An Interview With Gary At The Shoebox Shave Shop!

I certainly had an enjoyable transaction with Gary this week. The order was meticulously packed as discussed in the interview. Ordered some shaving cream and aftershave I have wanted to try for a long time. Package got here quicker and anticipated, and of course there was a personal thank you for the order handwritten on the packing slip.

Thanks for the interview and thanks, Gary! :signs107

 

Because of this article, I sent in an order last Friday. I have never received such fantastic service from anybody. Things were packed to withstand a bomb blast and arrived a LOT sooner than I expected. Since I was a first time customer, I wasn't expecting the extra goodies that were in the box, but they were appreciated very much. I know who will be getting the bulk of my business now!

 

This was a great interview and I thank you for doing it. I have done business with Gary on more than one occasion and it has always been a great experience.

 

Gary was always a fantastic person with whom to do business, and a genuinely nice guy. Surfing on over to Shoebox Shaveshop recently, I was shocked to find that Gary had passed away.

From the Marietta Daily Journal, Feb 20, 2018:

"Gary Gene Gwynn of Acworth, GA. died on Saturday February 17, 2018 after a long battle with Heart Failure Disease. He was born in Anderson, IN. on October 24, 1949 he was 68 years. Gary was a well accomplished professional he had a Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana University. Gary was as a Computer Analyst who enjoyed his career very much.

We are all going to miss him dearly, he is survived by his wife Luvian Gwynn of Acworth, GA. Stepson’s Clayton Tumbleson of Acworth, GA. and Kriss Tumbleson of Miami, FL. His sister Kay Lever of Anderson, IN."

https://www.mdjonline.com/obituarie...cle_18c7399e-16ac-11e8-919a-e74693d0a1ee.html

Rest in peace, Gary. You were one of the good ones, and will be greatly missed.

 

Thank you @Shaver X for bringing this to our attention. I bought my first brush from The Shoebox Shave Shop, an Omega 40033. I really enjoy and prefer doing business with theses shops that that treat you like a friend or family rather than just a way to make money.

 

Oh, wow. I have spent many years of my life living with the thought that I was born to die, and living every day just prolongs the process.

As it stands now, my wife is dead and so now is one of my first traditional wet shaving equipment suppliers.

Bummer.

 

Somehow I’ve missed this interview during the 6 years or so I’ve been on The Shave Den until tonight. I really enjoyed reading the interview, and was saddened to learn of this gentleman’s passing.

 

Sadly, Giovanni Abrate, whom Gary mentioned in the OP, has also passed away.

From this Facebook page:

Today we lost a valued member of this group, Giovanni Abrate after a long battle with cancer.
He was an amazing human being who had talents most of us can only imagine. Through this group a year or so ago we connected and then realized that we’d tangentially known each other for years both in the UK and the US!
He had an incredible camera collection - mostly Zeiss Ikon.
He was a fantastic photographer, a commercial pilot (with a qualification to fly the Goodyear Blimp which he did for several years!), a highly skilled watch (think Rolexes etc.) repair craftsman, and, for this group, probably the best Contax repair guy on the planet. He was always happy to share his expertise with anyone with a humility that was inspiring.
RIP Giovanni - I for one will miss you dearly.​

Giovanni will be greatly missed in the traditional wetshaving world, too. For those of you who don't know, Giovanni brought a huge array of traditional wetshaving gear to the USA. At a time when razor, brush, soap/cream, razor blade, and aftershave options were few and far between, he was like a shaving gear Prometheus. That was especially true for Italian brands such as Omega Proraso, Cella, and many others. His online store, Barbiera Italiana also carried a huge selection of blades, many of which people in North America had not heard of before. He also had a forum for awhile, Razor & Brush. Truly one of the good ones, and an early pioneer in the early 2000s traditional shaving revival.