Custom Smith Mike Pikula Closed

[Allan Senefelder]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings but very talented blade smith Michael Pikula shut his doors today http://www.myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=25464.

Theres more of this to come.

[Sir Patrick]

Will this ever end?  My heart goes out to him and all of the other talented individuals struggling during these times.

[Sir James A]

I don't recognize the name, but a lot of people there spoke highly of him. So many places closing up in the last few years.

[Sir Edward]

Yeah, I fear this won't be the last. The whole industry is taking it hard right now.

[Ian]

Whoa whoa whoa.... let's not get ahead of ourselves and make assumptions here.  Michael's initial post was very vague and everyone just assumed it was an economy thing.  Keep reading that thread to his second post later on and you'll see it's not quite the doomsday scenario everyone jumped on without any information.

[Allan Senefelder]

Whoa whoa whoa.... let's not get ahead of ourselves and make assumptions here.  Michael's initial post was very vague and everyone just assumed it was an economy thing.  Keep reading that thread to his second post later on and you'll see it's not quite the doomsday scenario everyone jumped on without any information.

Ian, I am glad that this has turned out not to be the case. This " Thank you very much to everyone that has supported me and my work in the past! "  from Michaels post has a very " so long its been good to know ya " feel. Certainly left me with the impression he was done, perhaps a better choice of words was needed. I'm glad Michael's sticking with it.

[Sir Edward]

Awesome, that's good to hear. I didn't go and read the thread, so thanks for clearing that up!

[Sir William]

Well, I'm glad to hear he hasn't closed shop; I am not a fan of his work, it does not appeal to me, but I do recognize his ability, and there are plenty more who vouch for him.  For me, that is good enough.

[Sir James A]

His second post was not there when Allan or I posted. Glad to hear he is not fading away.

[Ian]

His second post was not there when Allan or I posted. Glad to hear he is not fading away.

I realize this, but my main point was, try not to jump to conclusions without the information. Everyone on the thread, (not just you guys) just piled on to the assumption of worst possible outcome before Michael even explained anything.  All that usually winds up doing is steering the thread down a path that has little to do with the reality of a situation and leads to a lot of confusion and distress until the facts emerge. Kinda like what Fox News and CNN do to every story they report... lol 

[SirNathanQ]

Whew, thought we lost another one! Glad he's still putting out blades!

[Sir James A]

His post seemed pretty ominous and straight forward, between the "no longer accepting commissions" and thanking everyone for their past support. It was hard to see any other meaning in it, but it's good it worked out, at least partially.

[Sir William]

Also hard not to jump to conclusions given the current economic climate and the number of custom shops that have folded to date, Allan being the latest in a line that was far too long before he entered it.

Again, I'm glad to hear this is not yet the case for Mr. Pikula; but I certainly understand the dog piling, as it were.

[Sir James A]

Also hard not to jump to conclusions given the current economic climate and the number of custom shops that have folded to date, Allan being the latest in a line that was far too long before he entered it.

Again, I'm glad to hear this is not yet the case for Mr. Pikula; but I certainly understand the dog piling, as it were.

Yep, agreed. Even though Pikula isn't "closing", if he's not taking orders, and only doing things when he feels like it, it's gone from a business to a hobby and the business is basically closed. Not even really the same thing, and for people like me who have an interest in a very limited selection of weapons, it makes the chances of getting something I'd want from him virtually nil, and crosses him off my list of potential merchants to buy from.

[Sir William]

Mad Matt did the same thing for a while...I talked him into my commission because it was a high enough dollar amount to pull him out of his semi-retirement.  My understanding is that he is back taking commissions...so maybe we'll see Michael back in the swing of things one day.