SMF

I had the opportunity to visit Cable Car Clothiers today in downtown SF, and they stock quite a few shaving supplies. LOTS of Kent brushes, Dr. Harris & Co Creams (cream, stick & soap), and A few Geo F. Trumpers products (skin care only, and NO skin food!?). Im afraid their prices are QUITE inflated though, but might be worth a look if anyone is in the area. The web address is below:

http://www.cablecarclothiers.com/

Anyone know of any other Shaving shops in the area?

todd

A bowl of T&H cream for $39?!?!?!? YIKES!!!

yeah its insane. A refill of Dr. Harris & co soap is $35 in store?!
They do have some beautiful shaving bowls and stands though.

It was great though beacause I got to actually look at the kent brushes and now know the perfect size for me (BK8!). No to find a cheap(er) equivalent.

lint, I don't know much, unfortunately. I've been aware of Cable Car Clothiers for years, their prices on toilettries have always been outragous, but they've always stocked top shelf stuff. They were one of the VERY few sources for Royal Yacht products in the US, when that line was still available, and they had almost the entire line. There is/was a shop called 'Buttondown' at 3415 Sacramento Street that, I believe stocks some Trumper products, and I always kind of assumed that some of the other upscale men's shops in the Post and Sutter Street area probably have something, but that's just a guess. I saw on the D R Harris site, that they list Gumps in SF as a stockist. The Saks there no longer carries Penhaligons, I was sorry to hear. That's about all I know, but I suspect that there's more if one really looked around. Regards, Gordon

I've been keeping an eye out, but it's pretty much AOS and Jack Black all the time around here. The big Nordies downtown didn't have T&H the last time I was there. (Aside: I was looking at the shaving stuff for at least two minutes and nobody asked me if I needed any help. Man, have that place's standards fallen or what!)

I think there's a salon on Union St that sells Trumper's, but that's according to their web site; I haven't verified it myself.

I wouldn't be surprised if there's a boutique somewhere in Hayes or Noe Valley that has some supplies, though....

Dave C

i sure would like to find a shaving supply shop in SF (or the east bay where i live). Interesting that trumpers is sold somewhere in SF. ill have to investigate.

todd

I see Primadonna Cosmetics at 2103 Union Street, @ the corner of Webster, carries Trumpers Products.

www.primadonacosmetics.com

ill have to drop in sometime.

Todd,

Post something if you make to Primadona. I'll do the same if I get the chance.

SWMBO probably needs to get her glasses adjusted, so maybe I can sneak in a side trip to Cow Hollow from the Marina this weekend.

Dave C

Went to Primadonna this afternoon. Smal store, but a fair amount of Trumper's: talc, dodo, razors, colognes, I think I saw Skin Food, hard soaps and cream in tubes and tubs. They had 5-6 scents , but I pretty much started tuning out after rose, violet and coconut once the guy told me they were $35 for a tub and $20 for a tube.

OK, not so much "tuning out" as trying not to laugh.

So the hunt is still on for shaving supplies in San Francisco.

So far I've seen:

Nordies - AOS
Needless Markup - AOS
Saks - AOS
Primadonna - Trumpers
Every time I turn around - Jack Black

Dave C

thanks for the review p_man. I had a an email into them asking for pricing, but as of yet, no response. The search continues...

todd

Todd-

There's an article in the Chron today listing some shaving stuff for Father's Day. It mentions several places that sell at leat one product, one of which is in Berkeley: Supple, 1543 Hopkins St.

It also quotes a barber who does str8 shaves in SF, at Richard's Hari Design, 330 Sutter.

Dave C

Dave and Todd, If you are going to be real wet shaving obsess....oops..a...aficanados, then you must get serious! I CAN NOT believe that San Francisco is as bleak and hopeless as a place like Tampa! That is not at all the way I remember SF. I recall it as a highly sophisticated and cosmopolitan city. You must LOOK HARDER, really ferret about. Get out on foot in likely neighborhoods, ask questions, be politely pushy. The internet is only a place to start. I am convinced that I could find half a dozen sources in a day or two, but I HUNT this stuff down. That's why I know what I know about places in NYC, afterall, I don't live there. Be aggressive! And report back. Dismissed! Seriously, I wasn't that surprised at the price of Trumpers you quoted, I gather that this sort of thing is routinely more expensive in SF then in the East. I don't really know why, but I've noticed it in regard to clothing as well. IMO, it's still nice to have local sources. Regards, Gordon

I know where you're coming from Gordon, but I'm not as optimistic as you. I'd bet you dollars to doughnuts that with one possible exception, there's no source for quality shaving supplies at reasonable prices. (The exception is that I can imagine some tiny place in North Beach selling Proraso and, say, Prep. But even that's iffy - North Beach has changed a lot, pressured by Chinatown and blando-blando tourism.)

I'm sure there's also a boutique somewhere selling hand-made bee-pollen and phytoplankton shave cream, but at a price that'd make your goolies hit your diaphragm.

But I will poke around more, and at least summarize what the known places (Nordies, Saks, Needless, etc.) have.

Dave C

i too will do my best. Ill be in the city saturday, and will be poking around market street.

todd

Okay, gentlemen, very good, that's the spirit. Remember: expensive traditional gentlemen's clothiers ( mostly in the Post and Sutter Street areas, I gather, privately owned apothacary shops in 'old money' areas of town, quality cutlery shops, and ritzy tobaconists are likely places to look (are there any of those Tinder Box shops around?, they used to stock Coates, and T&H ). And, as I said, it seems that prices in SF will generally be higher then most internet sources or prices in NYC, but it's still nice to have local sources. One can look at and sniff stuff first hand, and there's no shipping charges, and one doesn't have to use a credit card. Happy hunting, and let us know. Regards, Gordon

There really is not much in the City these days. I live out in the East Bay and spent some time a year or so back really "ferreting" out all the potential retailers. The majors have nothing, ie Saks, Neiman's, Nordies, etc. Saks used to have Coates but no more. The best you'll find is AOS. Cable Car clothiers just down from Wilkes on Sutter used to carry a collection of D R Harris and Gumps used to carry some Trumper creams, but that is about it. I've never seen Proraso in North Beach and I've been up and down Columbus and on every side st. looking in every mom and pop grocery store, "apothecary", etc. Nada !!! Personally I think there is a huge void in the City and a real opportunity for someone to capitalize on in the retail community. Chris.

Hey Joel,

What city are you in?

-Hytham

The problem is that there just aren't enough people who recognize this stuff. The older european populations are shrinking and being replaced with a combination of asians and dot-com hipster types, neither of which are good targets for high-end shaving supplies. The hipster type will go for Jack Black and absinthe shaving cream, but old-timers like T&H would be a hard sell despite their obvious quality.

There are a few old-school barbers who could probably push good shaves, making it a point to offer str8 shaves and good supplies, but why should they? They're generally on the older side and they don't need the added risk.

Having said that, downtown & the Financial District could probably support a small, dedicated high-end barbershop a la Taylor/Trumper/T&H. It might have to be embedded in a spa, store or hotel (say, 77 Maiden Lane, Gumps, or the Mandarin Oriental), though.

Dave C

Chris, et. al., It sounds rather gloomy. Better then Tampa, certainly, at least you CAN get Trumpers and Harris's, even if they're pricey. It's amazing to me that the SF Nordstroms doesn't even have T&H, and we do!? I wonder why it's so different from NYC? I know that it's not that hard to find this sort of stuff in Boston either. Of all places west of the Mississippi, I would have thought that SF would be the best stocked. Regards, Gordon

Now that I have already posted it, I realize it should have been in this topic. But here's a link to a little breakdown about SF shave stores that I did:

http://www.shavemyface.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2056

A lot of repeated info, but I did find that Grant's Tobacconists carries some shaving stuff, mostly col. conk but also merkur razors and blades.

http://www.grantspipeshop.com/grants/