There are certain things people say so often, at least to certain other people, that the meaning is lost forever. I experience this with my razors. (If you think that razors are an odd thing to blog about, I agree...but that's what I do.) What I say is "But that's one of my favorites". The certain person I say this to is my wife.
I recently agreed to disperse some of my shave collection. Probably about half of it. By any standard that is a significant disbursement. About 700-800 items; mostly vintage straight, double-edge, and single-edge razors but also mugs, bowls, stands, and maybe even a strop or honing stone or two. I am doing this on Etsy through my shop, OpenRazor. We opened just a few weeks ago and I have been uploading items just about daily, but I am very slow. I am slow for several reasons. One is a difficulty in actually letting go of a razor (I am only similarly attached to some of my silverplate mugs among my non-razor stash).
In a twisted application of logic and reason, my wife thinks its most important to let go of those razors most difficult to let go of. It's a cleansing I guess, a heightened zen sense of freedom from the physical, a character building (revealing really) experience. I disagree. But I am doing it. I always planned to do it, and I have even tried before; very unsuccessfully. I think this time will succeed. Did I hear you ask why? Thought so...because I am actually enjoying myself.
What I am enjoying is the re-acquaintance that is the by-product of going through boxes and boxes of razors, some not seen for many years. Each one fills my head with memories; most pleasant, all worth remembering. It is the same as with seeing an old photograph for the first time after many years. Without doing this, I would miss these experiences. Without my Etsy shop, I would not be doing this. So there you have it.
I am glad that my wife has grown immune to "But that's one of my favorites" utterance. As David Byrne once sang, "These memories can't wait".
Warm Regards,
KM
(@Etsy)
Monday, December 30, 2013
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Sunday Morning Thoughts on the Super Bowl
Sunday morning in NYC several days before Christmas and it's now 66 degrees, with a forecast high of 69. Football weather? Not in these parts.
I have been thinking about the Super Bowl. Sports and shaving have always been connected. Like sports and beer. Perhaps I'll delve into the history of the relationship shaving (mostly Gillette) has had with sports another day, but today I wanted only to express a few thoughts on the somewhat controversial Super Bowl to be played in NYC (well, NJ). Controversial because of the possibility it may snow. And be cold.
Football in the cold? As it was meant to be. A team might even need to be able to run the ball to win. If you could have asked gentlemen named Lombardi, Halas, Eubank (that's Weeb of course, the great coach who guided the NY Jets of Joe Namath to NFL nirvana); they would have received the question with irreverence. Football should be played in the cold and on grass (what they call frozen tundra in Green Bay). If 11 year old boys are tough enough to do it, so can the NFLs best. If the NFL began in cities like Miami, San Diego, Jacksonville, and Tampa instead of Chicago, Detroit (they and the Vikings need to get outside), Pittsburgh, and Green Bay would it be what it is today. I don't think so. The passion of Bear fans in Los Angeles? Oh wait, I forgot that LA is not represented in the NFL. Think about that one for a minute.
The issue should only be the comfort of the fans. An issue I am familiar with all too well, having sat numb through many a game in the Meadowlands. Perhaps our midwestern brethren can share tips for preparation with us. I have been to games in Chicago, Green Bay, and Pittsburgh. The cold seems to have little effect on their enjoyment. Are they tougher than the rest of us?
Kudos to the NFL. I love Miami, but it's too hot for football.
Warm regards,
KM
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I have been thinking about the Super Bowl. Sports and shaving have always been connected. Like sports and beer. Perhaps I'll delve into the history of the relationship shaving (mostly Gillette) has had with sports another day, but today I wanted only to express a few thoughts on the somewhat controversial Super Bowl to be played in NYC (well, NJ). Controversial because of the possibility it may snow. And be cold.
Football in the cold? As it was meant to be. A team might even need to be able to run the ball to win. If you could have asked gentlemen named Lombardi, Halas, Eubank (that's Weeb of course, the great coach who guided the NY Jets of Joe Namath to NFL nirvana); they would have received the question with irreverence. Football should be played in the cold and on grass (what they call frozen tundra in Green Bay). If 11 year old boys are tough enough to do it, so can the NFLs best. If the NFL began in cities like Miami, San Diego, Jacksonville, and Tampa instead of Chicago, Detroit (they and the Vikings need to get outside), Pittsburgh, and Green Bay would it be what it is today. I don't think so. The passion of Bear fans in Los Angeles? Oh wait, I forgot that LA is not represented in the NFL. Think about that one for a minute.
The issue should only be the comfort of the fans. An issue I am familiar with all too well, having sat numb through many a game in the Meadowlands. Perhaps our midwestern brethren can share tips for preparation with us. I have been to games in Chicago, Green Bay, and Pittsburgh. The cold seems to have little effect on their enjoyment. Are they tougher than the rest of us?
Kudos to the NFL. I love Miami, but it's too hot for football.
Warm regards,
KM
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Saturday, December 21, 2013
Sam
I have had too many razors for far too long. So says my wife. She considers this a fact; I consider it an opinion. Nevertheless, "for far too long" she has suggested that I "thin my herd" to ensure its survival. Fearing that my peculiar predilection for collecting all things tonsorial might be threatened, I agreed. So about 15 years ago I began to sell razors at a craft and antique market in Rockland County outside of NYC. This lasted less than a year. Why did it stop you wonder? The same irresistible force that set the plan in motion. My wife put an end to it. In an ironic twist, I bought more razors than I sold. Meeting people wanting to buy razors eventually connected me to people who wanted to sell them. What followed was inevitable.
Which brings me to Sam. Sam was one of the people I met. He was an older gentleman whom I soon realized was suffering from some neurological disease. He and I met when he proposed a trade of his straight razor for one of my old Gillettes. His hands were too shaky to continue using a straight.
His straight was made by Clauss, an old and proud Ohio company that had seen better days. One scale was black, the other a dark olive. He had done this himself because he said it helped him to avoid confusion over which side of his face he was shaving and how he should be gripping the razor. I never quite understood how that helped, but he did. He was obviously quite proud that he was able to outsmart his brain.
I am going to list the razor for sale on OpenRazor, my Etsy shop.It has sat in a box in my study long enough. It needs to breathe, to be useful again. I hope whoever obtains it, uses it well and appreciates it for the fine razor it is. I left the scales as they are. As it is, the razor took care of Sam for a long time. It will do the same for someone else.
Which brings me to Sam. Sam was one of the people I met. He was an older gentleman whom I soon realized was suffering from some neurological disease. He and I met when he proposed a trade of his straight razor for one of my old Gillettes. His hands were too shaky to continue using a straight.
His straight was made by Clauss, an old and proud Ohio company that had seen better days. One scale was black, the other a dark olive. He had done this himself because he said it helped him to avoid confusion over which side of his face he was shaving and how he should be gripping the razor. I never quite understood how that helped, but he did. He was obviously quite proud that he was able to outsmart his brain.
I am going to list the razor for sale on OpenRazor, my Etsy shop.It has sat in a box in my study long enough. It needs to breathe, to be useful again. I hope whoever obtains it, uses it well and appreciates it for the fine razor it is. I left the scales as they are. As it is, the razor took care of Sam for a long time. It will do the same for someone else.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
My first entry
It's been one week and one day since we opened OpenRazor selling vintage razors and shave accessories on Etsy. We sold four razors, 2 vintage Gillettes and two straights. Thanks to our first customers; we are exceedingly grateful for their patronage. I don't really know what to expect. This won't make me a rich man. My only hope for that is the lottery and I don't play. My goal is enrichment. Selfishly for me, but perhaps for others. Presumptuous?....
We sell good quality vintage razors at fair prices. It's important to me that we keep our prices reasonable. I have not yet listed anything too expensive (only a few of the 37 listings are over $100), but do plan to list a few high end straight razors soon. I've been collecting vintage Gillette and straight razors for some time. I've shaved with most of them, and have only sold a few. I'm not a collector or a salesman. If it's anything, it's a hobby. As I get older, I feel like these razors should no longer sit dormant but should be allowed to do what they do--shave. I know that's oddly anthropomorphic, but it is a sincere feeling. I tried eBay, but did not enjoy that experience at all. Etsy seems (so far) very different; much less hectic, much more integrity. I may end up disappointed, ultimately proved wrong. It's not as if that would be a first.
My attraction to vintage razors is about the memories they evoke. Like an old song or a scent. One small trigger sparking an explosive torrent of graphic recollections. People, places, activities. If you're interested or just bored, and I know you are one or the other if you've read this far, stop by and say hello--we're always Open...I hope you do.
openrazor.etsy.com
Warm Regards, KM
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We sell good quality vintage razors at fair prices. It's important to me that we keep our prices reasonable. I have not yet listed anything too expensive (only a few of the 37 listings are over $100), but do plan to list a few high end straight razors soon. I've been collecting vintage Gillette and straight razors for some time. I've shaved with most of them, and have only sold a few. I'm not a collector or a salesman. If it's anything, it's a hobby. As I get older, I feel like these razors should no longer sit dormant but should be allowed to do what they do--shave. I know that's oddly anthropomorphic, but it is a sincere feeling. I tried eBay, but did not enjoy that experience at all. Etsy seems (so far) very different; much less hectic, much more integrity. I may end up disappointed, ultimately proved wrong. It's not as if that would be a first.
My attraction to vintage razors is about the memories they evoke. Like an old song or a scent. One small trigger sparking an explosive torrent of graphic recollections. People, places, activities. If you're interested or just bored, and I know you are one or the other if you've read this far, stop by and say hello--we're always Open...I hope you do.
openrazor.etsy.com
Warm Regards, KM
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