Starting a new business

kito169 · Aug 24, 2011

I had to retire last year due to bungled hip replacement surgeries (each side three times before they got it right). I am looking into maybe starting a scissor sharpening business. Since the readers of this forum comes from so many walks of life, I was curious if any of you, or your wives or someone you know of, may have had some experience with this type of business. I walk and drive ok, I just can't pickup heavy stuff or squat down

JMS/.MN · Aug 24, 2011

Some add saw sharpening as well- get lined up with local lumber yard for drop off point.

Pitch · Aug 24, 2011

The guy that does it around here travels to delis groceries etc and does it out of a van. He also has worked a deal with an appliance store that he will set up once a month and sharpen consumer stuff in the parking lot.
He runs an ad in the local shopper " Mr. Sharp will be at XYZ appliance palace Saturday 8-5."

thurlow · Aug 24, 2011

Around 'here', no one ever has a pair of scissors sharpened; it's a throw-away society. They just buy a new pair.

Anonymous-0 · Aug 24, 2011

what if you carried it into sharpening/repair everything??????Drill bits, knives, sawchains/blades, etc.
Guy here in town is about the situation you are in. Started playing with a lathe and makes some really nice stuff out of whatever wood he collects and travels all over displaying/selling it....

kaferhaus · Aug 24, 2011

(quoted from post at 13:23:11 08/24/11) Around 'here', no one ever has a pair of scissors sharpened; it's a throw-away society. They just buy a new pair.

usually cheaper than you can have them sharpened too...

I checked into having some saw blades (carbide) done awhile back. Almost as expensive as buying a new blade. I bought a HF blade sharpener which was a pita to set up, but once set up I can do my own in about 10 minutes a blade and they're sharper than when new and last longer... Only had to set it up once... took over an hour. Now just put the blade in it and go.

greenbeanman in Kansas · Aug 24, 2011

No experience just an opinion. I only have one really good pair of scissors, ones designed for cutting hair. If sharpened wrong they would be totally screwed up and the hair would slide along the blade rather than staying put for the other blade to shear off.

For other scissors get cheap disposable ones, but if I cut more fabric I might change that buying habit.

I'm of the opinion that the bulk of your business would be seamstresses and home sewers, i.e. quilters, etc., and barbershops and salons. If they are satisfied with their current sharpening service would they take a chance on your skills as a newbie?

JMOR · Aug 24, 2011

"I'm of the opinion that the bulk of your business would be seamstresses and home sewers, i.e. quilters, etc., and barbershops and salons."

Yes, ladies that are seriously into sewing, don't buy throw away scissors to go with their $7,000 sewing machines. Maybe set up at/with a sewing/fabric shop.

TMo · Aug 24, 2011

You can potentially stay pretty busy sharpening scissors for dog groomers and maybe even barbers. If you know how to sharpen clipper blades dog groomers will keep you busy.

kito169 · Aug 24, 2011

I really appreciate all of your feedback. My Grandfather taught me how to sharpen knves,axes planes, wood chisels and such when I was 11 or 12. When I was in high school the wood shop teacher would always have me sharpen all of the hand tools. After I got out of the Air Force I joined the Carpenter's union. I shocked at the number of journeyman carpenter's that could not sharpen their own tools. One man suggested that I open a sharpening shop then.I lived in Dallas and was saving money to move far, far out to the country so I didn't. I did move out and still here. Someone else did and from what I heard he is doing a booming business. I like sharpening the other stuff but out where I live I don't think there would be enough business. I don't use a power sharpener. Everything I sharpen is done buy hand. The reason I thought about scissors is because there are lots of beauty and barber shops around. A good pair of haircutting scissors go for $200 and up so I don't think those are throw aways. Thanks again, Rick

OldFarmTractor · Aug 24, 2011

I have friends in the butcher business. They have their knives sharpened. Most have two sets, one in the shop, the other at the sharpeners. This was also true for the kitchen at the school I worked for.

With a bit of work, you might be able to set up a regular route.

Patience might be the biggest issue.

2cylpartsinfo · Aug 24, 2011

Suggest you get in with sewing machine/fabric shops. You may have to give them a dollar or two per pair. Stop by and pick them up and deliver them sharpened tn a day or two.

Sewing has changed (as per my mother) in the past 20 or so years. In the old days women made their own clothes because it was cheaper than buying in a dress shop/department store. Now, sewing is a hobby. Fewer women do it but the ones who sew don't mind spending a little money.

Suggest you "test the waters" with some fabric stores before buying tooling.

I like the other ideas of expanding into chainsaw chains. Stihl dealers largely have the sharpening business sewn up for their prime customers but there are all kinds of saws out there. Carbide saw blades last a long time and the big box stores probabily sell small blades as cheap as you can resharpen. Focus on 10" and 12" blades and take smaller ones as they come.

Start small with minimal investment and let the business buy additional tools.

Spook · Aug 24, 2011

My wife's dog grooming shop is visited every 3 months by a guy with a mobile sharpening biz. He spends about 3 hours there and collects about $200.

37chief · Aug 24, 2011

I saw a guy one time outside a grocery store sharpenng knives, may did scisors also. If you made a deal with a store to let you park out front,might turn out to be some work there. You need to be in the same place all the time. Soon the work should start comming in. Stan

504 · Aug 24, 2011

I do not know anything about it, but there is a sharping truck(modified ambulance)on a Freightliner chassis for sale in Edina MO. I drive by there every Monday.

Hoofer B · Aug 24, 2011

By all means, GO FOR IT!

Anonymous-0 · Aug 24, 2011

If you had some samples and could prove that you were really good at it, I'm sure hair stylists would hire you to keep their scissors fresh. Good hair scissors can run in the several hundreds of dollars range. Some are even in the thousands.

jackinok · Aug 25, 2011

I dont know about scissors,but there is a fellow here who has a knife sharpening buisness set up in a van.he goes around all the resturants ,butcher shops and things and has a regular route.last i heard he was doing well at it.something like that may work if you went around all the hairdressers,could even talk to the fabric shops in your area and maybe set a day you would be there for the ladies.that buisness would depend a lot, i would think,on proximity to a major town.here
theres a resturant on nearly every corner,but if you had to drive 20-30 miles between towns for one or two places it would be different.

Northeast Puller · Aug 25, 2011

I have a guy that stops at my True value store once a week and picks up any thing from small kitchen knives to 50" saw mill blades and any thing in between.I get them back the next week sharpened and write him a check for his work.I make a little on each unit my self . But the big winner in it for me is 2 or 3 people come in twice to my store that may not normally stop their. So it adds foot traffic in my store and is a win win for every one.

NW Ohio Tim · Aug 25, 2011

Go for it!! The worst part will be getting you name out there so people know about you.

We had an old retired guy that ran a saw sharpening business for years. His wife beame ill last winter and he sold the equipment to a young guy from town. I took a stack of blades in a couple weeks ago and the kid said he was so busy he couldn't keep up. He thought he'd run it as a sideline and it's been pretty much full time.

There are alot of throw away scissors and knives out there, but there are also alot of people (my wife included) who like to cook and have invested in really expensive cutlery. I'm able to sharpen them myself, but I know people who can't.

Good luck, let us know how it goes.

randallnMo · Aug 25, 2011

I think that's a wonderful idea. I used to have an elderly man who sharpened all my saw blades, etc. He lived about 60 miles away. He made up wooden boards with a bolt with wingnut through the middle that you would place your blades on. I then mailed these back to him in a box. He provided the mailing address stickers. He'd sharpen all that you sent him and send you a bill along with the blades in the same box. The wooden boards had his name and address on them as well, so I never had to worry about losing his address. He must have died, as I've been unable to reach him for about a year now. He did good work.

Starting a new business

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