Quinn Knives & Backcountry Goods - Julian, California

Bobby Kane

Great selection of knives, friendly and knowledgeable staff, and fair prices. Quinn Knives is a hidden gem, tucked in the back of this little shopping center in downtown Julian.

I came in looking for a utility, camping, hiking, fixed blade knife and left with a beautiful 4 1/2” Madewell knife with an ironwood handle and sheath. I couldn’t help myself because Alex was such a nice guy and the shop was so great so I bought a quality pizza cutter too.

I’m already excited to head back to QK for the next knife in my collection in the future.

Gary Giffin

Love going up to Julian to eat apple pie and walk the town. Was surprised to find such a great selection of knives here. Before you know it I had Civivi, Kershaw, Spyderco and other local Brands on the table. Found a really great CIVIVI Tanto style knive picked out and bought it. Can’t do that on the internet or Amazon. This is the place to go so you can see what your buying!

Sam Bendall

I came for the knives but fell in love with the shop dog. Ended up leaving without the dog but Alex (the new owner) introduced me to Ferrum Forge knives. I left with one of the coolest knives I've ever owned and a stupid bright Nitecore flashlight. This is one of those small businesses that is owned and run by someone who is passionate and all about the customer experience. 10/10 would shop here again.

UPDATE - 07/29/23 - I bought another Ferrum Forge knife because Quinn Knives now has an online shop! Ordered it a Monday night and it came on Thursday. Absolutely great little shop in Julian, CA and if you get the chance to go down there, it's just a treat.

Jessica tellez

Thank you for your help in choosing my very first knife. I’m very happy with it and can not wait to use it for my hiking/foraging and for work. If you're active duty military I recommend you come here for great pricing and selection.

Ian Davenport

Was visiting the town of Julian the other day and Quinn Knives caught my eye from across the street. Stopped in and had great conversation with the owner and ended up purchasing a new Benchmade EDC. I highly recommend visiting this store if you’re anywhere near Julian and checking out their growing collection.

Bret Bradford

Great selection of high quality blades. The owner Alex is very knowledgeable about all of the pieces in his store. Was able to pick up a hard to find monoblock crow folder by HFB. Alex is friendly and accommodating too. Worth the drive out to Julian if you’re looking for a great knife, you never know what you’ll find.

Jake Lyman

I stopped in this store as I just saw "Knife Store" down a back alley. I wasn't prepared to be impressed as it is a tourist spot and expected to be greeted by nothing but cheap tourist knives. I cannot tell you how wrong my initial thoughts were. I was greeted by an amazing selection of top tier brands accompanied by the knowledge on these brands. The man behind the counter and I had about a 15 minute conversation (I usually only shop for 5 minutes tops) and I was pleasantly surprised with his passion and knowledge on the steel types, brands and just general knowledge on the products. I collect knives as a hobby at this point but if I were to still be using them for field work, I cannot recommend this store more. He had everything from the sturdy Bugout by Benchmade, to the OTF by SOG and everything in-between. I am not native to California and have been looking for a knife shop with good steel and fair prices, I found that in Quinn Knives.

Nate Bailey

We have purchased two very nice knives over the years from here. We live 2,500 miles away so we don't get there very often but definitely a must stop for us when we do get to Julian.