VALLE CRUCIS, NC – A local brand fashioning custom-made knives inspired by traditional blacksmithing, the mountain lifestyle, and a love for dogs was the perfect fit for Mast General Store. On Saturday, October 24 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Will Spears, co-owner of JackDog Forge & Leather, will demonstrate his unique style of knifemaking on a mobile forge at the Original Mast Store in Valle Crucis.
For the Banner Elk-based knifemaker, the event creates an ideal opportunity to show the community the bond his craft shares with the Mast Store and the mountains he grew up visiting as a child.
“I have a special connection with the Mast Store. I grew up in South Carolina, and my family would vacation in this part of the Blue Ridge Mountains when I was young, so we’d always visit the Original Mast General Store in Valle Crucis,” Spears said. “I made a lot of really fond memories here and having my knives in Mast was always a dream of mine. Mast is obviously an icon in this area. It’s more than just a store; it’s also a destination.”
Spears, his partner and JackDog Forge & Leather co-owner, Jeannine Armour, and their dog Jack, relocated to the Blue Ridge Mountains from the Alaskan wilderness in 2022. It was there that Spears first fell in love with and apprenticed in the craft of knifemaking. Still, after several years of training in Alaska, Spears felt the Blue Ridge Mountains calling him home.
“I attended Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk where, between then and my childhood, I’d spent a ton of time hiking and camping all over the Blue Ridge, so we chose to settle here when we left Alaska,” Spears said. “This area has always been one of my favorite places in the world next to Alaska.”
The couple’s cross-continental move came at a time when Spears was prepared to begin his own knifemaking business. Shortly after returning to North Carolina, their beloved Jack passed away, so Spears and Armour felt it appropriate to name their new venture after him.
Drawing inspiration from Jack and their return to a new but familiar Appalachian home, Spears states that he and Armour, who designs, handcrafts, and pairs leather sheaths for each JackDog knife, have grown in their respective roles while enjoying other practical benefits of being closer to communities that value their work.
“We’ve both really come a long way with our individual crafts over the past few years,” Spears said. “One thing that has changed since leaving Alaska is how much easier it is to get our hands on the supplies we use to make our goods than when we were living in rural Alaska. Shipping rates are definitely more reasonable, too!”
Spears and Armour will put their skills and more readily accessible supplies to use in person as they demonstrate their crafts live at the Original Mast Store, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday, October 24. Spears will fashion blades on JackDog’s mobile forge while Armour will showcase how she fashions and stitches leather sheaths to match the qualities of each knife. Their crafts come together to create completely unique works of functional art.
“We handcraft every knife and sheath, so each pairing is one-of-a-kind,” Spears said. “Even if two styles are similar, nobody will ever have the exact same knife and sheath combination.”
The knifemaking demonstration will be held outdoors behind the Original Mast Store to accommodate the forge. A rain date of Sunday, October 25, is scheduled if necessary.
Drop by to witness a pair of well-traveled, exceptional artisans create pieces as remarkable as their story and discover JackDog Forge & Leather wares for yourself in most Mast Store Knife Shop locations.
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A high-resolution image is available HERE.