The physical store front

Who's Ms Bubbles?

"I don't idolize anyone in the business of selling shave equipment whatsoever. I have no intention of ever actually going to a shave store. EVER."


I'm sure Brad Maggard will be crushed you won't make it.

Minuteshaver, Please take your negativity to another platform.
Your act has worn out.

The best part about going to Maggard's is being able to smell the soaps and hold the razors, etc. I'm like a kid in a candy store, it's great! No more blind buys.

Another one that hasn't been mentioned is Merz Apothecary/ Q Brothers in Chicago.

Oh, and what makes a tube of Proraso guaranteed fresh just because you bought it off the internet? Shaving creams don't degrade faster on the shelves of a store than they do in some online retailers warehouse.

are you going to the 2017 Meet at Maggards ?

Im rephrasing my original post at the moment, before I hit post. Otherwise some guy named fred would choke on his tootie fruities when he checked my daily commentary at breakfast.


I cannot, shall not, will not go to the maggards greet and meet.  Only two of their self proclaimed notable figures are worth meeting. Ms Bubbles for the fact that although she has gone out of business according to forums, did have some options I might have been able to use. Rockwell simply for a quick business talk that they are to scared to discuss in email.

Otherwise, there is a vender they call notable, that after talking to online with in forums, and after watching him in videos posted online of him throwing a party before a shave convention he does, and at the convention deride and insult paying attendees, some who I believe payed over 100$ to attend,

I find him so appalling that I would have to demonstrate a Sweeny Todd Barber Co. shave. And I would most likely raffle off his little yachting cap on tsr to pay for my ticket to Canada.


I don't care for it. I don't idolize anyone in the business of selling shave equipment whatsoever. So much of their hijinks and actions and products, to me are off putting.


Its one of the problems faceing actual stores. Drawing attention. And getting customers in anyway they can. As a result they do things that will not, or cannot please every possible attendee. That can or hurt them based on how people feel about the visiting attractions they get to talk.  



I have no intention of ever actually going to a shave store. EVER. I haven't a need to go, so I shant. The few things id want to look at I would not get to take out of the package to actually inspect.

And due to allergies, I cant go.

There aren't that many store fronts that are not backed by a huge website.

West Coast
Maggards

Those are all that come to mind as actual store front and internet. Everything else is all pure internet.



WHy is the physical store for shaving goods basically dead? Look at tobacco stores.

With the internet you can get any tobacco you want, and get it fresh. See, no one wants to buy a 3 year old tin of tobacco. SO they go online and get it fresh.

Same issue with shaving gear. Creams are only good for so long, so why par above average internet retail for a 3 year old tube of cremo or proraso?

You can't compare tobacco stores with shaving. State and local governments are not attempting to discourage shaving but are are trying to discourage smoking. I would be willing to say that a large population of the people have quit so demand has shrunk. It used to be here in Los Angeles every strip shopping center had a sushi place. Then in the mid 90's they became cigar shops now they are massage parlors. People still smoke cigars but a good box of 50 can set you back $300+. So demand has also gone down. I disagree that a tobacco stores inventory was stale. There are more brick and mortar shaving supply stores opening, however I believe internet locations will always outnumber actual locations. It appears to me that many of the well known locations have been mentioned in the above replies. I plan on going to The Handle Bar Supply Co. sometime this week.

Not dead at all. Plenty of storefronts not backed by large websites.

New York

Pasteur's Pharmacy (2 locations)
Cambridge Chemists on Lexington Ave. Scott is one of the most knowledgeable guys in wet shaving.
Clyde's Chemists (Madison Ave)
CO Bigelow (6th Ave. in the West Village)

Boston

Colonial Drug (Newton, MA formerly of Cambridge near Harvard.)
Just a fantastic wet shaving Mecca. Cathy is great to talk to about wet shaving. She has seen it all.

Chicago

Merz Apothecary
Merz Downtown (Palmer Hotel)
Q Bros.

Florida

Superior Shave (Jacksonville, FL)

UK

Three T's and DR Harris
The Gentleman's Groom Room (Dundee, Scotland).  Really well stocked and Ian is also a huge advocate for wet shaving.

You can add Tampa Shave Company to the list. They do sell through their website too, but they started as a barber shop and now have a nice selection of items in store and therefore online. Also, Merz Apothecary and Q Bros are the same place. The men's section of Merz moved next door when the storefront next to them finally became available. The Q stands for Qaiyum which is the last name of the father / son team which own Merz. Not that I've been there 30-40 times or anything.

While Pasteur's Pharmacy has an incredible selection on products Leon does not have a website. Too bad.

While Pasteur's Pharmacy has an incredible selection on products Leon does not have a website.  Too bad.

I don't know. There is something to be said for a brick and mortar presence only. I've never had the privilege of going to Pasteur's but that lends a mystique for me.

Leon seems to have just about everything one can imagine. It is a typical New York drug store (he is a pharmacist) narrow isles and more and stuff everywhere.

While Pasteur's Pharmacy has an incredible selection on products Leon does not have a website.  Too bad.

I don't know.  There is something to be said for a brick and mortar presence only.  I've never had the privilege of going to Pasteur's but that lends a mystique for me.

I'll also add that I'm sure it's A LOT easier to have an online store than a physical store front just on the basis of overhead alone, especially in larger cities. the shaving items on the market today are relatively cheap, so to make a decent profit while owning a physical store would probably mean turning over a lot of volume..

I think Maggards mentioned this somewhere, but I'll bet a vast majority of their sales are online, not physically in their store.