Last April Dapper Dragon announced on their Facebook page:
Scaling Back and Changing Focus
After considerable discussion and deliberation, I have made the decision to move out of the traditional shaving market.
Sonya and I don’t have the time, energy or enthusiasm for the project that we once did. So I will be turning soap making back into what it originally was – a hobby pursuit that I enjoyed for its own sake.
I will still be listing some of my output on Etsy, if you’re interested, but with no planned schedule or quantity goals.
Our wet shaving customers have been supportive and encouraging, and I thank everyone who has tried our products and shared news about them with friends.
I think that’s a good call. It’s hard to break through to an established brand, and at some point deciding not to continue to push but simply to do it at an enjoyable level is wise. Otherwise, anguish and burnout are likely outcomes.
Chance, as in the whims of the market, plays a role. Dapper Dragon’s shaving soap is certainly good, but despite the nice name, the soap never caught the popular imagination.
So today’s shave is a kind of envoi to the Dragon, from Terre du Dragon, its lather aroused by the Emperor 3.
Three passes with Charcoal”s Edwin Jagger head, no longer offered, on a Wolfman handle, no longer offered, made my face perfectly smooth. A splash of Executive Man from Stirling Soap Company (which I believe he got from Strop Shoppe when that little enterprise folded), and a rainy and overcast day is off to a somewhat sombre start.