Brick and mortar?

Admittedly, I'm spending way too much time thinking about shaving now. Even having dreams about it. Call it OCD if you must.

But, as I ponder acquiring more shaving creams, soaps and aftershaves, I still can't wrap my head around buying a bunch of stuff, sight and scent unseen.

Can anyone point me to some physical stores where I can see and smell this stuff in action?

I live in Milwaukee, and while we have places like Bath and Body Works, Body Shop, Macy's and Sephora, I'm not aware of any men's stores that sell some of the products I read about on this forum.

Ideas? Driving 90 minutes to Chicago for shaving cream is just slightly beyond my obsession (for now).

These things can be pretty hard to track down in B&M stores. Places like Bloomingdales, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus carry stuff like Art of Shaving and even Creed. The lay of the land is pretty similar here in Philadelphia, but some specialty stores do carry shaving gear. For example a couple of cigar stores in the area carry a fair amount of creams, soaps and aftershaves. Some local menswear stores (not chains like Men's Wearhouse) also have a few things. A trip to Chicago might be a nice road trip! I'm certainly looking forward to my next trip to Manhattan.

I think the shaving supply page can help: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Category:Shopping_by_Country

I often find shave gear in specialty stores that sell fine knives, cutlery, etc. They often carry personal grooming supplies like brushes, Str8's, DE's and even shaving soap/creams.

merz is well worth the trip to Ill. There are.two locations so check it out

yaderhay;

Go to Mayfair Mall. In the wing of the mall where the Walking Company is there is a little store called "Soaps and Scents". They carry some decent brushes in a case behind the counter and just opposite the counter they have the men's shaving products. They carry Crabtree and Evelyn, Musgo Real(my personal favorite) and a few other shave soaps.

Also, Bath and Body Works carries some mens stuff. They carry C.O. Bigelow shave cream which is a re-branded product made by Proraso. It's quite good.

Foyle said:

Also, Bath and Body Works carries some mens stuff. They carry C.O. Bigelow shave cream which is a re-branded product made by Proraso. It's quite good.

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We have a BBW here at our mall and although they carry CO Bigs they don't have much in the way of shaving products. Mostly just after shave and cologne. They do carry the COB cream, which I have a tube of. I need to go back and try it again some time. Still stuck on soaps for now.

The Soap and Scents did have a bit of stuff, but I see all these eclectic aftershaves on the boards and am jealous. It just seems crazy to buy something without smelling it, you know?

I'm intrigued by the Tabac, Truefitt & Hill, Trumper, Speick and Proraso products (beyond the Bigelow stuff).

What's a Milwaukeean to do?

yaderhey said:

I'm intrigued by the Tabac, Truefitt & Hill, Trumper, Speick and Proraso products (beyond the Bigelow stuff).

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The Trumper sample pack isn't a bad deal...they have quite a variety of creams and fragrances. http://www.trumpers.com/product_detail.cfm?ProductID=111547656

When it comes to B&M stores you should not overlook small locally owned beauty supply stores.

You would be amazed at what you can find.

They may cater to beauty shops but also sell supplies to barber shops.

I found one that sell Astra SP blades for $10 a hundred.

Hello!

You got to walk in and ask.

Luc said:

I think the shaving supply page can help: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Category:Shopping_by_Country

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There is an Art of Shaving near me! Nice. I will be making a trip out there tomorrow.

I'm in the same boat, closest AOS shop is 6 hours away (I don't care what you say, that's NOT worth the trip, freakin' Atlanta). I found a beauty supply shop here that sells straights (not what I'm interested in), but didn't even know what a DE was, they sell supplies to local salons.

The barber shops use foam cream from a machine, I've never even seen a shaving brush in person before (currently waiting for mine in the mail).

Would any of these companies have a scent pack, kind of like the samples you find in magazines?

Try the cutlery shops in malls. I can obtain Colonel Conk soap locally at a cutlery shop at a mall that is about 20 minutes from my house.

yaderhey said:

What's a Milwaukeean to do?

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Decants!

http://theperfumedcourt.com/
http://flacon.ambaric.net/viewforum.php?f=2