CASPER — There’s a huge base of people who love blades, historic and fantasy armor and other specialty weapons, especially those serious about accessorizing their Halloween parties, or their everyday hobbies.
There’s a spot in Casper where they can find replicas of a Klingon battle weapon, a helmet from “Game of Thrones,” a knight’s medieval armor and more.
Sword-N-Stones in the Wolcott Galleria downtown boasts a unique collection of swords, knives, hatchets, machetes and other weapons and items. Shop owners Charlie and Rachel Lee of Bar Nunn said the 2-year-old business was founded by Rachel Lee’s mom and stepdad.
“My mother-in-law and father-in-law opened it up in May two years ago,” Charlie Lee said. “It was supposed to be an antique shop, and they ended up buying a bunch of merchandise in Vegas and started out as a kind of knives, swords, coins novelty shop.”
Lee said his mother-in-law really was just interested in the coins, but the sellers gave her all the knives and swords as well. Fast forward to last October when Rachel Lee said her parents were moving to Arizona, so she and Charlie took over the business.
When her mother sold her the business, Rachel Lee said her mom kept the coins and they got the other merchandise that had been part of the store. Since, the couple has grown and diversified the inventory.
“We are basically an everything little shop,” Charlie Lee said. “We are great for birthdays, Christmas, presents and stuff like that.”
Sharp Inventory
Inside the shop, visitors will find a range of knives including pocketknives, butterfly knives, tactical knives, hunting knives and machetes. There are martial arts throwing stars, katanas or Samurai swords, throwing hatchets, collectible metal medieval battle helmets, chain mail, nunchucks and a variety of swords.
Rachel Lee runs the store on weekdays while Charlie works at a bar and grill in Bar Nunn. They both staff it on Saturdays and Charlie said he tries to be at all the area craft fairs and markets and as a way to boost store recognition.
The business model is working, though Charlie Lee said they continue to look for other ways and merchandise to grow.
“I am always looking for different dealers and different stuff that I can find,” he said. “I’ve actually talked to people here in the city and in the state to try and get homemade-type stuff.”
Finding knife and sword suppliers who meet the price targets for the shop remains elusive, Charlie Lee said.
The couple said their merchandise continues to sell well enough to pay the bills and move the business forward.
Among the special items in the store is the Klingon bat’leth, a four-foot-long double-edged curved blade with four points and three handholds in the back. It was invented and used for Klingons in the Star Trek series. The store also boasts an unsullied helmet from the TV series “Game of Thrones” along with other medieval-style knight helmets.
At the other end of the shop on the wall is a Zelda master’s sword and a replica five-foot long flamberge sword used by knights including Prince Valiant in the long-running comic strip of the past century.
There are also military-style swords and canes that turn into swords as well as a broad selection of katanas, the weapon used by Samurai warriors. Top selling items can vary.
“You get the random person that walks in here that might be a collector of helmets and doesn’t have one of the knight’s helmets that we have,” Charlie Lee said. “Or maybe they want a katana. A lot of kids will come in here and want to get their first knife or something like that.”
Rachel and Charlie Lee enjoy finding unique specialty items to sell at their the Sword-N-Stones shop in downtown Casper. (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily) 
For the person who has always wanted to be a knight in armor, Sword-N-Stones offers both helmets and this armor. (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily) 
Sword-N-Stones specialty shop is located in the Wolcott Galleria on South Wolcott Street in downtown Casper. (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily) 
A variety of hatchets, including throwing and ceremonial versions, are part of the Sword-N-Stones inventory. (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily) 
Tactical knives, hunting knives and other blades are available in many colors, lengths, and styles at Sword-N-Stones specialty shop in downtown Casper. (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily) 
Tactical knives, hunting knives and other blades are available in many colors, lengths, and styles at Sword-N-Stones specialty shop in downtown Casper. (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily) 
Glow-in-the dark butterflies are some of the few non-sharp objects available for sale at Sword-N-Stones specialty shop. (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily)
Knight’s Armor
Rachel Lee said they’ve sold knight’s armor that resembled a muscular physique. The current armor on display weights about 25 pounds and can go out the door for $150.
The katanas range from $75 to $150.
There are also wooden practice swords available for costumes or fake combat.
Charlie Lee said he has collaborated with a local hatchet-throwing venue and staff there will allow people who buy the throwing stars to toss them and the store’s throwing axes at their venue.
One non-sharp object the store recently started selling are glow-in-the-dark magnetic butterflies that they found crafted by female artists.
The store is getting ready to add more inventory as it gears up for the holiday season.
In the future, Charlie Lee said he would like to expand more into movie memorabilia.
“We love our shop, we are trying the best we can in this economy,” Charlie Lee said. “Everybody’s needs are outweighing the wants right now but we are here to stay as long as we can. We’re just being a cool little shop in downtown Casper.”
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
