Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Marshak.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jason. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My dad was Dr. Rubin, a family practice doctor who set up an East Los Angeles clinic in the 50’s. During the second World War (yep) he developed a hair pomade for the guys in his unit using natural oils. He never started a business or anything with the formula, they just needed hair stuff. After the war, he got busy livin’, as they say, and started the clinic serving lower income East LA (it’s still there), had a family- and then went bald! So the pomade formula was put away.
I came up in the rockabilly scene, back when you had to be a real live weirdo (and proud of it) to live like that everyday. We were always looking for something slick and shiny, so back then I put Vaseline in my hair. I remember these incredible amounts of hair would fall out onto my textbooks. It was then that I started using my dad’s WWII pomade formula. Turns out it was cleaner and smelled amazing, and as a bonus my hair didn’t fall out; it actually became healthier. Friends wanted some, and their friends wanted some, too, and so on…
So now, even though we’re still a small operation by every stretch of the word, Dr. Rubin’s is sold in cities all over the world. We still make most everything by hand here. We try to hand out free pomades and all the other weird stuff we make, as much as we can afford. Some of the newer cats got into pomades after we gave ’em free stuff, which is really cool. I remember my dad would see patients for free or take pozole as payment. Like, all of the time. I still run into people who recognize the name or my face and they start crying as they remember him. My mom is a good woman, too. Funny how they find each other. If you take me to dinner we can talk more about it.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Like any business, it has smooth roads and bumpy ones. I always tell people I’m stressed and insane and exhausted and I love it.
As more ringing gel companies have become popular the market has definitely grown more competitive (We make a pretty darn good one). Simply put, we make the best lip balm in Los Angeles. Other than that, I’ve been told that I always smell good.
Dr. Rubin’s – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We make by hand our famous hair pomades, and the best candles, and probably the only lip balm you’ll ever need to buy. Also, facial hair products, skin salves and scrubs, and tonics. We also make a bunch of other bizarre stuff, some of it set to music and/or poetry. I know. What does that even mean? It’s crazy. It all is. I wish I had a better way to explain it.
We are extremely proud of all of the stuff we make. It takes precious hours and hours and we stand behind it all. We try our darndest to fix anything you’re not entirely happy with. Smell good with us!
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I was in line for Space Mountain and a guy and girl in front of me had on Dr. Rubin’s shirts. She in black and he in white. Ha and they weren’t even related to me! I gave ’em all the lip balms and stickers I had on me and sent them a bunch of free stuff when I got back.
Pricing:
- Pomades = $7-25 Lip balms = $2-5 Candles $7-25
Contact Info:
- Website: www.DrRubins.com; www.DrRubinsPomade.com
- Phone: (626) 552-9169
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: DRRUBINSPOMADE
- Facebook: facebook.com/drrubins
- Twitter: @drrubins
Image Credit:
Dr. Rubin’s Los Angeles
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