BHeading north to Alaska's Kodiak Island to hunt grizzly with a dependable Bowie knife? Auditioning for a movie sequel duel-to-the-death with that crazy pirate of the Caribbean? Want to impress your culinary companions with a new set of Wusthof Classic kitchen knives? Or perhaps you'd just like to spend a few grand on a small razor-edged work of exquisite art to display on your coffee table?

No matter what blade you're keen on, Nordic Knives on Copenhagen Drive in Solvang will whet your interest. At Nordic Knives, owners Dave and Grace Harvey have crafted a business that is as unique in the world of custom knives as it is in the realm of retail.

The business is unusual because Nordic Knives is both a handmade knife store and a store that sells gourmet kitchen knives, Swiss Army knives, scissors and other related implements.

"Having custom knives in a retail cutlery store is extremely rare," says Grace. "There are hundreds of cutlery stores in the U.S.," adds Dave, but only three or four that specialize in selling custom knives like we do." Plus, he says: "They have only perhaps 30 pieces at one time, while we usually have a couple of hundred on display."

Dave moved to Solvang from Washington D.C. when he was 13 years old with his mother and stepfather, Bob Gaddis, who knew this would be the perfect place to live and open his new business Nordic Sports. It carried fishing gear, a variety of sporting goods, and knives. The day the store first opened in 1971 is clearly etched on Dave's mind, and he also remembers the first knife he ever owned.

"It was a little knife that had multiple tools on it, with the Boy Scout insignia." Dave feels there is something special about a sharpened edge that appeals to boys. "It's almost like a rite of passage for a young boy to get that first knife," he says. "It has a danger involved in it, yet it's a responsibility to know how to take care of it and make sure you don't hurt yourself or anyone else."

Dave worked at the store off and on throughout his school years, and in 1977 saw it transformed into a cutlery store re-named Nordic Knives. "I liked the business," he says, "and when I came back from college in 1981, I took over as manager." Dave and Grace have owned the store since Gaddis retired ten years ago.

The store sells many knives that are handmade by small teams of knife makers, but the exquisite one-of-a-kind custom knives are the piece de resistance for many passionate collectors, including celebrities like David Crosby, Jonathan Springs, Shelley Berman, Bo Derek, James Spader, and even Rambo himself (AKA Sylvester Stallone).

Each of these creations begins and ends in the hands of the same master craftsman. Damascus blades, for example, are forged in intense fire, folded, pounded and re-heated repeatedly until intricate patterns emerge.

Handles are sculpted from exotic woods, fossilized ivory and antler, colored pearl, precious gems and gold. The finished product represents many hours of meticulous labor.

"They're pieces of art", says Donald Twodeer, the only local knifemaker whose pieces are carried at Nordic Knives."Some people like to collect paintings, others like custom knives."

"Most people want them just for the pride of ownership," says Dave, and even though these knives are masterpieces of function as well as beauty, a mere sliver of the custom knife-buying population uses them in the field.

"You don't go camping with these," agrees Dave's longtime friend Jim Heck. "These custom knives are phenomenal, and the inlays and scrimshaw just blow your mind."

"The most expensive knife we've ever sold went for $12,000," says Dave. It was made by Bill Moran, a legendary forger who produced a relatively small number of knives. "It's just like any other work of art," Dave says. "When you have something extremely rare and sought-after, the sky's the limit."

For custom knife aficionados, Solvang is the place to be in April because it's when Dave holds his internationally-renowned annual Solvang Custom Knife Show at The Royal Scandinavian Inn. Sixty of the world's best knife makers from the U.S., Japan, France, England and Sweden come to exhibit and sell their wares.

The show was Dave and Grace's brainchild 20 years ago, and was a gamble at the time because all other major custom knife shows are held in large metropolitan areas. But Dave thought Solvang would be the perfect venue and a great destination.

"We recruited the top knife makers," he says, "knowing that if we could get them to our show, the collectors would also come." And come they do, around 1,000 people every year. It's a perfect opportunity for enthusiasts to meet the knives' creators.

"It's also a big weekend for Solvang that impacts the whole town in a very positive way," says Dave. During the knife show weekend, a BBQ is always held at the Gainey Vineyard just for the knife makers, and Jim Heck loves helping out.

"It's just a fun thing to do," he says. "We cook about a hundred tri-tips and then cut

them up into bite-sized chunks to streamline the eating process." Heck laughs at the irony of it: "Here you've got this huge group of knife makers, and nobody needs a knife to eat with."

Apart from the attention Nordic Knives receives because of the knife show, the business stays on the cutting edge of success, which is somewhat surprising for a specialty retail store located in a small community.

Dave's thriving mail-order operation, however, represents half of his sales and it's where he sees the most growth, especially since the establishment of his web site.

"It's really changed his business for the better," says Heck, "because he gets

collectors from all over the world who can now see pictures of the knives on the internet." But not all people shop online.

"Nordic Knives has become a local cutlery store to a huge number of people who travel here from Los Angeles," Dave explains. "They make a vacation out of it," he says, "but they come in and tell us 'I never come to Solvang without stopping here to buy a knife.'"

The store's longevity has also played a big part in its success, and many locals remain loyal customers. "We get men in here all the time that tell us they bought their first knife here as a little kid, and they still come back and buy them as adults," he says.

While not all customers hone in on custom knives, the variety of other intriguing merchandise captivates many. "Swords are a significant part of our sales," says Dave. "Their popularity is driven by movies like Lord of the Rings."

Also sold are antique pistol replicas, tomahawks, and exotic "fantasy knives,"

featuring bizarre shapes and multiple blades.

Choose your weapon, kitchen implement, or object d' art. At Nordic Knives, there's never a dull moment. website: www.nordicknives.com