Brick & Mortar in Portland, Or

[wundergussy]

Dropped in Hawthorne Cutlery and they have a few Merkurs, blades, and col. conk stuff. This may be a silly question: is there a place in town to get INexpensive merkurs? Hawthorne's were not terribly expensive, at least compared to Excalibur, but I want to do better.

Also, anyone know a good antique store/mall to find vintage razors or brushes?

 

[eric.huntley]

Dropped in Hawthorne Cutlery and they have a few Merkurs, blades, and col. conk stuff. This may be a silly question: is there a place in town to get INexpensive merkurs? Hawthorne's were not terribly expensive, at least compared to Excalibur, but I want to do better.

Also, anyone know a good antique store/mall to find vintage razors or brushes?

I highly doubt your gonna find better prices on Merkurs locally. If it were me I would get one through the B/S/T. If I was anal about having to have an unused one I would order one through shaving essentials or west coast shaving. They can usually get stuff here in 2 days, occasionally 3. And shaving essentials always sends those nifty sample packs as well. I think they send some blades when you buy a razor too.

The strip of Antique stores in Sellwood ( I can't remember which street, maybe someone will pitch in with this) is a great Place to try. I haven't been there in 6 months or so but when I was there they had lots of straights and some random safety razors, but it could be completely different now.

 

[jkh]

you guys are lucky to have b&m outlets nearby!

incidentally, I recommend Master Bay Rum and HIGHLY recommend Osage Rub.

This shop makes its own stuff? did you try any, wundergussy?

Smelled it, but was psyched for the Osage, so that's what i went with. Might go back for their own blend at some point...

The Roseway Babershop AS (special Osage Rub mix) is really nice stuff, one of my favorites. It is far less drying than stock grade Osage Rub, but it also lacks the satanic menthol kick that Osage Rub provides (which is good or bad depending on your point of view). Don't get me wrong, the RB AS still has a nice menthol kick. For $6 it is an exceptional value.

 

[eric.huntley]

The Roseway Babershop AS (special Osage Rub mix) is really nice stuff, one of my favorites. It is far less drying than stock grade Osage Rub, but it also lacks the satanic menthol kick that Osage Rub provides (which is good or bad depending on your point of view). Don't get me wrong, the RB AS still has a nice menthol kick. For $6 it is an exceptional value.

I also have some of the Roseway AS (Thanks Josh!). To me it just seems to be sort of mediocre. I don't find the scent offensive, but it certainly isn't something I find myself opening up to sniff every time I enter the bathroom. The menthol kick is nice, but that isn't hard to get with a little bit of 444 balm and any aftershave.

I've only used it a couple of times. Maybe I'll have to try it for a week straight and see if I acquire a taste for it or not before I write it off completely.

 

[wundergussy]

So I caved and bought the merkur at Hawthorne Cutlery. Actually, for $48, it was a pretty decent price. It's a 12c, and Westcoast has them for $42, and a lot of other online shops have them for $45 or so. Plus, a beautiful day for a walk, and I'm always happy to support a local business. (If anyone here agrees that it is a good deal, I know he had another 12c in the case...)

 

[joshmpdx]

Wunder, i must have just missed you today, i spend the early afternoon on Hawthorne as well.

The Perfume house has Knize Ten Soap refills as well as bowls, bath soap, and AS, but they're currently out of stock on their EdT... they also have the entire Bois 1920 line, as well as Tabac AS and the Royall line (which was previously mentioned and not a good value when compared to online prices). The Perfume House is a definite must see!*

*Bear in mind the older woman working at the shop is a little bit snooty, however the owner is very cool and a complete Gent of a guy!

 

[wundergussy]

I agree with the coolness of The Perfume House's atmosphere. I stopped in there a few days ago, and yeah, the woman is a little snooty. It is cool that they have Trumpers brushes, but their prices are not great for them. I was hoping for skin food, but they were out. When I asked her about other shaving brands (besides Trumpers) she said that was it! No mention of Tabac, Knize Ten, etc. Huh. (Now that I mention it, does any place in town usually carry the skin food besides Marios? Their prices don't seem great)

 

[handlebar]

Wunder, i must have just missed you today, i spend the early afternoon on Hawthorne as well.


*Bear in mind the older woman working at the shop is a little bit snooty, however the owner is very cool and a complete Gent of a guy!

I have to agree with you a bit on the gal there. But she could certainly have been worse like the women I encounter at every AoS shoppe I have visited. Horrid indeed.
The Perfume House also stock the Trumper lineup at decent prices. I have tried to get her to carry Truefitt and Hill but she has so far refused. So I just order online

Jim

 

[wundergussy]

Bought some ASB today from escential; it is their own mix, and I had them add some "Earl Grey" essence to it. I sniffed a lot of oils, and something about this one stood out. I got a free sample of the SC, but it doesn't look like a great texture. The ASB however, felt very nice on my fingers, and has good stuff in it (including menthol). Also, the smallest bottle is less than five bucks, so it is pretty tough to beat. If this stuff ends up being at all decent, it would be worth getting a few different scents considering the price. I will post tomorrow after I have tried it.

 

[wundergussy]

Sorry about the double-post, but I used the Escential ASB today, and wanted to mention how much I like it! I did have to shake it a lot before it was the right consistency, but I found it very pleasant in both feeling and scent. The Earl Grey is such a unique odor, and three hours later my skin still feels very soft and moisturized, and there is a faint whiff of the smell on my face. Very nice!

I also picked up a puck of Caswell Massey almond SS, despite the negative reviews here. It smells great, and provided an acceptable lather (not great, but it did not disappear as others have reported). I suppose the main point is, I got a good shave out it.

 

[joshmpdx]

Gus, that's a great report! i forgot how inexpensive that ASB is!

ive talked to them a couple of times about carrying the Speick line, don't you think it would fit thier store perfectly? if you head in again don't forget to drop a little reminder it would be killer to have a local spot for the speick products!!

 

[wundergussy]

That would be tremendous...I think I will call them today and "suggest" they carry it.

 

[wundergussy]

I am king of the double-posts this week but:

HairM is having a 20% off all shaving supplies sale through Father's day. Stock up on AoS stuff! (They also have Baxters!)

 

[wundergussy]

Does the Kiehl's on 23rd have anything but their own products? Is it worth a stop?

 

[eric.huntley]

I stopped by once, and while I don't really remember what all they had, I do remember not being impressed enough to buy anything or ever think to go back..

 

[wundergussy]

The pioneer place Bath and Body works has the large tubes of bigelow/proraso as of today, and they are buy one get one free.

 

[kopio]

I see a lot of people asking for DE Blades.

I'm right across the river in Camas, and at the Bi-Mart in Washougal they carry Wilkinson Sword's. I think they were about $4-5 a pack though...so a bit spendy.

BTW...the Sally's in my neighborhood carries Pinaud (the big one for $6.50) and Master's Bay Rum ($9.99) for a BIG bottle.

This is a great thread.....thanks for all the info.

--Matt

 

[Lost Dog]

I see a lot of people asking for DE Blades.

I'm right across the river in Camas, and at the Bi-Mart in Washougal they carry Wilkinson Sword's. I think they were about $4-5 a pack though...so a bit spendy.


--Matt

Hey! A fellow Camas-ite!

I've always found blades to be way too expensive buying them brick and mortar. Online has been the only way to go for me.

 

[kopio]

Hey! A fellow Camas-ite!

I've always found blades to be way too expensive buying them brick and mortar. Online has been the only way to go for me.

Nice! Where abouts do you live....I'm about 3 blocks from Crown Park and Top Burger. Are you in my neck of the woods?

ALSO (this is to everyone)...is there anyplace that sells Arko Soap around here? Has anyone checked the various international deli's/markets like Kiev Square off Foster?

Just curious if someone has already done the legwork.

 

[Lost Dog]

Nice! Where abouts do you live....I'm about 3 blocks from Crown Park and Top Burger. Are you in my neck of the woods?

ALSO (this is to everyone)...is there anyplace that sells Arko Soap around here? Has anyone checked the various international deli's/markets like Kiev Square off Foster?

Just curious if someone has already done the legwork.

I'm up on top of the hill about 1/2 mile NW of the elementary school! Not too far away at all!