The Customer Who Called Me His Brother From Another Mother (And Then Offered to Pay Extra NOT to Be in My Blog)
Listen, folks, running an axe shop isn’t exactly glamorous. Most days I’m answering questions about axe, edge geometry, convincing grown men that yes, you do need a second (or fifth) axe, and gently explaining why chopping kindling in flip-flops is a terrible life choice.
But every once in a while, the axe gods smile down and drop a customer like Jack straight into my inbox.
It started at 6:57 PM on a random weeknight. Jack was on the hunt for a beast of an Agdor 840222 (that big, no-nonsense Yankee-pattern felling axe) and a Gränsfors American Felling Axe with the 81cm curved handle, proper big-boy tools for serious work.
What followed was hands-down one of the greatest customer conversations I’ve ever had. Buckle up.
Me: Wow, you’ve had 11 orders. You have an axe problem like me. Lol
Jack: You are awesome, thank you for supporting my habits
Me: Haha I do my best
Jack: I use them too, so not just a hoarder, but I have many problems
Me: Lol
Already off to a roaring start. The man openly admits his axe collection isn’t even his biggest vice. That level of self-awareness deserves a medal… or at least another axe.
Then I made the fatal mistake of mentioning our new Stanfield’s Henleys, those glorious, heavyweight Canadian wool shirts that feel like a warm hug from a very responsible lumberjack.
Me: Have you seen our new Stanfield’s Henleys?
Jack: you are evil ... let me look
Me: They are awesome. I wear mine every day.
Jack: yeah man, wool is good
Me: I had one years ago when I was doing the wildfire thing. I lost it, and now I’m an official dealer.
Somewhere between losing a wool shirt in a wildfire and becoming a dealer, I feel like I skipped a few chapters. Is there a secret society of ex-wildland firefighters trading Stanfield’s like contraband ZYN's?
From there, things took a hard turn into philosophy and questionable fashion advice:
Jack: you can cut wood naked, doesn't work the other way around
Me: I would highly recommend clothing!
Jack: ok, axes first, clothes next
Priorities:
- Sharp steel
- Pants (eventually)
Honestly… not the worst life plan I’ve heard.
Then came the moment that sealed it:
Jack: you have always taken care of me. I mean it. You are a brother from another mother.
Me: I appreciate that
Jack: because you are awesome
At that point, I’m just sitting there grinning at my phone like an idiot.
Here’s the kicker: this guy lives five minutes from a competitor’s retail store, and still chooses my little shop every time. That’s not just loyalty. That’s a blood oath sealed with hickory handles.
And then… the peak:
Jack: i will pay extra not to be mentioned
Me: Maybe I should write a blog about that
Jack: you should
You can’t make this stuff up.
He wrapped it up by putting complete trust in me for his next axe:
Jack: Ok, get me a nice axe when they show up, I trust you
Me: I will pick one out and send some pictures for your approval
And finally:
Jack: Do not change because you are awesome
Jack, if you’re reading this (and I know you are… you’re probably refreshing the site for new arrivals right now), thank you.
Thank you for turning a normal evening into one of the most entertaining conversation. Thank you for trusting me with your axe addiction.
Most of all, thank you for reminding me why I do this.
Because every once in a while, a legend shows up in your messages, calls you “brother from another mother,” admits he has “many problems,” and still chooses your shop over the big guys down the road.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a “nice axe” to pick out for my new favorite customer.
And Jack? Don’t worry about the blog fee.
First one’s on the house.
Just do me one favor:
Promise you’ll wear pants while swinging it.
Stay awesome, brother.
Jeremy, aka Axeman
P.S. If any of you want to reach Jack-level customer status, we’ve got plenty of axes, plenty of Stanfield’s, and zero judgment about your “many problems.”
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