After working for a decade as a chef in San Francisco, Galen Garretson shifted his focus to knives, sharpeners, and accessories with the opening of Town Cutler, his culinary knife shop. "The guys I worked with had expensive $300 knives, but they would always be dull," says Garretson. "Even my own knives were dull." In his narrow storefront in Nob Hill, Garretson spends about half his time carefully sharpening knives with a Japanese whetstone and a leather razor strop, and the other half of his time advising customers on selecting the proper knife. He is the exclusive dealer in the city for Zanmai, the au courant Japanese brand, and also carries knives by Kikuichi, Masamoto, and others. Go to Town Cutler for more information.
![town cutler san francisco](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/09-2011/town-cutler-san-francisco.jpg)
Above: The Town Cutler's window displays a cleaver poised on a butcher block.
![town culter open sign](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/10-2011/town-culter-open-sign.jpg)
Above: A vintage saw blade used as a sign,
![town cutler aaron wilburn damascus blade](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/10-2011/town-cutler-aaron-wilburn-damascus-blade.jpg)
Above: Garretson's top-of-the-line knives are made by custom knifemaker Aaron Wilburn of Redding, California. Pictured here is a chef's knife with a Damascus-style forged steel blade and handle of antique walrus ivory; $1,800.
![Shoppers Diary Town Cutler in San Francisco portrait 6](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/10-2011/town-cutler-sharpeners.jpg)
Above: A selection of sharpening devices.
![town cutler custom kinve sheath](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/10-2011/town-cutler-custom-kinve-sheath.jpg)
Above: Custom leather sheaths, for the discerning chef.
![town cutler spoons in a row](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/10-2011/town-cutler-spoons-in-a-row.jpg)
Above: Garretson has a selection of vintage chef's spoons (used for saucing and quinelling) on offer.
![Shoppers Diary Town Cutler in San Francisco portrait 9](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/10-2011/town-cutler2.jpg)
Above: "It was the knives and the fire that brought me into the kitchen," says Garretson, who plans to hold knife-sharpening classes in his shop.
Photo 1 via Flickr. Photos 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 by Janet Hall. Photo 7 by Patrick Postle.
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