Illiknives LLC - Project Storefront!
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Illiknives LLC is moving on up to a storefront! Will you help us?
Illiknives LLC started as a knife collecting and sharpening hobby that became a side business. As it is now, we are largely person-to-person and online retail. We love cutlery, with its rich history, skilled craftsmanship, and depths of artistic expression. There is truly nothing like it, so we decided to share that world with the people around us. We want to share with even more people now.
Of course, life happens.
Like many other oft-maligned "lazy" Millennials, we spent money we didn't have to get college degrees that were supposed to lead to employment that we later discovered doesn't exist in today's economy like it did for our parents. Now after working our various patchwork jobs for years to deal with embarrassing debt stigma that traditional banks flee from lending to for business ventures, here we are on GoFundMe.
What has two thumbs and crippling debt? THIS GUY!
(motions to self with both thumbs)
Our plan for Illiknives LLC is to have an easily accesible physical location in the Chicago suburbs, in which we can retail high-quality cutlery, provide on-site sharpening services, and offer weekly training classes. Our products will span a broad range; from high-end kitchen knives, to outdoor blades and tools, to the everyday pocket knife. We plan to work with bladesmiths to offer the finest custom blades on consignment as well. Classes will range from basic armed and unarmed personal defense, to more involved historical and cultural martial arts, to culinary knife techniques.
At best, similar businesses in the midwest have a much more narrow range of products or services. They focus only on the outdoorsman, kitchen user, or military and law-enforcement tactical users, with little to no cross-over. To our knowledge, no other cutlery retail location in the midwest compares to the comprehensive retail and training center we intend to become. Intrigued?
You know as we do, that cutlery, any cutlery, is something that you need to touch and feel to really know. Video reviews and online retail have made some of the raw information more available over the years. But, even the best of those is only second-hand information. Other big-box retail stores that carry cutlery often have only a narrow selection of more general products, with customer service which is similarly general. If you choose to help us open our doors, you will get to handle all the coolest stuff in person, with qualified cutlery professionals who might actually be able to answer your questions.
Co-Owner/Co-Founder Jason Wenz & Fremont Knives
As our business has grown, we have met superlative craftsmen, and more and more excellent teachers in various modern and historical martial combatives across many cultures. By helping us open our doors, you will have access to both unique custom blades from around the world, and exclusive training events with master teachers, who may not otherwise be available around the greater Chicagoland area, or even regionally.
Co-Owners/Co-Founders Jason Wenz & Frank Delo with Ron Balicki
We've worked with some great local martial trainers around the Chicago area as well. They've agreed to come on board once we can open our doors, to offer you regular weekly classes in both armed and unarmed self-defense. We plan to offer weekly classes on the proper basic use of kitchen cutlery, and to open up time slots in the training center for other possible uses, like personal training, yoga, meditation groups, and more! As we grow, our regular class offerings will only increase. But only if we can open the doors...
Michael Janich, Martial Blade Concepts
Brian Hoffner
We've gotten by as we are. But we are doing our best to move from side business up to the next stage. We believe that we can do the most good for the most people within the scope of our business niche by opening the doors to a new physical location. Thank you for reading this. We appreciate your attention, and we need your help. What will you choose?
Illiknives LLC started as a knife collecting and sharpening hobby that became a side business. As it is now, we are largely person-to-person and online retail. We love cutlery, with its rich history, skilled craftsmanship, and depths of artistic expression. There is truly nothing like it, so we decided to share that world with the people around us. We want to share with even more people now.
Of course, life happens.
Like many other oft-maligned "lazy" Millennials, we spent money we didn't have to get college degrees that were supposed to lead to employment that we later discovered doesn't exist in today's economy like it did for our parents. Now after working our various patchwork jobs for years to deal with embarrassing debt stigma that traditional banks flee from lending to for business ventures, here we are on GoFundMe.
What has two thumbs and crippling debt? THIS GUY!
(motions to self with both thumbs)
Our plan for Illiknives LLC is to have an easily accesible physical location in the Chicago suburbs, in which we can retail high-quality cutlery, provide on-site sharpening services, and offer weekly training classes. Our products will span a broad range; from high-end kitchen knives, to outdoor blades and tools, to the everyday pocket knife. We plan to work with bladesmiths to offer the finest custom blades on consignment as well. Classes will range from basic armed and unarmed personal defense, to more involved historical and cultural martial arts, to culinary knife techniques.
At best, similar businesses in the midwest have a much more narrow range of products or services. They focus only on the outdoorsman, kitchen user, or military and law-enforcement tactical users, with little to no cross-over. To our knowledge, no other cutlery retail location in the midwest compares to the comprehensive retail and training center we intend to become. Intrigued?
You know as we do, that cutlery, any cutlery, is something that you need to touch and feel to really know. Video reviews and online retail have made some of the raw information more available over the years. But, even the best of those is only second-hand information. Other big-box retail stores that carry cutlery often have only a narrow selection of more general products, with customer service which is similarly general. If you choose to help us open our doors, you will get to handle all the coolest stuff in person, with qualified cutlery professionals who might actually be able to answer your questions.
Co-Owner/Co-Founder Jason Wenz & Fremont Knives
As our business has grown, we have met superlative craftsmen, and more and more excellent teachers in various modern and historical martial combatives across many cultures. By helping us open our doors, you will have access to both unique custom blades from around the world, and exclusive training events with master teachers, who may not otherwise be available around the greater Chicagoland area, or even regionally.
Co-Owners/Co-Founders Jason Wenz & Frank Delo with Ron Balicki
We've worked with some great local martial trainers around the Chicago area as well. They've agreed to come on board once we can open our doors, to offer you regular weekly classes in both armed and unarmed self-defense. We plan to offer weekly classes on the proper basic use of kitchen cutlery, and to open up time slots in the training center for other possible uses, like personal training, yoga, meditation groups, and more! As we grow, our regular class offerings will only increase. But only if we can open the doors...
Michael Janich, Martial Blade Concepts
Brian Hoffner
We've gotten by as we are. But we are doing our best to move from side business up to the next stage. We believe that we can do the most good for the most people within the scope of our business niche by opening the doors to a new physical location. Thank you for reading this. We appreciate your attention, and we need your help. What will you choose?
We will be adding rewards to this campaign as we go, so please follow us! Thanks again!
Organizer
Jason Wenz
Organizer
Woodridge, IL
