According to kitchen wisdom, a dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp one. (Also, no serrated knives when you’re drinking, which is my personal rule.)

The theory is that the duller the blade, the more pressure it requires. When you’re really leaning into it and the knife slips, YOU get the point, heh heh heh.

Jesse Howe would agree, and he’ll be bringing the joy of sharp edges to the Co-op weekly starting this month. And not just knives. He’ll tune up your scissors, clippers, lawn mower and more.

While. You. Shop.

“That’s my business model: ‘Sharpen While You Shop,’ ” says the proprietor of HoweSharp. 

As a lifelong outdoorsman, Jesse was no stranger to the chore of blade sharpening, but he’s actually only been doing it for a living for a couple of years. Before that, he was a field inspector for the Montgomery County Conservation District, and also ran the Glenside Farmers Market for a number of years. He’s a beekeeper, too. 

He had a knife guy at the farmers market who left abruptly, which got him thinking about the possibilities. He did some research online, even took a business-development course at Wharton, and the next thing you know, he’s got a price list, a website (his wife came up with the name) and a used Ford passenger van tricked out with a grinder and a workbench. He’ll make house calls and is available for sharpening parties, if that’s how your cohort rolls. 

Jesse told me one of his favorite parts of the job is hearing old-timers’ recollections of the itinerant knife sharpener coming to the neighborhood — sometimes with his grinding stone strapped to his back. 

HoweSharp will be setting up behind the Chestnut Hill store every second and fourth Tuesday starting May 9, at the Mt. Airy store every second and fourth Thursday starting May 11. Hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sample prices: $7 for a 5-9 inch kitchen knife, $6 for scissors with blades up to 6 inches. For more info, see www.weaversway.coop/HoweSharpPrices or visit www.howesharp.com.