I was on military business in September and had a night/day in Toronto as part of travel plans. Badger and Blade made me aware of what seems to be the only GOOD wetshaving supply store in Ontario and decided to visit the Menessentials.com storefront located on the Danforth in Toronto, Ontario.
For anyone familiar with the Danforth it is the Greek area of the city and is a pretty trendy area with FANTASTIC food, shopping and festivals.
The store was easy to find via map and although there is no dedicated parking for the store, finding a spot within a city block on a beautiful late summer Sunday wasn't an issue.
They force you to walk downstairs as soon as you get into the store where you are greeted by walls and walls of shaving products. There are cabinets of brushes from the big name manufacturers, a cabinet dedicated to straight razors and strops, 3 walls of shaving soap, a cabinet of aftershaves and colognes and a locked case of the 'higher end' shaving products.
Right away, Seth Harman, an American Ex-Pat, greeted me and asked my father and I if we needed any help. I declined as I normally do when offered help but quickly found myself chatting with Seth about different products, the store, shaving, honing, stropping and more! Seth had great knowledge of the product lines the store offered which include some artisan products that are otherwise very expensive to get in Canada due to high shipping costs.
I honestly can't remember how long I spent in the store as the experience was so enjoyable, time wasn't on my mind. By the end of the visit I had purchased a few shaving soaps including my new favourite Queen Charlotte Fougere cream with tallow (a WONDERFUL recommendation from Seth) as well as a Chosera 1k stone that a supplier accidentally shipped him. The entire time I was there customers were coming in and out and Seth and his employees ensured they were treated with the utmost care. I actually helped Seth make a sale too by giving advice to a new straight razor user on what kind of beginner strop he should buy.
One of the soaps I purchased was less than satisfying and Seth suggested that perhaps I received a bad batch of the soap as others had mentioned that before. He was VERY willing to rectify the situation and actually did so by shipping another tin of the soap from Toronto to Greenwood, Nova Scotia for NO cost to me.
In conclusion, I have no reservation saying that this is the finest mens' grooming store in Ontario if not Canada and through it's street level and online operations really brings the best of the best from around the world to Canadians across the country!
For anyone familiar with the Danforth it is the Greek area of the city and is a pretty trendy area with FANTASTIC food, shopping and festivals.
The store was easy to find via map and although there is no dedicated parking for the store, finding a spot within a city block on a beautiful late summer Sunday wasn't an issue.
They force you to walk downstairs as soon as you get into the store where you are greeted by walls and walls of shaving products. There are cabinets of brushes from the big name manufacturers, a cabinet dedicated to straight razors and strops, 3 walls of shaving soap, a cabinet of aftershaves and colognes and a locked case of the 'higher end' shaving products.
Right away, Seth Harman, an American Ex-Pat, greeted me and asked my father and I if we needed any help. I declined as I normally do when offered help but quickly found myself chatting with Seth about different products, the store, shaving, honing, stropping and more! Seth had great knowledge of the product lines the store offered which include some artisan products that are otherwise very expensive to get in Canada due to high shipping costs.
I honestly can't remember how long I spent in the store as the experience was so enjoyable, time wasn't on my mind. By the end of the visit I had purchased a few shaving soaps including my new favourite Queen Charlotte Fougere cream with tallow (a WONDERFUL recommendation from Seth) as well as a Chosera 1k stone that a supplier accidentally shipped him. The entire time I was there customers were coming in and out and Seth and his employees ensured they were treated with the utmost care. I actually helped Seth make a sale too by giving advice to a new straight razor user on what kind of beginner strop he should buy.
One of the soaps I purchased was less than satisfying and Seth suggested that perhaps I received a bad batch of the soap as others had mentioned that before. He was VERY willing to rectify the situation and actually did so by shipping another tin of the soap from Toronto to Greenwood, Nova Scotia for NO cost to me.
In conclusion, I have no reservation saying that this is the finest mens' grooming store in Ontario if not Canada and through it's street level and online operations really brings the best of the best from around the world to Canadians across the country!
