Thread: How does one spot an antique store that has razors?

So I've done some digging around and found nothing in the antique stores. Not even a ghost, the sale associates say they've never had them. Is there a certain type of antique store that's more likely to have old barber shop stuff?

I just try to hit up all the 2nd hand and antique stores I can find. I've yet to find one with a straight razor.

It can be hit and miss...some places have zippo and others have twenty. When I've run out of options or to explore new areas, I use google maps with 'antiques' as the search term. Here's your map: antiques - Google Maps

IMHO, thrift stores and 2nd hand stores are a waste of time on the West Coast. My city wasn't even founded until after the Civil War...and even then, the population didn't go over 10,000 until well into the 1900's.

Call ahead on stores too far out of your exploration area. When I visit stores, I make it quick by asking the guy at the counter, 'hey, how you doin' on straight razors'. If he says that he doesn't have any, I just do a cursory check and move along to the next store.

Today I hit 3 shops, one huge place had at least 20 DE's and not a hint of a straight, the next had a box of 20+ at HIGH $'s and one has a few just sitting on the bare shelf for next to nothing... so I bought em

Part of the fun on these outings, you never know what your going to find... May go back and grab up a war era torray

Originally Posted by DwarvenChef

Today I hit 3 shops, one huge place had at least 20 DE's and not a hint of a straight, the next had a box of 20+ at HIGH $'s and one has a few just sitting on the bare shelf for next to nothing... so I bought em

Part of the fun on these outings, you never know what your going to find... May go back and grab up a war era torray

Yeah, that's the way it works. The other thing I've noticed is just because I've found goodies in a particular shop doesn't mean it always has them and, conversely, just because I've not found them in a particular shop doesn't mean it never has them. Mainly luck and persistence in my experience. Though I'm in Europe so most places have a foundation prior to the American Civil War, hadn't considered stuff like that as a factor which it fairly obviously could be.

I recently hit 20 Antique shops in a Sydney suburb and got nothing. The next day I went to a different suburb and picked up 3 nice pieces after looking in less than 10 stores. Sometimes it can just be the location and the type of customer they're targeting.

You never know where you might find a straight razor . I've found most of mine at flea markets , some at antique bottle shows , some at antique gun shows , and once I had one given to me , but a big chunk was missing from the blade . I thanked the lady for it , and threw it away when I got back home . You need to always be on the lookout for razors , if you want to find any good deals .

Try the antique malls, which are just groups of small antique booths. You have more items available, but in my experiences the malls are a bit pricier. Some vendors allow the clerks to adjust prices, so always negotiate price -- buyers have leverage in this economy. Here in central FL the malls are usually near an interstate or highway.

I find your more likely to get something in the more hard up type shops, & those that sell more junk. In my experience, proprietors of decent antique shops will generally look at you as though you've just suggested a quickie with their daughter, should you enquire about straights.

Originally Posted by ben.mid

proprietors of decent antique shops will generally look at you as though you've just suggested a quickie with their daughter

Have you had any success using this approach?

Regards - Walt