Mobile knife sharpening · Southeast Portland
Your knives should pass the tomato test.
A sharp knife slices a ripe tomato without being pushed. I park the van on your street, sharpen your knives by hand on water stones, and hand them back passing.
503-555-0117Text your street and what needs sharpening. I'll reply with the next day I'm in your neighborhood, usually within the hour.
No call-out fee. A house call starts at $36, which is four knives.
Where and when
The van keeps a weekly route.
Winter route, Tuesday, December 1 to Saturday, February 27. Every stop gets a one-hour window, so you aren't waiting in all day.
- TuesdaySellwood-Moreland, Brooklyn10:00–6:00
- WednesdayWoodstock, Creston-Kenilworth10:00–6:00
- ThursdayRichmond, Hosford-Abernethy10:00–6:00
- FridaySunnyside, Buckman, Mt. Tabor10:00–6:00
- SaturdayDrop-off morning at the van, outside my workshop in Brooklyn. No booking, no minimum.9:00–1:00
- Sun & MonClosed. Texts get an answer on Tuesday morning.
Somewhere else in Southeast? Text me your cross streets. If it's on the way I'll fit you in. If it isn't, Saturday is for you.
Over the holidays. Last stops are Wednesday, December 23. The van is back on the route Tuesday, January 5.
Prices
Every price, before you text.
- Kitchen knife Paring knife to 12-inch chef's knife, same price
- $9
- Bread knife or other serrated blade Each scallop is done on its own, so it takes longer
- $12
- Scissors or kitchen shears
- $10
- Pruners or loppers Cleaned and oiled as well
- $12
- Chipped edge or broken tip Added to the sharpening price for that knife
- + $6
- Coming to your door
- $0
A typical stop
| 6 kitchen knives × $9 | $54 |
| 1 pair of kitchen shears | $10 |
| Total | $64 |
About 35 minutes at your curb. Card or cash at the van, after you've tried them.
How a stop goes
Four steps, and you can do your part in slippers.
You text.
Your street and a count: "6 knives, 1 bread knife." I send back a day and a one-hour window.
I park and text "outside."
Bring them out wrapped in a dish towel. You only need to be home for the handover.
Stones, by hand.
Three grits of water stone, then a leather strop. It takes about five minutes a knife and removes far less steel than a grinding wheel.
The tomato test.
Each knife slices a tomato in front of you before you pay. They go back in paper sleeves, with a note about any that need more than sharpening.
Who's in the van
I'm Bea Lindqvist.
I cooked on the line for nine years. For the last four I was the one who sharpened everybody's knives on my break, and I liked that part of the job best.
In March 2025 I bought the van and put a bench, a sink and a rack of stones in the back. Since then I've sharpened about 11,000 blades, most of them from kitchens within three miles of my own.
The 30-day promise
If a knife stops passing the tomato test within 30 days of ordinary kitchen use, text me. I'll touch it up free the next time I'm in your neighborhood.
What I don't sharpen
Ceramic knives, straight razors, swords and machetes. Mower blades and chainsaw chains aren't for me either, and many hardware stores do those well.
Booking December now.
Text your street and a count of what needs sharpening. Thanksgiving week is full.