In early 2023 we counted what was on this shelf and found seventy two products, of which we had personally used nineteen.
That number is the whole story of what a small salon shop becomes if nobody stops it. Distributors offer volume prices, volume prices need shelf space, and shelf space fills with things nobody in the room can speak about honestly.
We sent back what could go back, sold the rest at what it cost us, and reopened the shelf with twenty six products. The season that followed was our worst and the year after was our best.
What we learned is that a customer can tell the difference between somebody selling and somebody recommending, faster than we expected, and that the shelf being short is itself the reason people trust what is on it.