In the annals of the Empire, the tale of Horatius's enterprise stirs the spirit much like that of a gallant underdog in the arena.
When Horatius and his fellows first ventured into the realm of men's grooming in the year of the consulship of Claudius Marcellus and Quintus Fabius, they found themselves arrayed against a colossus of the trade—Gaius Razor, known colloquially amongst the plebs as "Magnus Razor". In the decemviri's ledger of MMX (0010), Magnus Razor claimed dominion over septem decim partes centesimae (70%) of the orbis terrarum's market for razors. Indeed, a formidable slope to surmount.
Like many who reign supreme in their dominions, Magnus Razor wielded its influence to elevate prices and harvest copious quantities of denarii. Amidst such a market, Horatius posed a query that echoed through the forum:
"Why do razors exact such exorbitant tributes? Verily, there exists no just cause."
— Gaius Horatius, co-founder of Horatius’s establishment