Meet Erik Newsholme | Owner Operator Erik the Blade” Sharpener Professional Sharpening Service”

We had the good fortune of connecting with Erik Newsholme and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Erik, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
There is a great need for a proper professional sharpener to service both commercial and residential customers. The Backyard Market in Black Forest opened close to our home in 2020, during the Pandemic, and it was the first opportunity since the beginning of the Pandemic to get outside. Once at the market, I and my wife were pleasantly surprised by the offerings of this new market so close to our home. So impressed that I went to the market managers and offered my sharpening services to their patrons. I have expanded to four other markets on the front range to provide a wide variety of sharpening services to the general public as they shop the markets. As I’ve been a sharpener of knives, scissors, and assorted blades since the late 1980s, I knew there was a lack of quality sharpeners in the area for people to access. Since the start, people have come to the market with all sorts of blades, and my sharpening menu has increased in the number of items I can service. I am a full-service professional sharpener that is more of a one-stop shop for my customers to bring whatever blades they have, which helps to make me more money.

What should our readers know about your business?
I am a second-generation sharpener who learned the trade by servicing restaurants, caterers, and grocery stores in and around the metro Atlanta area for over 20 years. We sharpened for approximately 400 different commercial clients regularly. With this experience of sharpening 100’s, if not 1,000’s, of knives, I came to be very good and sharpening. Commercial clients will not keep you in their establishment for very long if you are not doing a good job. My wife and I moved to Colorado in November 2016 to make a life, not just a living. When it opened, I just happened on the Backyard Market in Black Forest and found that was where I needed to take my sharpening skills and knowledge. Let’s face it sharpeners of any kind are few and far between. Some big operators take care of the restaurants. But it’s the residential user that is left to fend for themselves. While a handful of retail outlets say they sharpen, it is more of a customer convenience than their primary profession. Sharpening is all I do. I do not sell anything. I also educate my customers on the best practices so their investment will last. While it takes a bit longer to build a residential clientele, the word does get around, and once people find out there is a good quality sharpener, they seek me out to take care of their pain, their dull blades.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
In the Colorado Springs area, that’s a no-brainer. Some of the more popular places to visit are the Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak, the Cog Rail, and the upper portions of the Rampart Range. Recently we took a trip on the Royal Gorge railway, which is a must-do. And while you are down there, you might as well walk the Royal Gorge Bridge. The City above the Clouds, Woodland Park, is not far away and has much to offer. If you are a farmer’s market type, I highly recommend the markets I regularly work at. Woodland Park has a fantastic market on Fridays. The Backyard Market in Black Forest, in its 4th year, attracts people from all over for their variety of vendors and unique offerings that pulse an abundance of fresh, locally sourced Colorado produce. Parker also offers a great market on Sundays right in the heart of Parker. The Backyard Market at Park Union in downtown Colorado Springs is a new kid on the block. Located across from Weidner Field in the new The Meanwhile Block, this up-and-coming market is sure to be a favorite among the downtown community who are seeking a great market without having to drive. Also in the Springs area are the new Olympic and Paralympic museums, and new restaurants are coming to the area.
Of course, world-class outdoor activities are just a few short hours away, and if you are in the mood, the ski areas are a day trip from the Springs.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My customers keep me going. Each day is a new challenge. When I did an interview with the Colorado Gazette last year, the first question the reporter asked me was, “Is Knife Sharpening actually something people do?” In a word, yes. Time and time again, people talk about the need for my services. I try to make it as easy as possible for them to get their blades to me. Many of my customers remember a time not long ago when you knew where to take your blades to get them professionally sharpened. Those days are mostly gone. Most of the sharpeners will cater to the commercial/restaurant customer due to their recurring revenue. While I have a few retail customers, most of them are residential customers who don’t have an excellent outlet to take care of their sharpening needs properly.

Website: eriktheblade.com

Instagram: @erikthebladesharpener

Linkedin: Erik Newsholme

Twitter: @eriktheblade

Facebook: @eriktheblade

Youtube: @erikthebladesharpener224

Image Credits
Image credits to my wife Beverly Baker-Newsholme