Let's be honest; I like men," says Graham Bingham, a likable man himself. The co-owner of Momentum Advanced Grooming Solutions (1237 Burrard Street), which he runs with his partner in life and work, Robert Graham, is sitting in a stylish black-leather chair in the cleanly designed shop. The atmosphere is relaxed and manly, with a subtle barbershop ambience. A selective mix of skin care, shaving, fragrance, and men's makeup products is displayed on well-lit, uncluttered shelves. Unlike so many trendy lifestyle stores downtown, the atmosphere here isn't nightclub, it's men's club.

"We're not a volume store," says Bingham. Instead, these guys aim for the best. For example, they carry the Sharps Barber and Shop and Anthony Logistics for Men lines of personal-care items, which both received favourable reviews in this column. "We give very personalized service," Bingham explains. "What are the issues? Is it shaving, aging, or acne? Rather than selling a customer all one brand, we prefer to find a mix of products that will address his particular issues."

To determine what works best, Bingham and his partner often give a new customer a selection of samples. This consideration has paid off. It's well-documented that when it comes to style items, once men find something they like, they stick with it. Plus, given that men tend to be less comfortable disclosing intimate personal details, it's vital to build a relationship based on trust. And even though Momentum is around the corner from the West End gaybourhood, most of its customers are straight men.

"We get a lot of guys from the perimeter of the city coming in, and from as far away as Edmonton and Calgary," Bingham notes. "Often, at first, men are shy about coming in and only do because of their wife or girlfriend. Once they start to feel comfortable, they're hooked."

During our conversation, Bingham jumps up to help a couple of customers. Both of them are handsome, mid-thirty-ish, in good shape, and well-dressed. One is looking for a dependable skin cream with sunscreen. The other is after a proper razor to shave his head, and a lotion to prevent shiny scalp. Bingham makes several recommendations to each of them, and it's easy to see that they appreciate the soft-sell approach and product knowledge.

"It's not luxury, it's not pampering," Bingham says. "It's proper skin-care and shaving techniques, which have for so long been taken for granted. We get guys coming in who say, 'My father never taught me how to shave. What am I doing wrong?' People forget that except for a brief period of time in the 20th century, men historically have always been big on grooming."

Like many of the maverick proprietors of the new style stores for men popping up all over Vancouver, Bingham and his partner do not come from a fashion or grooming background. Bingham was a telecommunications project manager, and Graham was an office administrator for an executive-recruitment firm. They both wanted a change.

"We're just making it up as we go along," Bingham says. "We were so nervous the day we tore down the paper on our window and opened the door. We didn't know what to expect."

Passion made up for their initial lack of knowledge. They researched, researched, and researched some more, to figure out what local men needed and didn't have. As well, they tested-and continue to test-every single product on themselves. Bingham can tell you everything you need to know about your skin type, its pH balance, and alkaline levels, and show you the moisturizer, toner, shaving cream, and procedures that will make you look your best. There are still a lot of soap-and-water fellas out there who are worried that they'll appear Queer Eye fey or George Hamilton artificial. Momentum is trying to turn around that weary prejudice.

"Men have felt that they have to suffer through these [skin and shaving] problems," Bingham observes. "They'll think nothing of spending $1,500 on a suit, but won't spend a dime on their number-one asset, their skin. But now they're starting to become aware that their appearance is crucial to their business and social life. Our goal is not just to sell but also to find solutions. I like to think that we're not cookie-cutter, that we are authentic."

Momentum's products, selected on the basis that they are environmentally responsible and contain natural ingredients, include the Brave Soldier athletic-skin-care line. Developed by a California dermatologist and extreme-sports enthusiast, it features products such as face-and-body Shower Shave ($23.50 for 177 millilitres), which is packed with lubricants; Antiseptic Healing Ointment ($18.50 for 28 grams), formulated with botanicals designed to speed the healing of road rash and reduce scarring; and antibacterial Friction Zone cream ($24 for 100 millilitres), which protects your skin from chafing caused by cycling shorts, wet suits, 'boarding gear, et cetera. The store also carries "undetectable" makeup for men, such as clear Lash and Brow Styling Glaze ($18 for 0.6 grams) and Confidence Correctors under-eye cover-up ($33 for nine grams), both from 4VOO Distinct Man. In addition, Bingham says Momentum is the exclusive Canadian retailer for a|MEN|ity, Moxie for Men, and True Gentlemen.