Thread: That sad day when ...

Well I have now reached the sad day when all of my local shops have been picked clean of all but the worst stuff, or the stuff that the shop owners must want to keep. I now have to expand my search radius. I really dont want to drift across the border into Vermont. I have now become such a degenerate that I have others picking shops for me.

Not an uncommon fact around here also. I have sufficient to keep me in clean and rescale bizzyness for a while. I don't have anyone picking for me though. No one around here has the "eye" for possibilities!
Enjoy the possibilities!
~Richard

If you look on the bright side, you have shops near buy to look in.
Two days travel to the nearest shop for me.
Kind of like Richard, I don’t have anyone that is good at picking either.
I do however get a giant kick out of searching when I get a chance.

Two days? Wow. I forget how big Canada is. A buddy of mine used to tell me how tough the hockey bus trips were from Moose Jaw out to Vancouver and Medicine Hat. That remote area thing is something that we dont have on the east coast of the USA.

Not only is it big but I am 100 miles from the end of the road. Some days I wish I could go for a drive and other days I appreciate living in a bubble.

Sounds like you got the area fished out. I visited a lot of the local places a couple years ago, but don't have time to go hunting now.
I met a nice older gentleman (dealer at an antique shop) that said he had 100's of razors in a large storage unit but whenever I contact him says he hasn't been able to get out there. That was a few years ago so I've pretty much given up on it. I need to call him and see how he's doing.
I recently bought some from a collection, but can't afford to keep all of them. It is always interesting to get to handle new types of razors and see names you've never heard of before though. I wish I could find some hones for personal use!

Originally Posted by JP5

... That was a few years ago so I've pretty much given up on it. I need to call him and see how he's doing.
...

That is always a good idea, a few of my finest have come from bugging/reminding a dealer!
~Richard

It has always been slow here. I call it a good year if I can find two nice items a year. I don't make the rounds much anymore. Last week I found a Greaves in the display for under $20. When I opened it up the blade had been destroyed by someone with a grinder. Oh, did that make me feel sick.

A shop about thirty minutes north of me has a few interesting things but the guy wants 30 bucks a pop. One is a nice Bengal, but at 30 it has to be special.

I live in the Chicago suburbs, so I can visit Mertz Apothecary, known online as Smallflower. I do intend to visit some day, but rarely drive downtown. I have ordered a number of things from them by mail. It is so much easier than fighting the Chicago traffic.

The the nice thing is that I can also order by mail from a variety of other shops around the country and have my friendly postal worker deliver the goodies in 2-3 days. It is not quite as nice as being able to look at the products on the shelves, smell the aftershaves, etc. but it sure is convenient to be able to order from the comfort of home.