Company description

We are a sharpening service and culinary knife and kitchenware shop located in Portland, Maine. In our shop you'll find a handpicked selection of our favorite culinary knives from around the world. With a focus on sourcing quality steels produced on a small scale, we carry knives for all skill levels and budgets. We also work with craftspeople all over the world to feature the highest quality kitchen tools, accessories, and cookbooks we can find.

Our Culture + Values
We’re a super small team with a genuine passion for our work! We have an endless drive to learn about the unique products we carry from around the world, and we are always striving to improve upon the services we provide. We have a deep respect for the craftspeople, family-owned workshops, and small-scale specialized teams who create the products we carry, and we actively support their efforts to preserve the traditional techniques and tools they make. We share the lessons and methods that we have learned along our journey with our guests to support them to further appreciate and maintain the items they purchase

Job description

The Retail Sales and Sharpening Services Associate is responsible for creating a seamless experience for our guests by assisting with in-store purchases as well as day-today knife sharpening, webstore fulfillment, and inventory demands. They will communicate with the Strata team to best support daily operations, uphold product and servicing quality and consistency standards, maintain equipment and facilities, safely handle all of our products and equipment, and be ready to jump in and cover adhoc tasks as needed.

As a small and growing 4-person team, we all wear many hats! All of our roles involve a dynamic combination of overseeing backend operational responsibilities while also prioritizing in-store retail interactions and sales floor tasks. We are looking for another supportive team player with an empathetic and flexible attitude to add to the crew. Sharpening and retail experience is a plus, but we are willing to train the right person!

Schedule: 10:30am-6:30pm Wednesday-Sunday

In-store Retail Associate

• Provide friendly service for an authentic in-store experience by welcoming guests and assisting with product sales, answering product questions, and at checkout
• Cash handling reconciliation
• Receive, process, and price incoming merchandise; prepare
• products for sales floor as needed
• Help to create, organize, and maintain fun and bountiful product displays
• Keep POS area and sales floor clean, organized, and safe
• Perform day-to-day opening and closing tasks (cleaning retail floor, bathroom, knife counter, taking out garbage, etc)

Sharpening and Servicing Associate

• Assist the with day-to-day sharpening needs
  • Safely service and pack orders in a timely, organized, careful fashion
  • Work with services team to uphold servicing quality and consistency standards
• Assist with servicing communications as needed
• Safely handle and maintain servicing equipment and facilities
• Assist with workshop cleaning and organization

Fulfillment and Inventory Associate

• Assist in safely packing and shipping all outgoing online orders in a timely, organized, careful fashion
• Help to receive, inspect, unpack and organize incoming merchandise
• Support processing incoming products for our online store
  • Measure merchandise
  • Upload and organize photos for new products
• Help keep unpacking and packing areas neat and organized
• Participate in the inventory counting process

Skills/Interests

• A genuine friendly and curious demeanor that allows guests to feel at ease, respected, and heard in a professional space
• Ability to readily adapt to new situations and troubleshoot on the fly; comfortable with high paced environments
• Skill to independently prioritize and follow through on tasks, troubleshooting, and systems
• A genuine interest in the culinary field and the products and services Strata offers
• A drive to always keep learning and asking questions
• Strong oral and written communication skills; can communicate clearly and concisely
• Professionalism to accept and give constructive feedback from and to team members; can easily collaborate with others
• Ability to lift objects up to 50 pounds and work around machinery in a safe manner
• Weekend and weekday availability including early evenings, and holidays as needed
• Proficiency with computers; experience with Shopify or other inventory software a plus
• Experience in retail and/or food service a plus

What we offer

• Positive work-life balance
• 25% Employee discount on products, including partner/spouse
• Free use of equipment and machinery when off the clock
• Endless learning opportunities about different cultures, makers, products, etc.
• Hands-on experience with some of the most exclusive and unique products in the world
• Possible international travel to visit the makers and workshops we work with
• Working with a fun, hardworking team that is actively engaged in hearing and respecting your input and suggestions.
• Opportunity to grow into a long-term position that is directly involved in making executive decisions to determine the growth and direction of the company

Compensation

this position is: hourly, varies DOE, $18.00 - $21.00

Application instructions

Deadline

June 11, 2025