Sharpening Knives, Skills and Knowledge

What do you do when you are impressed with the lemonade stand efforts of two very enterprising daughters? You teach them a skill they can use to start up a small business. That’s how it happened for Todd Blair and his daughters Isabel, 13, and Abby, 11. Todd had worked at Dean & DeLuca’s gourmet specialty shop 20 years ago, and he was on the team that used a lot of knives. Thus, a hobby of sharpening tools and knives for family and friends became a way to insert “commerce and community” into the girls’ STEAM education at the Quest Montessori School. The B’Ladies booth at farmers markets and “pop ups” has been so successful that “customers act as if we’re selling them gold,” according to Abby.

She and Isabel handle the “front of house” management, while their dad does the actual sharpening (on three different sharpening machines) at his work station—”that helps us maintain efficiency during busy markets,” Todd explained. “But they’ve developed their knowledge about what’s going on, and they can explain it all,” says their mom, Susannah. And they know how to do the sharpening as well. Asked about the future for B’Ladies, Isabel admits: “I’m comfortable if it grows—it just adds to the adventure!” Check their website to find B’Ladies at local, seasonal farmers markets and pop ups.

401.783.7809; BLadiesRI.com