We had seen photos of the famous scissor sharpening truck on Instagram as of late but never actually saw the vintage vehicle until this past weekend. While setting up for Sugar Hill Market in Central Harlem we heard a new tune projecting on the brownstone side streets not unlike what one hears when the ice-cream truck arrives on the block during the summer. A vintage vehicle soon appeared with Mike's Sharpening painted on the side of the vehicle. This specialty service has been around since 1941 but we only just started hearing about them in Harlem as of late. Back in our college days at Parsons, a sharpening service would arrive once a week to help hone up the student's scissors which might have been the same guys. Glad to see they are still going strong!
Very nIce man, reasonable prices and great job. He was on W119th on Sunday. I saw him about a month ago but didn't get to him on time.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the operator of the truck is a descendant of the knife/scissor sharpener truck that worked the street's of Harlem in the 1960's?
ReplyDeleteAmazing what a little gentrification will do for ya! I met Mike's van down on West 15th St. one Sat. afternoon while enroute to the Apple Store way back in 2007. I stopped and asked him did he come uptown and he flatly said NO, I don't go above 91st St.
ReplyDeleteQuite a few of these "one man show" van enabled handymen wouldn't come uptown once upon a time, even when offered double for their service. Now, here they come. Intersting, very interesting indeed.
This is good to have now, I used to get my knifes and scissors sharpened by a sweet woman who had a table set up in Chelsea Market. Now I don't have to go that far.
Now if we could only get an Apple Store uptown