Whitehead's Cutlery and White's Castle Candy Shop 73 E. Park St. in Butte Business history: Started by Joseph Whitehead in 1890, Whitehead's Cutlery has the distinction of being Butte's oldest business. According to current owner Donna (Whitehead) White, her grandfather was a German immigrant who left Pennsylvania at the age of 14 and headed west to follow the mining camps. Joseph Whitehead found himself in Butte, where he eventually purchased some grinding equipment and opened Butte Grinding Works on South Wyoming Street. There, he made a living selling cutlery and sharpening straight razors, knives and ice skates with a grinding wheel powered by a St. Bernard on a treadmill. Whitehead eventually replaced man's best friend with an electric motor, substituting kilowatts for kibble and changing the name of the business to Butte Electric Grinding Works. In 1903, he moved the business to 15 N. Wyoming and renamed it Butte Grinding and Cutlery Shop, expanding his merchandise to include straight razors and barber supplies.
People are also reading…
Donna White's father, the late Edward Whitehead, joined the business in 1915 and became a partner in 1922. He eventually took over full operations in the 1930s. "The first thing he threw out was sharpening straight razors," White said. Edward Whitehead began carrying more merchandise, expanding the line of kitchen and pocket knives and scissors. With the abundance of meat packing houses in the area, he also carried a full line of butcher knives, meat cleavers and other tools of the trade.
Whitehead moved the business to its current location at 73 E. Park St. in 1955, and renamed it once more to Whitehead Cutlery and Shaver Shop. White joined her father's business and is the current proprietor of what is now known as Whitehead's Cutlery today.
About three years ago, with the closing of the Room 71 bar, White expanded her business into the adjacent space. "I didn't want to see another closed store front," she said. White opened White's Castle Candy Shop next door to Whitehead's and sells sweets, snacks and beverages from a small soda fountain behind the former bar.
Products, services and specialties: Whitehead's Cutlery carries a wide variety of collectible knives, daggers and swords. Pieces from the Whitehead family's private collection are also on display, including unusual items such as World War II Nazi daggers, Civil War weapons and even a ceremonial beheading ax from the Belgian Congo. The business sells commercial cutlery brands like Gerber, Forschner, Henckel and Case, and pocket knives made by Buck, Puma, Treebrand, Old Timer and K-Bar. Whitehead's sells both Norelco and Braun electric razors and is an authorized Norelco repair site. As a seasonal business, Whitehead's carries a line of hockey, figure and racing skates with sharpening service and skate rentals available.
White's Castle Candy Shop carries fudge, peanut brittle and a variety of other candies and sweets. The soda fountain serves snacks, pop, Italian ices and lattes, and ice cream novelties during the summer months.
Advice for others wanting to start a business: "It takes a lot of hard work," said White.
"Make sure you have enough funds that you can live for five years without expecting a profit. You need to plan to reinvest the initial profits into more merchandise," she added.
Things learned doing business: Finding the right inventory often involves trial and error, White said. Certain brands of cutlery turn out to be better sellers than others.
Location is also important. "Things that sell in Bozeman or Big Timber won't sell here," she said.
What Makes doing business in Butte unique? White said that having clientele that have been shopping at Whitehead's for generations makes doing business in Butte rewarding. "I have the nicest people come in here," she said. White said advertising on a small business budget is a challenge. "To catch people's attention you need a massive advertising program and a small business can't afford that," she said.
Future plans: As the the third generation of Whiteheads to be running the business, White plans to continue on — business as usual. "I'm going to hang in there," she said.
— Paula J. McGarvey, for The Montana Standard
