Thread: Opening a proper shave shop

Input would be appreciated. I currently started selling a few products at my barber shop and its going great so far . Alot of interest/curiosity. There isnt a shave shop anywhere close. AOS 50 miles away. I'm thinking of opening a full fledged shave shop. We have a ton of unused space at my shop so there will be no extra over head.
What I'm wanting to know is what people would like to see/expect in a shave shop. Im the type that I like to feel/smell before I buy so going into a place is more appealing than ordering on-line. So far we carry T&H , razor md, col conk , merkur, a few misc items ( I know I will have to expand the selection ) My town/county is about 100,000 people and Ft KNOX 9 mins away. Anyway, comments / suggestions would be great!

Maybe bring in some custom stuff from SRP vendors on consignment,no money out of your pocket.Just a thought

Thayer's Witch Hazel, a variety of quality DE blades, American made shaving products like Captains Choice and Mike's Natural Soaps.

Check with any local potters and see if you can get them to make a line of scuttles and bowls for you on consignment. Arts centers and local crafts galleries could put you in touch with them. Show them pics if they don't know what you are talking about.

I'm not a business man,,,but if I were getting a cut & shave in your shop I would like to see some shaving soaps, creams, alum blocks & most of all some custom shave brushs,,, lot of guys here could supply them,,,DE blades with vintage Gillettes, cleaned up,,,,,maybe even a straight or two,,,




,,,,,oh,, forgot,,,, some colognes & aftershave,,,balms,,,,,


,,,,,,oh,,,,,,a nice place to sit after the shave ,,,,look through the goodies & a little Mantovani piped in,,,,,,

,,,,,oh,,,,, let's not forget some snacks too,,,,,,,,,,

My biggest thing I would like to see in a shop would be "sets" for beginners of varying budgets. That and offering "clinics" for new users to come in and learn how to strop, lather, and shave. I think that would help reduce some of the indimidation that leaves many "used once" razors gathering dust in a drawer.


P.S. I'm looking forward to stopping by your shop when I make my way up north.

Best wishes on your venture! E-town is a charming place. You might get some Louisville and Southern Indiana biz.

It sounds like a great way to recover some space and put it into production. So far I have never been in a real shave shop. I would love to and no matter what your choice of shaving implement everyone needs a good brush, and good soap. The smell good stuff is big with almost everyone. I would expect that the best bang would be from the artisan stuff, the soaps and bowls end that is. Local made or at least stuff made near by seems to be a serious buying trend. I hope that it is a roaring success.

I think that your idea is absolutely Outstanding!

I would agree to keep costs down that consignment would be the way to start out! You can always go a different route.

A fellow member just sent me a 4oz container of custom made shaving soap that's made in MO perhaps they would be interested.

Free sessions for those that want to learn to shave with a straight would be helpful for them but perhaps not financially useful to you unless you didn't carry hones and only offered honing services.

I for one would donate a beginners level razor to help you get going on this endeavor just let me know!

I like the idea of "evening classes", and also if you have sample pucks/ pots/ bottles of the various products you sell then offering the customer a choice of which soap and aftershave they would like, that way people can try out a product before they buy it - assuming they pay for a shave.
It could become quite a nice social thing once a week or whenever.