5 years of Community Cutlery: the moments that changed everything
Five years ago this month, Community Cutlery opened the doors to its shop in Ilkley.
It wasn't the very beginning of the business - that started from their backyard the year before, with knives being sharpened on their days off, stock taking over their spare bedroom and countless northern markets checked off. But opening a shop in their hometown was the moment that truly defined what Community Cutlery would become.
To celebrate five years as Ilkley’s much-loved shopkeepers and sharpeners, founders Gaz and George sat down to reflect on the five key moments that have been instrumental in shaping their kitchenware brand.
That first leap of faith
George: For me, the biggest moment has to be getting the shop. At the time, I was working in a café, you were gardening and sharpening knives at weekends and then suddenly, we were talking about taking on premises. It was a proper leap of faith.
Gaz: We'd been running everything from home before that. The spare bedroom was packed with stock, we were selling online and hauling everything to markets.
Having a permanent space where people could actually come and find us changed everything.
George: It felt like we'd become a real business overnight.
Gaz: And remember what everyone was saying? It was coming out of COVID and all the advice was, "Don't take on a shop. The high street's dead!"
For us, it turned out to be completely the opposite. People want to hold a knife before they bought it. They want to ask questions, try things in their hand and have a proper conversation about what was, at the time, something quite new and niche.
George: We were only open a couple of days a week to begin with because we were both still working elsewhere. We worked out the absolute minimum we needed to take each day just to cover the bills and pay ourselves.
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Gaz: Thankfully we got there pretty quickly. Before long, we'd both gone full time, expanded into the other half of the building and then upstairs too, where we now have an office and stock room.
Earning the trust of our first Japanese knife supplier
Gaz: We always knew Japanese knives would become a huge part of Community Cutlery, but they're not something you can just order from a catalogue. You have to build relationships over quite a long time.
George: Before then we'd built the business around brilliant Spanish and German knives, which we still sell today. But we knew Japanese knives were where we wanted to expand into.
Gaz: We contacted a few suppliers and one of them was willing to take a chance on us, even though we were tiny. Our first order was so small!
They wanted to know that we understood the products and that we genuinely knew what we were talking about. Because we'd already built a reputation for sharpening knives properly, that gave them the confidence to let us sell their pieces.
George: They really did take a punt on us, and we're incredibly grateful for that. We've built such a lovely relationship with Daisuke (at Sakai Kikumori) and his family over the years.
Gaz: We've now worked together for almost six years and it's become a fantastic partnership. Having that first supplier believe in us also opened doors with others because we'd already earned some credibility.
Visiting Japan and meeting the blacksmiths
George: I think actually getting on a plane and going to Japan has to be one of the highlights for me. How many people can say their little business has taken them halfway across the world?!
Gaz: We'd always wanted to go but could never afford it. Now we've been twice in the last three years and hope to return every year to keep building these relationships and learning from the masters.
Seeing the knives being forged, meeting the craftspeople and spending time with the families behind these businesses gives you such a different appreciation for what you're selling – as well as vast, in-depth knowledge too.
George: It's impossible not to come home inspired after 10 days in Japan. We love it there so much.
Gaz: The hospitality we've experienced has been incredible. Those relationships aren't just business relationships anymore - they're personal and I think that comes across in the way we talk about the knives in the shop and stories we’re able to tell about meeting the makers.
Publishing a flippin’ book!
Gaz: I think one milestone that means a lot to me personally is publishing my sharpening book – ‘DO/MAINTAIN/ How to sharpen knives, scissors and garden tools’
Having someone believe you know enough about your craft to write a bloody book is something I never thought I’d get to experience.
George: Yeah, that was a big moment for the business in general really. Having your years of knowledge published in print gives people confidence in what we’re doing and selling day-to-day. It's another way of showing customers that what we teach in the shop comes from years of experience and a fair bit of hard graft!
And hopefully the book helps people look after their knives and tools properly too! We’re big believers in upkeep and maintenance, especially with knives that have been crafted so beautifully and with such care.
Building the Community Cutlery community!
George: More than anything, I think the biggest achievement has been the community we've built.
Not just the people who visit the shop every week, but everyone who's followed us online, supported us, learnt with us and become part of what Community Cutlery is today.
Gaz: Yeah, it's something we're dead proud of.
People pop in just to say hello. They bring us coffee, homemade scones, tell us about the meals they've cooked or the knife they've finally decided to buy. That's a lovely position to be in.
The business has grown too. It's not just the two of us anymore. We've got Katy helping with PR and customer orders, Giles sharpening, my mum packing orders, my sister looking after the office and Tom managing social media.
It's still a small business, but now it feels like a proper team.
George: And we've met so many other independent business owners along the way. There's an instant understanding when you meet someone else running a small business because you know exactly what each other is going through. We’ve shared so many learnings and benefitted from receiving loads too. The knowledge exchange is brilliant.
Gaz: We can't forget the dog community either!
George: Definitely not! Having our dogs in the shop and meeting everyone else's dogs has honestly been one of my favourite parts of the whole journey. From our early days with our beautiful boy Pipey, to today, with Mookie and Cosmo as our loyal assistants, we couldn’t be happier coming to work when the set-up looks like this!
Gaz: Looking back, it's been a pretty good five years.
George: It really has. It’s been really nice to stop for a second and actually reflect on it all – we don’t get chance to do this enough!
Gaz: Shall we do another five do you reckon?
George: Go on then... let's do five more!