Emilio Ambrosi, the fifty-three year old knife craftsman has been sharpening knives for a living most of his life. It’s an age old traditional livelihood which was past down to him by his father, who was also taught by Ambrosi’s grandfather, and his father before that. According to him, it’s the only work he knows, and its tradition will remain for years to come. Though the knives Ambrosi makes have become more creative and fancier, he can sharpen, retool and polish a dozen knife blades all day. He and his cousins own the Master Grinding Service which their own dads also worked. Lately, however, their Master Grinding Service is beginning to suffer from small changes in the business atmosphere of the knife sharpening business. Most of the regular clients like supermarkets and grocery stores which used to go to them, have shut down or moved away. Also, regular shoppers have opted to buy the cheaper kitchen knives that come in bulk, rather than buy their traditional kitchen knives, which are much more durable but a bit expensive. Ambrosi and his cousins knew that they have to change the way they do business, or else they might be closed for business. That was when Ambrosi’s wife Rita suggested that they create a website and open a new online business dedicated for the safekeeping and cleaning of knives - the nicknamed it the “knife spa.” Rita’s suggestion has some bearing, since more and more traditional brick and mortar businesses are turning into e-commerce enterprises, with the boom in the Internet and e-commerce industry. Many customers nowadays are using the Internet to search, browse and purchase products. It is thus, important for Ambrosi and his knife sharpening business, to go with the changing times and reach a much wider share of the market in the knife sharpening business industry. Apparently, the decision gave the company a 180 degree turn and revived their decreasing profit margin. Its sales increased by as much as forty percent, with clients extending as far away as California, Texas and Minnesota. Also, they were able to tap the largely ignored market of kitchen home cooks, who are very much willing to spend $3.50 to $9.50 to have a fancy kitchen tool or knife be restored and rejuvenated at the knife spa. Different knives such as custom bowie knife or military bowie knife can spend a day or two or even a few weeks at the spa, and then be returned to their owners looking shiny, new and sharp. This dramatic turn around have demonstrated the reality for traditional and small and medium enterprises in going with the changing times in order to retain and save their businesses, rather than sticking with what they know.
