STORE ON CUTTING EDGE ART OF SHAVING PROVIDES MEN'S GROOMING PRODUCTS.

Byline: JULIA M. SCOTT Staff Writer

You can fork over a few bucks buying pens, watches, even sunglasses. But when purchasing a men's razor, high-end products can be hard to find.

Art of Shaving, opening Oct. 6 at the Westfield Topanga mall, is making the search a tad easier.

``We're just offering men the opportunity to upgrade their daily ritual,'' said Eric Malka, CEO of The Art of Shaving, a boutique claiming to be the first national chain that sells men's grooming products.

Can a store built around razors really stay in business?

Specialty stores, like those for coffee, perfume or pens, can make good business sense, according to analyst Doug Christopher at Crowell, Weedon & Co.

``You just have to do it right,'' Christopher said. ``You treat your customers right, you have a good business model ... there's an opportunity for anything.''

Art of Shaving capitalizes on a growing group of straight men who have fashion sense and keep themselves well-groomed, lightly referred to as metrosexuals.

But the store is also a throwback to barber shops where men could indulge in straight razor shaves in a male-oriented atmosphere.

Luxury creams, oils and razors will appeal to many men, the majority of whom are clean shaven, Christopher said.

``I think a great shave is something that everyone would like to do,'' Christopher said. ``That's how they pamper themselves.

Stores like The Sharper Image and Brookstone offer high-end electric razors in the $150 to $250 range, but those ``dry'' shavers don't compare to the ``wet'' razors in his store, Malka said.

He started one store with his wife, Myriam, 10 years ago in New York. She designs the products; he runs the business.

The store caught on early after media attention and has grown to 14 stores nationwide, including one in Century City and another opening in San Francisco next week. Select stores offer haircuts.

The store in Canoga Park will be their third in the state. It is slated to open as part of a new wing in the Topanga mall that opens after an investment of $500 million by Westfield and individual retailers.

Many of the mall's retailers, including a brand-new Nordstrom and a Neiman Marcus scheduled to open in 2008, are aimed at upscale shoppers.

The Art of Shaving will fit right in.

The boutique's most popular item is shaving cream. A 5.3-ounce supply costs $22, a far cry from the classic brand Barbasol, which costs $3 for two 11-ounce canisters.

Razors, the kind without batteries, range from $45 to $250. Brushes, which Malka claims are ``key to a perfect shave,'' can be had for $50 to $250. On the deluxe end, a sterling silver brush stand that comes with razor and brush, goes for $3,400.

The sterling razor and all the boutique's handle razors are compatible with the Gillette Mach 3, an $8 investment.

Gillette, which is owned by Procter & Gamble, is not affiliated with The Art of Shaving.

``No one seems to be making blades better than Gillette,'' Malka said. ``If we did not make our razors to fit the Gillette blade, nobody would want them.''

julia.scott(at)dailynews.com

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3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) A sterling silver shaving set with a badger-hair brush and Gillette Mach 3 razor that sells for $3,400 is one of the items at the Art of Shaving store in Century City.

(2 -- color) Miguel Rojas of Los Angeles checks out shaving creams at the Art of Shaving store in Century City. The chain of upscale men's boutiques will open a shop at the Westfield Topanga shopping mall in Canoga Park.

(3 -- color) The Art of Shaving chain has a shop in Century City. The chain of upscale men's boutiques will open a shop at the Westfield Topanga shopping mall in Canoga Park.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer