Cream of the crop: shaving cream online Cream of the crop: shaving cream online (December 24, 2003)

By Jane Knoerle

Almanac Staff Writer

Mark Williams of Menlo Park has launched a new online retail store, ShavingCream.com, featuring shaving creams and men's and women's toiletries from around the world.

After spending the past year and a half developing his idea, Mr. Williams took ShavingCream.com live on December 6.

The store offers 350 products from 15 brands originating in London, Paris, Provence, Milan, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

There are more than 25 shaving creams, gels, foams and soaps for men, including Acca Kappa's Cedar Shave Cream from Italy and Nickel's Smooth Operator Shave Gel from Paris. The store also sells a line of products from Sharp's of New York, which People Magazine reports is a favorite of the Hollywood set, says Mr. Williams.

Products for women include Jack's Girl Shave Silk from Jack Black. Lip balms, hand creams, room sprays, sun care items and liquid soaps are also featured. The shampoos and conditioners for women are designed for specific hair types, such as long hair, blond hair, curly or frizzy hair.

Mr. Williams' idea came about after he bought English shaving cream on a family trip to London. Later that year, while employed in a corporate job, he decided to develop a business where he could capitalize on the Internet's expanding retail sales market. He says current industry research shows a growing demand for men's grooming products.

Mr. Williams is the son of the late Elissa and Gary T. Williams of Wank Williams and Neylan Advertising, a Menlo Park firm for nearly 30 years. Mr. Williams and his wife, Sally, and their two children, Jackson and Elissa, live in Menlo Park.

Both Mark and Sally (Wood) were raised in Menlo Park and in 2001 returned to his childhood neighborhood, Suburban Park.

All of Mr. Williams' four siblings are entrepreneurs. His brother Scott runs an acting company in London; brother Clay is a commercial director; Gary is a voiceover artist; and Lisa designs and produces her own line of greeting cards.

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