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Comment by tim payne on March 28, 2015 at 18:20

As a young man growing up in Kingsport, Stewart Taylor haunted flea markets in search of World War II German daggers and Samurai swords. In the last 37 years, he turned that love of collecting into a multi-million dollar business, Taylor Brands LLC.

Today, Taylor Brands is the official manufacturer and wholesale distributor of Smith & Wesson and Schrade knives and sells to 65 countries. Taylor started selling knives while still a student at Emory & Henry College. At the time, he ran a small ad in "Coin Magazine" selling a Coca-Cola bottle-shaped knife that cost him $10 each. He sold the knife for $25 and, within a week, made $150.

Back then, that was pretty good money for a college student. Taylor decided to see if he could get the knife produced at a reduced price. He wrote to 16 U.S. and three Japanese knife manufacturers. Not one of the 16 U.S. companies responded. One Japanese manufacturer offered to produce Taylor’s $10 knife for 50 cents apiece.

Taylor always had an entrepreneurial spirit and, at age 16, purchased a house on Elizabeth Street in Kingsport. During college, he made enough money to repay the $5,000 home loan. He used that collateral to borrow $5,000 from First American Bank to secure production of his knives in Japan.

Comment by Sue OldsWidow on March 28, 2015 at 17:46

Good Read..about Taylor cutlery.. http://bestpocketknifetoday.com/schrade-knives/

Comment by Sue OldsWidow on March 28, 2015 at 15:52

Never heard of Taylor cutlery.....got any History on them?