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An Altadena man whose home burned in the Eaton Fire had family heirlooms restored thanks to a knife sharpener who’s been helping the community.
John Sousa can be found sharpening knives daily at his shop in Altadena. His profession has him restoring knives, wood and steel but not only that, he also hears the stories associated with the items he works on.
“This community, I wouldn’t be here without people bringing me all their knives,” Sousa said.
Among his clients is Earl Beadle, who lost his home to the devastating blaze. He remembered the urgency he felt in finding knives that were passed down to him by his family.
“My grandfather probably bought this for him probably in the 20s or 30s,” Beadle said
Beadle’s family once had a thriving cafeteria along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena. The knives he went back for after the fire were heirlooms from his family’s eatery – ones he received after his grandmother died.
“I went and started pouring through the kitchen after the fire and I said, ‘I got to find these knives. Please, let them be there,’” Beadle said. “And of course, the handles are burned off yet, they were there. And they just looked beastly and John said, ‘Well, let’s bring them back to life.’”
Sousa worked on the knives free of charge and has been doing so for others affected by the fire. In addition to working on victims’ cutlery, he’s also donated knives to those who lost everything.
“It’s just a way of me giving back to the community that helped me become so successful,” Sousa said.
You can follow along with Sousa’s business here.
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