Kristyna Bronner
Winter officially ended on March 19, but with Jalic, Inc.’s relocation to Red Bank from Michigan, “Winter is coming” to Chattanooga indefinitely. Jalic Blades, a division of Jalic, Inc., holds the official license to manufacture The Game of Thrones Collection, a series of collectible weapons and armor recreated from the actual props used on HBO’s hit show Game of Thrones.
In case you’ve been living under Casterly Rock, the show premiered in 2011, based on the best-selling book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. Taking place in the realm of the Seven Kingdoms, the series follows numerous families as they clash for control of the Iron Throne, leading to countless battles—which is where Jalic Blades comes in.
Founded by self-proclaimed nerd Chris Beasley, Jalic Blades stemmed from the combination of Beasley’s web skills and his interest in collectible swords. In 2003, Beasley began selling Lord of the Rings collectibles; in 2006, he signed a deal to become a licensed seller and maker of collectibles for A Song of Ice and Fire. When HBO picked up the series for the show, Jalic began manufacturing prop replicas in addition to their book-inspired pieces. Besides its Game of Thrones collectibles, Jalic also retails The Lord of the Rings swords; Kit Rae swords; swords from other movies and TV shows like The Walking Dead; tactical, self-defense and hunting knives; and armor and accessories through web brands CBswords.com, HobbitSwords.com, Fantasy-Jewelry.com and Chainmail.net.
You never know when you’ll run into a Jalic product – perhaps magazine shoots or HBO's official traveling exhibition, which has exhibited at the Louvre in Paris. Or maybe on the sets of The Big Bang Theory, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and Saturday Night Live. Jalic also signed licensing deals with a New York Times No. 1 bestselling author whose books were optioned for film, TV and video games and with Warner Bros for Guy Ritchie's Knights of the Round Table, due out in 2017.
Beasley relocated to Chattanooga because he and his family loved the area.
“We wanted the weather, the mountains and the quality of life Chattanooga has to offer,” he says. In Chattanooga, Beasley and his family can live in the mountains with a short commute to downtown activities.
Jalic exchanged a small warehouse in Michigan for a larger one in Chattanooga, with its first ever showroom and extra space Beasley plans to rent. Chattanooga’s central location also means lower freight and logistics rates.
“We could have gone anywhere,” Beasley says. “My wife is a doctor and can work anywhere, and I could run the business from anywhere, except maybe an island, and we literally picked Chattanooga.”
