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USN Gathering is Back

September 3, 2021

After a 2020 COVID hiatus, the Gathering, the legendary “little big show” from the Usual Suspects Network forum, is back. The show is on right now, with lots of familiar faces from previous years’ shows.

The Gathering is relatively young compared to other influential knife shows. It first ran in 2008, a show organized and populated by members of the Usual Suspect’s Network, an online knife forum founded by a group of Emerson knife collectors. While there is a core suite of makers strongly associated with the USN boards (Emerson among them), the forum draws enthusiasts from all sectors these days, and is a great watering hole or lurking spot for the knife community at large. And the Trader’s Cove, the sub-forum for swapping, trading, and selling knives, is a go-to place for collectors of all stripes.

The Gathering has grown since that first year, and at the 11th show in 2019, there were over 100 exhibitors were in attendance. One of the Gathering’s big differentiators compared to other important knife shows is its setup: exhibitors are organized into table quads that pair new, developing, and established makers, giving everyone an equal shot at being seen, learning, and meeting new friends, partners, or clients. Spyderco, Tactile Knife Co., Ken Onion, and Bob Terzuola are among the exhibitors in attendance this year.

Naturally, the 12th annual Gathering, original slated for fall 2020, was cancelled along with every other knife show throughout the latter half of that terrible year. But with vaccinations widely available in the U.S., USN XII is back on, running through the 4th. Stay tuned to KnifeNews.com for coverage of any big news from the show floor.

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