Founded in 1983 by custom knife makers George and Nancy Quinn, QK has been serving the Southern California community for over 40 years with a focus on quality, no-nonsense, production and custom made knives.

With George's passing in 2007, and the fact that Nancy, along with longtime store manager Charlie Woods, were in the later stages of life (Charlie was still working 4 days a week at 95-years old!), Nancy decided it was time to sell her family shop.

So, with big sheaths to fill: Alex (myself, owner), my wife Jen, father Sidney, and our part-time staffers Melody & Matt, are doing our very best to carry on the Quinn Knives legacy of offering you an excellent selection of knives and backcountry goods in a small town, family-run, environment.

With the changeover, we have made some small tweaks, like a modern checkout system, social media pages, upgraded in-store experience, expanded brand selection, and this website, but overall it's important to us that we keep the legendary Quinn Knives 1-on-1 process that we loved so much when we were QK customers.

Everyone at Quinn Knives looks forward to helping you find that right knife, and as always, thank you for supporting local business. It matters. #YourLocalKnifeStore

Circa early 1980s- George Quinn in his workshop producing quality blades, scrimshaw Mountain Lion scale by Nancy Quinn, and George proudly displaying his craft in the store. 

Visiting Us

Our storefront is prominently located on Main Street in historic Julian, California. (click for detailed location information) We are in the blue Cole Building courtyard, several storefronts in from the sidewalk. As you approach our courtyard, keep walking past the staircase and you won't miss us.

2116 Main Street #1I
Julian, CA 92036
(760) 765-2230
[email protected]