November 5, 1998
A life that's a grind has an edge to it
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Jim Bierlein's life is a grind, but he doesn't let it get to him.
The owner of a professional sharpening service based in Caledonia, south of Grand Rapids, Bierlein was in Traverse City last Thursday for his bi-annual visit. A welcome presence to area sewers, dozens flocked to Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts bringing their shears, knives, garden tools and clippers for him to sharpen.
"You meet some very interesting people in this job, people from all walks of life," said Bierlein, a helicopter pilot in Vietnam who worked in the helicopter industry until starting his sharpening business six years ago.
"Ninety-nine and nine-tenths of the people are nice, but you get one grouch every six months or so."
Bierlein travels between 50,000 and 60,000 miles each year in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, sharpening, honing and grinding all types of blades as he goes. He carries an array of grinders and professional knife sharpening equipment, some with diamond-tipped edges, with him and quickly sets up shop at each stop.
Bierlein has a contract with all Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft stores in his four-state territory, in addition to other small fabric stores in other towns. Commercial accounts are a growing angle of his business, including restaurants, medical and dental offices and styling salons. These customers mail their tools to him, he sharpens them at his home workshop and mails them back.
But Bierlein loves traveling and finds coming to a store in a new town each day rewarding - for the store, the customers and for him.
"Customers appreciate it, especially regulars," said Mary Peek, manager of Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts, who immediately handed Bierlein ten pairs of store scissors that missed getting sharpened on his last visit. "Your hands get sore if you keep struggling with your scissors. It's not any fun to cut a silky fabric when your scissors have a knick or a dull spot."
At each stop Bierlein sharpens between 50 and 100 pieces in an afternoon, taking anywhere from a few minutes to a half an hour per piece. He has sharpened antique scissors passed down from generation to generation, favorite knives and high-tech, modern beautician's sheers. He finds professional beautician's sheers take the longest to sharpen properly, where the high-end ones cost up to $1,500 new and must be carefully maintained.
"A decent tool will last you but it is going to cost," said Bierlein, who learned to sharpen tools from a German woodworker years ago. "Quality matters in sharpening, too. It has to be done right."
His visit to Traverse City completed his weeklong northern Michigan swing, which included stops in Cadillac, Sault Ste. Marie and Petoskey. The next day he was headed to Ft. Wayne and points south in Indiana. Bierlein is not the only one traveling, he has found that many of his loyal customers in smaller towns willingly travel a distance to see him.
"People up here will drive 20 or 40 miles to come here for sharpening," Bierlein said. "You go to Chicago and Detroit and they won't drive one mile for this."
Cindy Kittendorf came nearly 20 miles from her Solon Township home, toting a box filled with scissors, knives and small fabric scissors with her. A quilter who was in the midst of sewing Halloween costumes, Kittendorf took time out to come to town and get her tools sharpened.
"They always say that sharp scissors are important and they mean it," said Kittendorf, as she urged Bierlein to make her fabric scissors 'very sharp!' "I came to bring my stuff in but I can always find a reason to hang out here; I love sewing but I start quilts, I don't finish them."