Barrister and Mann

Given the quantity of soap most TWSers have, you could minimize the hassle by doing a Hallows release every other year or some other interval without really inconveniencing anybody or making it a permanent part of the lineup . Looking at the matter more or less rationally, hiccups happen, its coincidence and not fate or some other supernatural force and if its a profitable product to produce then why let one bad run deter you? Far be it for me to tell anybody how to run their business and my apologies if it seems so, its just that I'd hate to see a wonderful product like Hallows become the RazoRock Black Mamba/Baby Smooth of the soap world. Inexplicably unavailable.
Marko

For those that are curious about the scent, here's a review of First Snow!

These reviews are very well done, BoarderPhreak. Nice job!


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These reviews are very well done, BoarderPhreak. Nice job!

Thanks so much!

My 10¢. Will do your thing. Gotta let an artist breath a little. Thats where those new amazing creations come from.

My 10¢. Will do your thing. Gotta let an artist breath a little. Thats where those new amazing creations come from.

I agree to a certain degree. The issue ties into the fact that it is a business, and a business cannot survive without customers.
Obviously, Will has done very well with his business. Barrister and Mann is on just about every in-the-know wet shaver's top soap choices. His items sell out extremely quickly, and his soaps and aftershaves have pretty much hit cult status, so much so that they disappear in mere minutes when people sell them off second-hand. Of course, people often pay double, triple, or more for used soaps.

Today, I own a large majority of barrister and mann soaps and aftershaves, yet my main hesitation prior to getting into them (and still a problematic source for me moving forward), is the limitedness of his products. I mean, if you buy Hallows and fall in love with it...you may never be able to find it again...EVER! Many soap makers sell their items year-round, making it easier for people to collect, acquire, get backups, or gift to friends. This just isn't the case with b&m. Many of his items become "unobtainable" in a matter of weeks, at best.

Offering certain selections every season has helped, but there are still quite a few that will never be made again. It does add to the exclusivity of the product, but also to the frustration on the consumer.

He seems to be making headway by offering some year-round items and mixing in seasonals, but there needs to be more options if there is a demand... and people have spoken with their dollars...there IS a HUGE demand. Of course, another option may be to do a limited run that is only made for pre-orders. For example: a description of a soap and aftershave us given along with a price and release date, but with the knowledge that ONLY pre-orders for the products will be filled. So, if 300 people pre-order, then 300 soaps will be made. It keeps the exclusivity in tact, everyone that wants it will have the chance to get it, and Will makes money without having soap tubs just sitting around. If they are popular enough, they can be released the following year too. It sounds like a win-win to me.

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My 10¢.  Will do your thing.  Gotta let an artist breath a little.  Thats where those new amazing creations come from.

I agree to a certain degree. The issue ties into the fact that it is a business, and a business cannot survive without customers.
Obviously, Will has done very well with his business. Barrister and Mann is on just about every in-the-know wet shaver's top soap choices. His items sell out extremely quickly, and his soaps and aftershaves have pretty much hit cult status, so much so that they disappear in mere minutes when people sell them off second-hand. Of course, people often pay double, triple, or more for used soaps.

Today, I own a large majority of barrister and mann soaps and aftershaves, yet my main hesitation prior to getting into them (and still a problematic source for me moving forward), is the limitedness of his products. I mean, if you buy Hallows and fall in love with it...you may never be able to find it again...EVER! Many soap makers sell their items year-round, making it easier for people to collect, acquire, get backups, or gift to friends. This just isn't the case with b&m. Many of his items become "unobtainable" in a matter of weeks, at best.

Offering certain selections every season has helped, but there are still quite a few that will never be made again. It does add to the exclusivity of the product, but also to the frustration on the consumer.

He seems to be making headway by offering some year-round items and mixing in seasonals, but there needs to be more options if there is a demand... and people have spoken with their dollars...there IS a HUGE demand. Of course, another option may be to do a limited run that is only made for pre-orders. For example: a description of a soap and aftershave us given along with a price and release date, but with the knowledge that ONLY pre-orders for the products will be filled. So, if 300 people pre-order, then 300 soaps will be made. It keeps the exclusivity in tact, everyone that wants it will have the chance to get it, and Will makes money without having soap tubs just sitting around. If they are popular enough, they can be released the following year too. It sounds like a win-win to me.

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having talked to Will personally about this before...some of his customers can be downright vile towards him with some of his soap releases. I can totally see why Will would hesitate to bring something back that was so controversial because he just doesn't want to deal with ignorant people.

I'm not sure why someone couldn't just sell the soap if it's not for them rather than bashing an artisan who never forced them to buy anything from their company to begin with. for me, personally, I cannot stand the smell of oud...I don't bash people who like it and/or use it...I just moved on from it!

...another option may be to do a limited run that is only made for pre-orders. For example: a description of a soap and aftershave us given along with a price and release date, but with the knowledge that ONLY pre-orders for the products will be filled. So, if 300 people pre-order, then 300 soaps will be made. It keeps the exclusivity in tact, everyone that wants it will have the chance to get it, and Will makes money without having soap tubs just sitting around. If they are popular enough, they can be released the following year too. It sounds like a win-win to me...

Forgive me if I'm missing something, but is this not what they're already doing? Through growth, trial, and error, I believe B&M has moved beyond "limited editions" which is what seems to have given you pause. Your suggested solution is pretty much what they're doing, no? It seems like the high-demand seasonals, i.e. Hallows, had a pre-order period during which you could order as much product as you wanted, along with selling set amounts to third party vendors for resale.

While I don't think Will has outright said it, I get a sense the demand wasn't the problem. I also don't think there was a problem keeping up with the pre-orders. I may be pulling this outta my a$$, but I thought I remembered some of the specific EO being volatile or difficult in some aspect as to make Hallows in particular a nuisance and dare I say more trouble than it's worth for Will.

My comments are not intended to be inflammatory to you, tommy3am. I just may have misunderstood what you were saying.

Also, I do not intend my comments to suggest that I would be happy to see Hallows go. It would be unfortunate, for sure. That said, as long as LGC makes a comeback, I'll be satisfied as it can almost scratch that Hallows itch (plus, I have enough Hallows to last at least a couple years.)

I can't believe people whine this much about soap. I guess these are the perils of being active on social media forums. Will is gracious enough to come on here and answer any questions we might have, interact with us and contribute to the forum in other ways and what he gets in return is mostly a bunch of belly aching and complaining about how he chooses to sell his soaps. I guess we're lucky he doesn't just crawl into a cave somewhere and operate his business like Mike's although that's what I would want to do at this point, if I were him.

He's already doing preorders, and has already said a few times he's considering bringing back diamond. Let's not badger the poor man to death. He's a one man operation with help from his mom. If we keep this up he'll get so stressed and say screw it. Just let him be. Just my opinion.

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