Having a unique business that fits into a niche is a good formula for success. Currently, Frosty’s Fine Edges is the only knife sharpening business on South Whidbey. Alex Nugent is seeing his business grow, and he hopes to see it expand to include making his own knives and others made from refurbished blades (found at garage sales and thrift stores), as well as his services sharpening different types of blades.
Alex grew up in Redmond, but moved around quite a bit – to Las Vegas, Lynnwood (where he attended Lake Washington Technical School) and then returned to Whidbey where his mother lives. At 19 years of age, Alex Nugent realized he enjoyed working with metal. He received a degree in welding and a second degree in precision machining with metal lathes and mills.
After receiving training working with metal in different ways, he became a lead machinist for Manufacturing Design Inc., a small shop located in Mukilteo. He learned to program CNC (Computer Numerical Control) systems and even owned his own Plasma cutting CNC machining business for a short time that Alex said “Cut through metal like butter in a short time.”
He decided to create his second business when he received the $2,000 stimulus check for Covid relief in early 2021. Now that he is his own boss he says, “I love having my own business.” He was given the nickname Frosty from his first job at a snowboard/ski resort in Las Vegas. He fell on the bunny hill his first day and his nickname has been with him for almost 15 years now.
Currently, he offers sharpening services at Bayview Farmers Market on Saturday from 10-2 and the Tilth Farmers Market on Sundays from 11-3. Besides the markets, he gets a good deal of business through word-of-mouth (one of the most effective ways to build a business on South Whidbey).
Alex plans to marry in the future and continue to make his home on Whidbey. He has a goal for Frosty’s Fine Edges: To build his business into an LLC and hire and train people to work for him. He is also starting to make his own stainless steel blades. When the farmers markets close for the season, he plans to sell his blades online and possibly in stores.
If you have any knives, chisels, axes, garden pruners, machetes, salon/groomer scissors, or fabric scissors that you need sharpened, and you aren’t able to visit one of the farmers markets to find Alex, you can give him a call and arrange a time when he can come to your home. Minimum sharpening costs for an in-person visit are $30 for Clinton to Freeland, $50 for Greenbank, $60 for Coupeville and $75 for Oak Harbor. Alex says that some of his customers get their neighbors together so they can receive his services to meet the minimum cost requirement. Call Alex Nugent at 425-923-4358, or send him an email at frostysfineedges@gmail.com
