(Originally
appeared in the July 1, 2004 edition of the Century City News)
by Krystina Price
I had some free time
and although finding an electric shaver was part of a future plan, I decided
scope out Larry’s Shaver Shop in Santa Monica.
I was warmly welcomed into the blade world by Don Dillon’s great smile
and sculpted bald head. This man was
made to be bald! The room lit up when
Don got behind the counter - I had so much to learn.
Larry’s Shaver Shop has been in Santa Monica for over 50
years. The first shop opened in 1953 at
the Horace Heidt Arcade on 3rd Street between Wilshire and Arizona. Horace
Heidt was a bandleader in the 30’s and 40’s, and later pioneered a talent show
in the early days of TV in Los Angeles. The
shop was moved to 321 Wilshire a few years later where it stood for 23 years,
then moved to the corner of the 800 block of Wilshire - before the Northridge
quake, and now to its present location at 821 Wilshire in Santa Monica. Don’s been in the family business here since
1980. That’s was when Don answered the call
to help sister and 80-year-old step-grandmother run the store in California
when his brother-in law, Larry Holmes, “got sick”. Until then, Nancy, Don’s wife, had never
traveled more than 13 miles from her home in Iowa, and wasn’t thrilled about
their impending move. But that was more
than 20 years ago, she’s settled down since then. It turned out to be such a good idea that
Don’s niece, Marsha Okerlund, opened her own store in Hawthorne.
I had already researched various brands of electric shavers
shown in store ads with a wide variety of prices and although I was on a
limited budget, I wanted to “do the right thing” for my man’s beard, so I was
ready to listen, and he was all mine.
Who knew that men were into a triple/quadruple edge, wet
shave? Men hate shaving? For no reason, watching a man shave turns me
on. However, Don reminds me that men
have different beards, and some need to shave 3 or 4 times a day so they want
to make it as enjoyable as possible. I hear today’s shavers don’t compare to
the shavers of 25-30 years ago and some men consider their shavers their best
friend. The older generation seems to be especially heartbroken when they hear
their favorite can’t be fixed. Some men are
still using their fathers or grandfathers razors! What? My Dad used a single edge razor. He was a romantic character that used a razor
strap that hung on its own hook in the bathroom. Watching him shave on Sunday morning is one
of the most cherished moments of my life, even though Mother sometimes used it as
“the equalizer” in the afternoon. His
old shaving brush and cup still grace my bathroom.
Although a Grundig brand can only be purchased at shaver
& specialty shops, it’s hands down, the BEST shaver made these
days. Grundig, reminds me of my Dad’s short
wave radio with a record player built into the cabinet… where I played my first
albums: Ray Charles and The Beatles… The
most popular brand is NORELCO. But the
trick is to customize your beard to an electric shaver. You’ve got to get your beard to grow straight
OUT - rather than UP. After that the
choice is yours.
At Larry’s Shaver Shop, they like to make sure you’re the
right match for the shaver you buy. That’s why they want you to sample your
shaver with your own beard - in the store.
They want you to come in with a beard and try the shaver they match you
up with. They want you stop by for a
quick Braun clean up, or take care of a 2 day buzz with maybe, a
Panasonic. Bring in our old
favorite. Maybe they can fix it in-shop
or forward to the factory for you. No
need to bother with the packaging and post office lines. What a concept! You can’t do that online.
After a few close shaves, men make their purchases, knowing
they’ll come back again because it’s all been such a great experience. Don
and Clyde Helphrey, who plans on taking over the store someday, understand, and
cater greatly to their customers. Some
of the famous faces who’ve stopped by in the past include: George Carlin,
Anthony Quinn, Ricardo Montelbaun, Hal Lindon, Ray Walston, and Mark
Harmon. Kathryn Ross stopped by not long
ago to purchase a pocket knife. Don tells me that they would love to have more
females stop in. They carry a nice
assortment of Caswell-Massey products, beautiful German manicure sets and the
finest cooking and camping knives. You
can even bring in your own cutlery for sharpening. Brands to buy include:
Henkel, Kycera, Kershaw, Syderco, Benchmade, Cold Steel, and the trusty Swiss
Army Knife.
I’m hooked. Don
considers his customers like family and some act like Larry’s is their personal
toy store. If they get busy, a regular
might stick around to help out a new customer or help himself behind the
counter. Don brings back the luxury of neighborly service. Don’t miss it. For
a limited time, they are offering a 15 % off coupon.
Open from Monday – Friday 9:00 to 5:30,
Saturday’s from 9-5
Larry’s Shaver Shop The
Shaver Shop
821 Wilshire Blvd. 17516
Hawthorne Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401 Torrance,
CA 90504
310 393 3291 310
370 3373
