After video was seen by millions around the world, Johnathan Sibley said someone asked what his favorite snack was. The next thing he knew, he received a box of chips. (Jennifer Scott/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

Customer satisfaction is always a high priority for Johnathan Sibley, co-owner of The Blade Bar in Edom. But when two people came in with an unusual request, his answer was immediate.

“Nope,” he said. “I took one look at it and went ‘nope.’”

A woman, accompanied by a man, brought in a knife bearing a Hitler Youth insignia and wanted to transfer the symbol onto another knife. She was surprised at the immediate ‘no’ from Johnathan and asked why, to which he told the woman: “No Nazi (bs). If you wanted a modern German forestry seal of something, I will de-Nazify (stuff) but I won’t re-Nazify (stuff).”

Introduced in the 1930s, Hitler Youth knives were designed to reinforce the paramilitary nature of the organization, training boys as future soldiers for the Nazi cause, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

The shop initially received a message from the woman stating she wanted to transfer a medallion from one knife to another.

“I’m thinking they got Grandpa’s case knife and the inscription is missing and they went and bought a new one to pop something out of the old one,” Johnathan said. “Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that that’s what she was going to bring in. That’s kind of something you ought to give people a heads up on.”

According to Johnathan, the knife was also inscribed with the German phrase Blut und Boden, which translates to ‘blood and soil.’ This was an early Nazi slogan that promoted the idea of a ‘pure’ Aryan race and its territorial expansion. In many Hitler Youth knives, the phrase Blut und Ehre, another Nazi slogan that is translated to ‘blood and honor,’ is also inscribed.

“I saw the knives, I opened them, I looked at them… and had they wanted them scrubbed, I’d have been fine with that,” Johnathan said. “I’ll pop them out. I’ll throw the swats in the trash can. I’m not gonna take elements from one and put them in the other because it’s in better shape, just so there’s a better-looking Hitler youth knife out there.”

For the East Texas bladesmith, it wasn’t just an easy no; it was a matter of principle.

“My granddad fought in World War II, all of his brothers fought in World War II, my maternal great-grandfather fought in World War II,” Johnathan said. “Most of this country’s parents or great-grandparents fought in World War II. I thought we had settled this … 80 years ago.”

After the pair quietly left, Johnathan paced in the back of the shop and then called his wife, Rhiannon who was out of town for their daughter’s volleyball tournament.

“He called to tell me what happened, and I said, ‘OK, let me see the footage,’” Rhiannon said. “I wanted to give the benefit of the doubt, because you just don’t know, but… in the footage, it’s clear as day. She said ‘Hitler youth knives.’ She knew exactly what she was bringing.”

This wasn’t the first time the shop had received such a request and turned it down, but Rhiannon noticed how amicable the interaction was.

“It shows a good example of a small business saying no, holding their integrity, having their boundaries, and showing up authentically,” she said. “But it also shows the customers accepting that no… and I think that that’s something that’s really important.”

Inspired by the exchange, Rhiannon shared the footage — which was captured through a Ring camera — on social media, hoping to show that saying no doesn’t have to lead to conflict.

“I figured if one person saw that interaction for what I see it for, then that could make a difference,” she said. “I did not expect the entire world to see that video. To me, it’s the most anti-climactic viral video that there is. It’s a very basic interaction, but there’s so much power in it, where our world is today and taking a stance like that at a time like we’re in.”

While they’re grateful for the support, the Sibleys are adamant that the would-be customers should not be exposed.

“I don’t know them and I don’t know their backstory,” Johnathan said. “I don’t know why they had these things. I don’t know what their intentions with them are. I’m not making any assumptions ‘cause it’s not my business. What is my business is this place, and I don’t want that in my business.”

Rhiannon said she’s had many people who played internet sleuths offer to put the customers’ names out.

“I don’t feel that is necessary,” she said. “I don’t think it should be this huge public shaming situation. This is an opportunity to educate and show that stuff is not OK. I don’t want something to happen to this couple, I don’t want there to be so much hate that something were to happen to them. I would not be OK with that.”

Overnight, the video catapulted Johnathan and the shop into the spotlight, racking up millions of views worldwide and bringing in new fans and customers.

“It has been ridiculous,” Rhiannon said, laughing. “January had been so slow and then this happened. We’ve completely sold out of knives and we have merch that we’re also moving.”

While The Blade Bar has seen a boom in business, they haven’t noticed if they’ve lost any customers since the footage. “Don’t care,” Johnathan said. “Don’t want ‘em, don’t need ‘em.”

Johnathan has been making knives and creating leatherwork for more than 35 years. His wife of 13 years, Rhiannon takes care of the business side of things, such as marketing and merchandising but she makes knives as well.

“I started making knives when I was 13,” Johnathan said. “Being ADHD, I do lots and lots of things but knife-making was always the one that was kind of like… a permanent fixation.”

Since then, Johnathan has garnered numerous accolades and recognition for his work. In 2018, he appeared on Forged in Fire, a show on the History Channel, where he was named runner up.

That same year, the Sibleys got an opportunity to open up their own shop in Ben Wheeler where they stayed until they moved in October to the current location at 8301 TX 279 in Edom.

In addition to offering a variety of services, including knife-making classes, The Blade Bar also has a free library just outside the shop for the community to have access to books.

“I think everyone has a grasp on rule No. 1: no Nazi (bs)” Johnathan said. “It’s all-encompassing — no Stalin, Lenin, Mao, Pol Pot, Putin… I’ll put Putin’s face on a toilet brush for you, but I ain’t putting it on a knife. Don’t bring that (stuff) in here.”