About Us

The House of Knives first opened 
in Auckland in July 1987,
in two rooms of a small terrace house on Ponsonby Rd. 

Armed with many years of retailing and wholesaling experience over 
a wide range of products, and finding himself without a job after 
5 months of unemployment, John Fryer decided to take 
the plunge and utilize his skills and knowledge. 


It wasn't long before the initial product range of knives
and chef's uniforms began to expand to other items associated
with the hospitality industry, and as long time customers
will remember, they soon had extra cabinets and shelves
squeezed in and articles were hung from wherever
a hook could be hung.


From the first few early weeks when customers could be counted
on the fingers of one hand and no extra staff were employed,
one of the most frequent comments now heard is 
"Goodness, isn't this a busy place!"


After 4 years in Ponsonby, a branch was opened in Petone,
and between the two stores, 15 staff were employed.


The initial product line lead to the name The House of Knives however,
as the years went by the range of products increased 
as the needs of the customers became apparent. 

To overcome some of the difficulties in the supply of 
chef's uniforms, they developed two ranges of their own
and this also later lead to sourcing and importing material
to ensure continuity and consistent quality. 
The uniform range now covers chef's jackets,
trousers, neckerchiefs, aprons, hats, waitering trousers,
shirts, blouses, bow ties and "runners" jackets.

Making aprons or jackets to company specifications,
arranging for embroidery and screen-printing of names
and logos is part of their extended uniform service. 


When all avenues of display and storage had been exhausted,
a shed out the back,
the upstairs of a shop two doors along the road
and the home basement got utilized, but even this was not enough.


This prompted a move to much larger premises at 24 Mt Eden Rd,
enabling them to have a showroom six times the size of the previous 
shop, not to mention a roomy warehouse, 
(well it was roomy once - it's looking decidedly pushed for space these 
days), offices, lunchroom, sharpening room and off street parking.

 

Whilst partnering with F.Dick here in NZ, 
a wide range of other brands is readily available. 
They recognize that everyone has different needs and budgets,
so this fact is acknowledged by stocking the very inexpensive
to the top quality professional ranges. 


We are a specialist store, which seemingly conjures up
ideas of hefty price tags, most customers are
pleasantly surprised to find that this is not generally the case,
and over the entire product range, a real attempt is made
to source stock that offers good value for money. 


Stock now covers kitchen, hunting and fishing and pocket knives,
kitchen utensils, cookware, small electrical appliances, 
Swedish clogs and NZ made cork soled clogs, barware cutlery,
sharpeners, manicure and shaving items, chocolate moulds,
scissors and many specialist hard to procure items. 

With the larger premises, a toy / play area for children is available
and a coffee / tea area with magazines is used by friends
and family of customers, especially polytechnic students
where choosing suitable equipment can take some time. 


Probably the most appreciated area for potential knife purchasers however,
is the demonstration bench where they can learn the 
correct techniques for using their knives and are able to actually try cooks 
knives out by cutting up carrots. 

A good knife is an investment, and just as you would not spend 
a lot of money on a dress or pair of shoes without trying them on, 
neither should you accept that the first knife 
you see is going to be the best suited to your needs. 

Following on from this, customers requiring a knife for 
a special purpose have been known to bring in a bin of wet fish,
fresh bread from their bread maker or a bakery, 
specialist confectionary, frozen yoghurt etc. 


The House of Knives encourages particularly young chefs by sponsoring
competitions and assisting them to compete both here and overseas.


They have a busy mail order department, mainly servicing NZ customers
but also sending overseas, often to ex-patriot Kiwis and whilst
they do not have a catalogue, 
a range of specific brochures on some products is available 
and a digital camera enables them to email photos where this is necessary. 


A sharpening service is available through both stores,
and the Auckland store can also offer a scissor, 
secateurs, axe and blade sharpening service.


Nowadays, the company imports a significant amount of stock
and wholesales this to bona fide retailers throughout the country.