By Molly Snyder Senior Writer Published Sep 19, 2014 at 1:10 PM

Milwaukee Blacksmith is a finalist for The 2014 Martha Stewart American Made Awards. The annual competition invites makers, small-business owners and creative entrepreneurs to compete for cash and prizes.

There will be 10 winners – nine chosen by a panel of judges and one by the audience.

Winners will receive a trip for two to New York City to attend the American Made event; a spot in the American Made Market; $10,000 to grow their business; a video produced by Stewart’s in-house team; and the opportunity to be featured in Martha Stewart Living magazine and on SiriusXM radio.

Milwaukee Blacksmith "uses old school techniques and modern tooling to create everything from a coat hook to a driveway gate."

Kent Knapp serves as the lead blacksmith and his wife, Shannon, handles the business, marketing and promotion. Their three sons work in the shop as apprentices and their daughter provides prep and design for the company. (The couple also have a 2-year-old daughter and a baby on the way.)

"Our family goal is to create custom heirlooms for our clients to enjoy and know will get passed on for generations," says Knapp. "Our deep respect for the history of blacksmithing in Milwaukee and the craft itself makes our work the definition of a 'labor of love.' We honor that tradition by offering classes to spark the interest in future blacksmiths and pass down the knowledge of thousands of years."

To vote for Milwaukee Blacksmith, go here. Voting ends on Oct. 14, 2014. People can vote up to six times a day.


Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.

Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.