Steller Sharp Begins

Hey, Phil here. I’m happy to announce that I am the third generation of Stellers to offer sharpening and repair services. The basic plan was to find work to save up before launching the business. The economy and job market have presented me with nothing but discouragement over the past year or so. After a family meeting, we all decided it was time for me to launch straight into mail order sharpening and repair. Thankfully my most excellent and generous parents are on board to help me get set up.

My dad has made a life for himself and his family in Portland Oregon, servicing grooming shops, veterinarians, fabric stores, salons, barbers and other businesses. The majority of his work has been done out of the back of a van, with all his equipment set up for mobile sharpening and repair. For many years, Mom goes out with Dad when he needs help on longer mobile route days. My sister and I also helped Dad in the summers when we were kids, to earn a little money and learn the family business. Good memories on those road trips with Dad! My sister went a different direction in life, and it became my decision whether I would carry on the family business.

I spent almost 30 years fumbling through a series of creative careers. I became very familiar with how small to mid-sized family wholesale businesses operate. My longest career path was doing web design, development and marketing for businesses in the Portland area. While God provided for my needs through those jobs for most of my life, I got very tired of sitting behind a computer screen all day, every day. For more reasons than I care to write here, I experienced extreme burn out and needed to leave the web design and development career.

Since 2018 I have worked with Dad while regrouping in my professional life. While renewing my interest in the family business, my parents agreed to help me set up my own business as a continuation of this tradition. Dad’s uncle trained him back in 1982, and I’m glad to be the next generation to fire up the daily grind.

I haven’t officially launched yet, but we are setting up a shop and purchasing the necessary equipment to get started. Rather than set up a mobile shop out of a van like Dad has done, I plan to set up a mail order model to service a wider area. If you are reading this and are one of my new customers, I appreciate your business very much! I look forward to servicing your equipment for many years to come.

In order to have a logical and separate domain from my parents’ business, I named my company Steller Sharp. It still carries on our family name, but with a shorter twist. My parents will still service the Portland, Oregon area with their mobile business until they decide to retire someday. I’ll tackle finding clients from around the country who need fast and reliable mail order sharpening and repair service.

I designed the logos at the top using my graphic design skills acquired over the years. The logos were designed in Inkscape, a free vector design tool for multiple platforms. I also designed the entirety of this website, since that is a skillset I gained over the years. I kept the design simple, using the family name as inspiration. Since I’m fond of outdoor activities and camo, earthy colors, I used a relevant color scheme. The number seven is considered a number of completion or perfection, and there was just enough room for that many stars. The “Steller” typeface is quite similar to the one used on our original invoices from 1982. “Steller” essentially means “star,” as one might expect. The name also communicates excellence or outstanding qualities. I intend to continue the family tradition by providing excellent sharpening and repair for your cutting, trimming, grooming and surgical equipment!

Lord willing, and with His blessing and my parents’ help, I’ll be up and running this summer of 2024!