The W.R. Case & Sons Co. was incorporated in 1900 by four brothers in the Case family. The brothers worked at selling custom knives in upstate New York, then grew into a popular brand of American-made knives. Becoming a distributor of Case knives is a straightforward process, and involves an application process as well as spending some money.

Read and understand the history of Case Knives. Case, now based in Bradford, Pennsylvania, prides itself on a long-established customer base and being a company that listens to its customers.

Determine the level of dealer you would like to become. Case has four levels available: Silver, Gold, Platinum and Master Dealer. Each level has a requirement based on number of Case products offered, number of Case advertisements run a year and other specifics, including credit limit. These specifications can be found on the Case Authorized Dealer Program website.

Apply to become a dealer, using either the online form or the faxed version. This will ask questions about how and where you will be selling Case knives, as well as the financial standing of your business.

Prepare your establishment to meet the program level specifications. Case knives will send a regional representative to check your storefront to be sure you can represent Case knives. You should be sure you're able to represent yourself well, too.

Place an opening order. Once Case approves your application, you can buy knives (on credit and off) to sell in your store. Work with your regional representative to buy a group of knives that will sell well and bring new customers. If Case doesn't approve your application, contact them to ask what you could change to be approved in the future.