Never Dull
When Gary Toler came up with the name for his blade-sharpening business, he had no idea just how apt it would be. As one of only a handful of people in metro Detroit offering his particular service, he has been inundated with work since setting up Never Dull Knife Sharpening ten years ago.
His business never would have come about if not for the financial crisis.
“I lost my job in 2008,” says Toler. “I was in maintenance, and I was going to go into handyman work but at the time everybody was getting outsourced and doing handyman work, so I decided to try something no one was doing.”
Toler was inspired by a photo in a magazine article, where he spotted a slogan scrawled on the back of a 1940s truck, advertising knife sharpening.
“I thought ‘I wonder why people don’t do that anymore?’ It used to be a big thing,” he says.
It proved a bit of a lost art form, and he believes the throw-away culture that has developed in recent decades meant the demand wasn’t there.
“Everybody was buying everything cheap, using it and throwing it away.”
Thankfully for Toler, and for his grateful customers, times have changed.
“Now the knives are really high-quality again, and they do not throw them away, you know? You do not pay $100 to $200 for a good chef’s knife and throw it away.”
Toler sets up his services at several markets, including Northville, Howell and Royal Oak, and sharpens an average of 100 knives per market, as well as gardening tools. His business has proven so popular that he can’t keep up with the demand and has had to stop attending the Ann Arbor market.
“Everybody needs something sharpened, and I sharpen just about everything,” he says.
Fortunately, the flexibility of his business means he can pick and choose how many hours he wants to do. It keeps it enjoyable for him, and his favorite part is getting to meet people.
“I have a ball,” he says.
When he isn’t sharpening implements, Toler keeps up his wood- and metalwork skills, creating garden ornaments and wind vanes that he sells at the markets as well. But his craft is not as easy as Toler make it looks. Despite trying to teach his son the skills of the trade, Toler doubts his son will pick up his legacy.
“It’s pretty intimidating,” he says. “These knives are very expensive and you think ‘If I mess this up I am going to be in trouble.’”
He had to learn fast, with such an instant demand, and admits that he’s picked up pointers along the way that he wishes he’d known from the beginning. Toler now has a regular following because of his precision and he recommends his customers have their knives sharpened twice a year. His insider tip? Buy Henkel knives.
“It’s really good steel and they hold their edge a long time—it makes a difference.”
Never Dull; Royal Oak Farmers Market
ROMI.gov/389/Farmers-Market
