if it is less than an hour away for me.

I'll try to hook up a few folks, but I'm sure you can imagine what its like trying to place a dozen different orders, so I need to limit the number of proxy requests I can take on, probably to around 6 or 8. There are a couple folks who have proxied for me at Blade -- I haven't heard from them, but they should know that they can depend on on me at KC.