By Joe Veyera
After four years in Ballard, Vulcan Knife has announced their final day at 2149 NW Market St will be this Wednesday, July 9.
Since opening in 2010, the shop has sold high-quality knives, kitchen cutlery, and armory, along with providing knife sharpening and armory care and repair. Now, the shop is on the move to Frieghthouse Square in Tacoma (602 E. 25th St., Suite 78), where they’ll have a larger retail space, with plans to soon open their blacksmithing school for classes as well.
“Thank you very much for your patronage and we hope you come visit us in Tacoma!” reads the post on the Vulcan Knife’s Facebook page announcing the move on June 25.
It is currently not known when a new tenant will take over the 1,800 square foot space, which was previously home to Vitality Chiropractic and before that, Ballard Kitchen and Bath.
For more information on Vulcan Knife’s move, click here.
It finally happened. Tacoma has become more desirable than Ballard. So if you want to experience Seattle the way it use to be, go to Tacoma. You knew they were going to get their opportunity eventually. No more Hilltop gangs. No more pulp mill. Tacoma is the place of opportunity in western Washington now.
Unfortnately, Freighthouse Square (I’m sure anyone familiar with Tacoma might agree) is where businesses go to die (or leave).
(specifically, where retail businesses go to die or leave)
The folks at Vulcan did the most extraordinary work repairing and sharpening fine cutlery. Unfortunately, I think the customers for their high-end forging business (hunters, divers, etc.) are more likely to be in the Tacoma/Olympia area than in Seattle. Another case of craftspeople and artists fleeing Seattle for Bellingham, Olympia and…yes…even Tacoma. Last summer I tried a “knife sharpener” at one of the farmers’ markets and was unimpressed. If it means driving to Tacoma once a year to get all my knives sharpened, I’ll do it.