Eight Knives Sharpened for your winning bid at the new Wisconsin Cutlery and Kitchen Supply in the Shorewood Shopping Center.

From: http://madisonmagazine-shopping.blogspot.com/2008/01/new-shops-for-new-year.html

Store: Wisconsin Cutlery and Kitchen Supply
Location: 3236 B University Ave. 204-0560.
Opened: Beginning of December.
Owner: Bill Peterson

Why did you pick Madison as the place to open your store? (Editor’s Note: It’s actually right next door to Vom Fass)
I had lived in Madison and wanted to come back here, and I have family that lives here.
I just thought that the location, with Penzey’s close by, with all of the food people, it would be a natural fit. I signed a lease a day or two before Vom Fass did.

What were you doing before this?
I ran a store in Chicago. That store was a cutlery store and they did a lot of knife sharpening. I used to be a rep for a knife manufacturer. I called my rep friends in and said, ‘Let’s see what we can sell.’

What do you sell?
Gadgets are a huge part of the business. I have a wall of gadgets probably thirty-five feet long. [I carry] Forschner knives (it’s the same company as the Swiss Army knife), Mac Japanese knives (I’m the first dealer in Wisconsin that has that brand), Meesermeister, a good-quality German knife, and Shun, another Japanese knife.

Why do you have all of those European companies?
Well there’s only two American manufacturers, but they’re food-service grade. There isn’t any real American manufacturers that make a “retail” knife. I’m just getting started now.

How do you differentiate your store from other area kitchen stores?
I do knife sharpening. I sharpen knives by hand, which is totally unique to this area.

What’s the response been to your store so far?
Positive. I don’t think many people know about it yet. The exposure here has been so good with Vom Fass and Penzey’s; it’s helped out a lot.

What’s been your best selling item so far?
Silicone Zone—it’s silicone cooking [items]. [They are the] hottest items I’ve got. Trivets, spatulas, the pastry brushes, muffin pans, ice cream trays, things like that. They’re colorful and unique, too. It’s one-hundred percent silicone.