Knives out: Survival gear stores see surge in sales

From gas masks and ammo to dehydrated food and medical supplies, it's all flying off shelves.

By Grier Ferguson
| 4:00 p.m. April 1, 2020
| 0 Free Articles Remaining!

File. As COVID-19 concerns have gripped the world, Mike Crea's Survive Anything store in Sarasota has seen customers come in to buy a range of survival items, from dehydrated food to medical supplies.

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Mike Crea has sold a lot of knives lately. Ammunition, too. And he’s all out of gas masks.

Crea's Survive Anything store in Sarasota sells survival and outdoor gear. As COVID-19 concerns grip the world, he’s seen a mix of old and new customers, mostly in their 20s to 40s, come in to buy those items and others on their pandemic shopping lists, from dehydrated food to medical supplies.

Survival gear and related products are seeing a spike in sales in other stores in the region, too. Stores that cater to a range of customers, from ex-military and preppers to outdoor adventurers and regular folks, have seen shelves emptied of certain items.