Bonds House of Cutlery slices into northwest Las Vegas market with everything from fantasy knives to swords

Since 1981, Bonds House of Cutlery has provided knife users and enthusiasts with a one-stop shop.

The store sells everything from culinary knives to fantasy knives and other collectibles.

In September, the store made its move from the southwest to Centennial Hills at 7145 W. Ann Road, Suite 130, to serve its large base of residential customers in the northwest.

“We are the largest dealership on the west Coast and one of the top five knife stores in the nation — that’s quoted through our distributors,” said owner Lynn Bonds. “We carry a large assortment of all kinds of kitchen knives that have never been seen before, and between all of us working here, we have spent about 60 years working in the business.”

On any given day, the 77-year-old Bonds can be seen answering questions about knives. The business has five employees, mostly family members.

Bonds comes from a surprising background. Her great-grandfather is Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, a well-known Russian composer. Her mother was a concert pianist, and Bonds learned to play the violin and piano at a young age.

Despite her classical upbringing, Bonds admits she’s always had a wild side to her. In her early 20s, she used to drag race the streets of California while her husband, who has since died, rode motorcycles.

The museum-like store was established when Bonds’ husband, who did commercial fishing at the time, was searching for special knives for his fishing crew but was told he had to become a dealer to buy as many as he needed.

At the time, Bonds worked as an accountant and also displayed products at local craft shows. She took knives along with her to sell and soon found that they sold faster than her own products.

“It started off as a fun thing to do over the weekend, and pretty soon it became a lot more than fun,” Bonds said. “It became serious.”

The couple went from having $500 worth of knives to now roughly 65,000 knives from 300 companies. That includes everything from knives to swords, straight razors and more.

Specialty knives range from $75 to $500, while the more expensive ones are $1,000 and up, according to Bonds.

The store recently sold both of the original Gil Hibbens knives used in “Rambo 3” and “Predator”— both for $1,500 each.

Bonds also takes custom orders and offers knife sharpening. The store also sells crossbows, Masonic items, belt buckles, earrings and other accessories.

Half of its customers are locals, according to Bonds.

“We have a wide variety of customers,” said Barbara Bonds, Lynn’s oldest daughter. “We’re always talking to different people from knife-loving fanatics to collectors who want us to show them 100 knives before picking one or two.”

Richard Blaine is a knife enthusiast who hosts a YouTube channel called MrEZCooking. He said many customers also find the store after watching his videos.

“I have been working for Lynn for 21 years now, and there are not many people in the cutlery industry like me left with the knowledge base that I have in knives, cutlery, swords and anything that cuts,” Blaine said.

Last year, the store became somewhat of a celebrity after Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler walked in and bought thousands of dollars worth of knives. Even actor Nicolas Cage showed up one day.

From the smallest knife to the largest and most elaborate knife, Bonds guarantees that if her customers are looking for something special, they’ll find it at her store.

“The business is always changing, and there are always knives to look at,” Bonds said. “It keeps me on my feet. I’m always on the lookout for that special knife for someone.”

Bonds House of Cutlery is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Call 702-870-2347 or visit bondshouseofcutlery.com.

To reach North View reporter Sandy Lopez, email slopez@viewnews.com or call 702-383-4686. Find her on Twitter: @JournalismSandy.