LEXINGTON, Ky. — A man in Lexington is taking his knife making hobby and turning it into a small business after losing his job of 15 years to the pandemic. 

Knifemaking became a hobby for Andrew Prosser after wanting to meltdown soda cans. After melting down other objects, Prosser gained the skills to create knives. Seven years later, his hobby is now a business.

“It started off as a hobby. It was just a decompression to come home from work, you know, a stress reliever. And from there, the pandemic hit. We went from having great jobs to having to fend for ourselves,” Prosser said.

Prosser worked in the restaurant industry for a total of 27 years. He had his last job for 15 years, but restaurant closings in the pandemic ended his work with the company. Prosser and his wife needed to find a way to support their family after taking a hit on their income. That’s when Hooligan's Forge came about, and now they make custom knives in a shed behind their home. 

“I like to be creative, I like to, you know, having something that I made by my own hands, handcrafted to me is just something you don't see when you go to a big box store. It's something that you just don't really see a whole lot of anymore,” Prosser said.

Many neighbors on Prosser’s street have taken interest in his hobby, purchasing knives and helping him and his family during these tough times. 

“The guy across the street over here has a couple of our knives, a guy down that street has a couple of knives, everyone thinks it's a really intriguing hobby to have,” Prosser said.

Prosser says Hooligan's Forge is not something he could’ve started by himself. He is grateful for his wife who helps support and run their social media accounts to help spread the word about the company. 

“Essentially, she's the face of the company she does all our YouTube videos and all our Instagram posts. She runs a Facebook site. Sometimes I like to think that all I do is make knives and she does everything else,” Prosser said.