Short Version: The Art of Shaving is a mall store that is trying very hard to be something it's not - a small, socially-conscious vendor of premium quality artisanal wet shave products. In reality it's a thinly-concealed subsidiary brand of Procter & Gamble owners of Gillette-brand razors designed to hype their crappy products to millenials, who won't buy a P&G brand but will pay a massive 80-150% markup vs. Internet prices so long as they think they're signifying social virtue with the brand they choose. The fact that they chose a mall location further proves their reliance on deception and "a mook a minute" instead of repeat business and small-business oriented ethics. Long Version: Wet shaving today is mostly urban millenials who are trying to reconnect with their gender's manly, powerful past via old tymey things like beard growing, woodworking & straight razor shaving with soap and brush. But, like regular yuppies, these guys are still politically-minded creatures and like to hear words like "organic" and "hand-crafted" and "artisan". They like to think of themselves as "socially conscious buyers", who only patronize companies that engage in "holistic commerce" that respects 3rd world workers. And they'll pay out the wazoo to support those ideals, because they've got the money to spend. Problem? Art of Shaving isn't a local business, it's not socially conscious and it's not artisan. It's a national chain outlet started by Procter & Gamble to according to their jobs page "capture the forefront of the rapidly expanding men's grooming industry". Translated, that reads: "Create a new brand name to sell our razors and soaps that doesn't have the same corporate baggage among millennials as P&G does, because that sales market is getting hot right now and there's money to be made." Keep in mind this is the same Procter & Gamble who Amnesty International accused of knowingly importing millions of dollars worth of Indonesian palm oil produced using unfree child labor in preference to the approved, inspected plantations. P&G--who saved millions by buying the dodgy Indonesian oil and passed 0% of it on to customers--denies any foreknowledge or obligation in the matter. Rainforest Rescue also estimates that they, directly or indirectly, are responsible for more permanently destroyed tropical rainforest than any American company in history. Not exactly a great pedigree to sell to fussy millenials, eh? Unless you're trying to buy a mandatory, formal, visibly-expensive gift for a shallow person who doesn't actually care all that much about substance vs appearance your boss maybe, you can skip the 60-150% markup and just buy P&G's crappy soap and razors from Walmart like everyone else.
I had no idea there was so many shaving products before entering this store.
