Running a Successful Niche Perfume Store Roundtable ~8 Scentrepeneurs Speak out!

Original illustration of niche and luxury perfumes by Jasia  Julia Nielson of  The Sound of Scent

Today is Labor Day in the USA, a day when most Americans have time off. Entrepreneurs, especially small business owners seldom have that luxury. In our third Round Table discussion (Independent Perfume Companies and Start-up Independent Perfume brands) I wanted to pay homage to the retailers, all with brick and mortar stores that carry niche, artisan and independent fragrancesI asked eight fragrance boutique owners, (six who have been featured in our series WE LOVE THIS STORE) to explain to our readers the challenges and opportunities in running a successful niche perfume store. You must have courage, passion, build a customer base, and emphasize education and in-depth knowledge of your stock. Owning a brick and mortar store takes different skill sets than e-tailing. What do you do when a customer wanders into your shop and asks for Dolce & Gabanna Light Blue? If a client insists they don’t like musk and they end up purchasing one of your muskiest scents, I would imagine there is a special pride in knowing you have changed someone’s perception. That is the power of niche perfume and the stores that devote their shelf space solely to this very small segment of the overall industry –Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief

Ann Onusko of Indigo Perfumery

Cleveland, Ohio: Indigo Perfumery will celebrate its fifth birthday in October. Since its inception, I have been driven by my passion for perfume and its connectivity with nature and the arts. I previously worked as a floral designer and special events decorator, so had intimate knowledge of flowers and fragrance. The inspiration for Indigo was sparked by my visits to Europe where there are perfumeries with niche and artisan perfumes. I thought why not has a perfumery in the middle of America, but to this day, we need to explain daily what a perfumery is and where the fragrances come from. Once our customers begin sniffing, they soon experience the character and personalities that the perfumes offer. Our boutique is full of color and flowers, with each line in its own artistic setting. We believe in the importance of reaching out to the arts world and have had co-hosted several exhibitions with galleries and art students. We also illustrate the beauty of the scents through flowers, as their molecules are an important component of most perfumes.Running a successful niche perfume store is a difficult and  interesting path, with constant challenges along the way. Marketing, budget constraints, inventory balancing, the gray market and decanters keep us on our toes. To remain in the retail end of fragrance, you certainly need to be passionate about the original reason you opened a boutique- because you love perfume!-Ann Onukso, Owner of Indigo Perfumery

Josie Plumey of OsswaldNYC

New York, New York: Osswald NYC is based off the simple premise of offering Swiss hospitality in New York; our flagship store in Zurich – nearly one-hundred years old! – is world-renowned for having consistently been at the forefront of niche and novelty for its entire existence. Thusly, we aim to carry lines that are hard to find elsewhere: either in New York, on the East Coast, or in the US! We just celebrated being open for six years, and we’re incredibly proud of this achievement. Retail in New York is undergoing a scary transformation, and Tanja Dreiding Wallace and I credit the ‘vibe’ of Osswald with keeping us in business. There are a lot of wonderful perfumeries in the city, and we all offer something different – the only competition we have is with rising rents and the incredible vastness of online e-retailers, etc. We feel like we have found our place as this gateway from department store to niche, whether the transition is happening with perfume or skincare. We look not unlike a Bergdorf or Saks, but we offer an open shelf plan and staff that’s incredibly knowledgeable and eager to play and chat, which is one of our secrets in running a successful niche perfume store! Truly, our greatest pride is in how seeing HAPPY our clients are when they walk into the store and when they leave. All we want is for people to come in, learn something new, and leave in love with something new.-Josie Plumey, Buyer and Fragrance Director of OsswaldNYC

Arielle Weinberg of Arielle Shoshanna

Washington D.C.: Arielle Shoshana, D.C.'s first niche fragrance boutique, opened in the Mosaic District of Fairfax, Virginia in 2015. Before I was lucky enough to get to spend my days helping people smell more interesting, I wrote about perfume on Scents of Self, a perfume blog that I started my freshman year of college to distract myself from the fact that I was failing most of my classes. One aspect of running a successful niche perfume store that I think people might find interesting: 87% of Arielle Shoshana customers make only one purchase, ever. Only 13% become repeat customers. However, that 13% is responsible for 36% of our sales! These numbers demand quite a balancing act. The fragrances we choose to carry need to be unconventional enough to keep our disproportionately spendy “fragonerds” interested, but not so challenging that they alienate the other 87%. And when we finally do find that perfect innovative-but-not-too-polarizing niche brand to bring in, it's only a matter of time before the department stores find them, too. It's a hamster wheel of an industry! (A hamster wheel that I am truly grateful to have the opportunity to ride).-Arielle Weinberg, Owner of Arielle Shoshanna

From left to right– Co-owners Tani Kampakum, Claude Gratianne, and employees extraordinaire- Jesus Marin and Alfonso Haro of ZGO Perfumery

In 2010 my partner Tani Kampakum and I decided to pursue our passion and open a business themed around fragrance. A lot has happened in those eight years and we can say that running a successful niche perfume store is not for the faint of heart. There is no doubt that the business environment is more than challenging and the key to success requires continuous self-examination and willingness to grow in new directions. Fortunately, the world of fragrance offers many potential avenues to grow and the mulitiered creative aspects of perfume is what we really enjoy about working in this business. In turn, our pursuit of creating a unique vision of fragrance also has enriched our own lives in ways we didn't initially expect. First, there is an almost bottomless depth of knowledge in perfumery. The science and chemistry of perfume, molecules and materials is a subject that PhD careers can be made of. But the fascination of scent isn't only in the science- but in the artistry and its effect on culture, and us as individuals. Most people are unaware of the power of scent on our state of mind and how we perceive the world around us. We've made it our passion to bring that fascination into a format that we can share with our customers; by the curation of both ZGO Perfumery’s store and website, but especially by the in-store experience. We feel that especially in today's digital and fast paced lifestyle, the brand stories and knowledge we can share are what our customers are what we cherish about the in-store experience. We are really excited about our own (top secret) creations that we have in the works- which has been a journey in itself- and more to follow by October!Claude Gratianne, Co-Owner of ZGO Perfumery

Nir Guy of Perfumology

King of Prussia, Pennsylvania: Perfumology, first opened as a broom-closet shop in 2013, then a kiosk, and finally rebirthed as my dream perfumery in October 2017. Perfumology is located in the King of Prussia Mall in Pennsylvania, surrounded by over seventy brands, shops and department stores selling fragrances of all prices in the building. As the internet strengthened online discounters, more people droned through the halls with a thick veil over their eyes and noses that only big brands existed, with fewer requests for spontaneous purchases from us. Worse, everyone's requests smelled the same, counter to my personal tastes. My curiosity developed for artistic independent brands and drove me to make a serious change. Studying online forums and magazines like CaFleureBon, reading several books, watching and reaching out to YouTube reviewers guided us to the brands we carry today. Perfumology found its home by partnering with unique, high quality fragrance companies. The decision to curate small to midsized brands brought knowledgeable customers in to our shop, who told their friends and grew our business. Our success follows a simple rule: close the gap between niche perfumers and buyers. – Nir Guy, Owner of Perfumology

Tracy Tsefalas and André Gooren of Fumerie

Portland, Oregon: I opened Fumerie Parfumerie in early 2016 after years of hard work and research. Along with all of the usual challenges associated with running a small business and running a successful niche perfume store, as a fragrance boutique one of our biggest challenges has been contending with the vast array of new launches and houses. As an indie boutique, we just can't carry everything; instead we decided to stay true to our vision and offer lines that resonated with us. This approach has been well-received by our customers who appreciate our thoughtfully-curated selection. Before opening Fumerie, I worked in fragrance retail for nearly thirty years. In this time I watched as the industry was consolidated through mergers and acquisitions. With Fumerie, I wanted to get back to the roots of perfumery and present it as an art form. Our boutique is really a celebration of our passion for fragrance and we share this passion with every customer who walks through the door. Both my manager André Gooren and I have a background in fragrance and pride ourselves on our ability to offer a truly unique experience. To this end, we offer monthly events ranging from fragrance swaps to visits by perfumers like Ralf Schwieger and Andy Tauer. Tracy Tsefalas, Owner of Fumerie Parfumerie

Maurice Locke and Bhavika Mistry of Osme Perfumery

Miami, Florida: Running a successful niche perfume store in a new city such as Miami was an exciting endeavor. In a city that is developing and changing so quickly we wanted to make sure we leave a footprint in how we shape it. What we wanted to do were open mainstream customers up to the world of niche perfumery. One of our biggest successes at Osme Perfumery has been the ability to create an experience that customers enjoy and learn from. That experience allows customers to buy into niche perfumery and what it can provide. It’s not only about finding a scent but learning about how fragrances can invoke memories and change how you feel. We always tell people it’s an extension of your personality which can be achieved by picking the right fragrance for that person. The challenges we have faced running a niche perfume store is more related to just starting up a new business and marketing. These business hurdles aren’t specifically related to a niche perfume business but just general business. Specific to marketing it’s more so about finding the right avenues that is the most effective. – Maurice Locke and Bhavika Mistry, Co-Owners of Osme Perfumery

 Eric Weiser and Stamatis Birsimijoglou of Twisted Lily

Brooklyn, N.Y: In 2012 seeds were planted surfacing around the idea of opening an indie perfumery. The seeds blossomed with the encouragement of Michelyn Camen and before we knew it  my partner Stamatis Birsimijoglou and I opened Twisted Lily in the fall of 2013, in the heart of Brooklyn's historic brownstone district; it's been a whirlwind ever since! Despite previous gigs in the industry, nothing could have prepared us for running a successful niche perfume store. The most difficult challenge we face is balancing the business and personal elements of our lives. Twisted Lily is in our blood, it's become a defining element for us and it's been amazing to watch it develop into a retail point of destination. We attract customers from all over the globe as well as serving as a source of inspiration for some industry behemoths (talk about being flattered). Our goal is to provide information to all those seeking it and with no gimmicks. To know Twisted lLly is to know that we are attentive yet laid back, we prefer the term merchandising over curating and Indie over niche!  Merchandising is challenging; each week we have heaps of evaluations to run through. Every line represented in the shop has been chosen for a reason and every item has been tested by our team for quality and uniqueness. I'd call our product mix "sensibly eclectic". We enjoy pushing the envelope for the sake of art, not shock. We want our fragrances to instill feelings of happiness, sensuality or success. Be a Diva, outside the shop, and relish in your scent. Be independent, formulate your own opinions and simply work it!Eric Weiser, Co-Owner of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary

What do you think of our eight panelists in this “Running a Successful Niche Perfume Store round table”? Which quotes, or retailer’s words resonate the most?  Have you shopped in any of our eight small niche perfume boutiques? Let’s be reminded that many of our draws are sponsored by these remarkable and small stores. Please leave a comment in support!!!

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37 comments

  • Thank you for another great “round table”, this time filled with inspiring “success stories”, and smiling faces!
    Reading all those lovely people, it is pretty obvious that they all share a passion for quality perfume, and the eagerness to communicate it to their clients.
    This article globally resonates with me, so I won’t attempt to single out any phrase 🙂
    If I ever make that dream trip to USA, I’d love to visit as many of these boutiques as possible!

  • Thank you for this Amazing insight into Indie perfume shops in US! It is interesting in comparison with Italy (aka the land of Niche perfume shops): nowadays we have in the wealthiest Italian region more shops than in the Whole USA I guess. As many highlighted, the product mix is a key for success and I strongly admire and support brave choices nowadays where most tend to be conservative on the “niche cash cows”. I am sure in the end that’s what makes the diffenrece with most competitors and that builds a real connection with customers, which is the best and the most difficult asset.

  • I have only had the privilege of going to Fumerie in Portland. It is a wonderful store. I have also dealt with them on the phone and they’ve been more than generous with their information time help and samples. I love that independent stores are out there may they thrive!

  • Thank you so much for featuring our shop! Each of us seem to express similar challenges and successes. We all want to bring in more customers while maintaining our identity through unique offerings. Those of us who with the passion for our business, enough to develop relationships between vendors and customers, are most successful.

  • All these stores are build on the passion we all as perfume lovers can resonate with and would wish to be able to also work in this field. It is a struggle I believe to keep up as a small business. However the passion and knowledge is what makes it work and keep up.
    I have visited Osswald in NYC and they are amazing. True to the statement above, very knowledgeable staff and a service beyond great!
    Twisted Lily is my place to go for american indie brands which one can barely get anywhere else (I’m living in Germany). Great selection and flawless service! One of the fee whi are able to ship to Europe. Thumbs up!

  • I’ve been to Osswald and Twisted Lily like dozens of times as a customer , and i love both places.
    Josey is the heart and soul of Osswald , plus they are the only NY boutique … as far as i know that do carry Amouroud fragrances.
    Not familiar with the owners of Twisted Lily , but i do know Krista and Carla and i do like both a lot.Last 2 times Carla was not at the store , but only Krista and … a bit shy asian girn , and i’m not sure she’s still working there.
    Good luck to all of you guys

  • Roger Engelhardt says:

    Great article! It is such a pleasure to walk into a fragrance boutique that actually has something I want to try!!
    I have bought from Osswald, Indigo and Twisted Lily, and they all send a good amount of samples with a purchase!!
    I will need to try the others on the list, I am all for supporting these entrepreneurs!!
    Best wishes to all❤️

  • As a self-employed business owner for almost 40 years, I applaud the extraordinary dicipline and work ethic of these wonderful shop keepers. Nothing gives more satisfaction than the look of delight on a customers face when being led to and discovering something new, especially with perfume! Brick and morter is still so relevent, and supporting small businesses insures there are small businesses to support in the future. Bravo to each and every one of these dedicated entrepreneurs!

  • I really enjoyed getting to know more about the people behind these great shops. Thank you for another fascinating round table. And yes, brick & mortar is still so relevant!LG

  • I haven’t had a chance to visit any in person, but I have had fabulous on-line experiences with Indigo Perfumery, Osswald NYC, and Fumerie Parfumerie. <3 The others are all on my radar as well, now.

  • This is such a amazing article! Not all of us have the courage to pursue our passion and I greatly admire all of your featured guests. We oftentimes just go with the tide because we are afraid of failure. As some of them said, pursuing your passion in niche/indie perfumery is not for the faint of heart. I am hoping for the continued success of all your featured scentrepreneurs. I’d love to read more articles like this. Thanks, Cafleurebon!

  • Jonathan Bittner says:

    Great job on this article. It was awesome to see you Nir and your store Perfumology featured.

  • Monica Beaton says:

    Amazing article and what a group of passionate people. It’s hard for any small business to flourish, but selling indie and niche fragrances is so difficult. The awareness is growing, but there are still too many people who stay on the “mainstream” road and don’t take a chance on these incredible creations. Thank you for another well written story highlighting a great bunch of independents.

  • BostonScentGuy says:

    Thank you for this feature spotlight on small niche stores! I’m sad I left the Philly area before Perfumology opened, but perhaps I’ll make it to Kop sometime. New York is my closest mecca (waiting for Boston to get a wonderfully curated boutique). Josie at Osswald is so welcoming and wonderful–the last time I was there I was feeling guilty about asking for a free sample and she wouldn’t let me leave without one! That and Twisted Lily have the best customer service in the city!

  • Thank you, Cafleurebon, for supporting the small shops. Yes, the online experience is important, but when we make personal connections and assist our customers in the store, eye to eye, that is the best experience. Watching them discover is priceless.

  • I have previously purchased from Osswald, Indigo, Perfumology. Twisted Lily, and Arielle Shoshana. This morning I received a text that my first Osme order has been delivered, so exciting!. I am glad to see that you have featured ZGO and Fumerie in this article, they are new to me so I will investigate, as I just did with Osme following a previsou Cafleurebon article. I appreciate how that although much of the same ground is covered niche-wise between the businesses, each has their own corner and is able to provide unique offerings–I am always surprised and delighted to discover something off the beaten path. Especially for someone like me who lives far from any of these locations, being able to purchase samples at a reasonable price and get them shipped to my home allows me to participate in the fragrant universe. I can’t WAIT to get home tonight to tear into the Osme box!

  • So excited for this fabulous article. I’ve purchased from a few of these perfume shops and was delighted to discover more. Thank you. One day, my life is full now, I’ll be planning a few road trips ◇♡♧♤☆

  • Lovely to get to “meet” our shop owners. Ive had my perceptions changed by a conversation about Tracy”s tattoo which features all her favorite notes. I now love patchouli. I love Eric”s quote to be a diva and relish my scent. Today I will wear my most unique scent “Nuit DE Bakelite” and totally work it. Thank you shop owners for your sponsorship. I hope to visit each shop in my travels. I always Google perfume shops as I make my travel plans.

  • A great article about the business of Niche perfumery. I have never been to any of these stores in person but I have purchased from Osswald NYC, Twisted Llly I have yet to purchase from the other Niche perfume shops. Thank you Cafleurebon for the article

  • What a great article. I love supporting small, independent businesses. It was interesting to get to “meet” the humans behind these labors of love. To open a store with such a specific focus takes a lot of faith in our ever-homogenizing world. We fragrance lovers are lucky these shop owners are so dedicated to the art.

  • Great idea to “meet” the owners of these wonderful businesses, great timing too! I’ve purchased online from Indigo, Twisted Lilly & Osme. A small business – has to work to offer better quality, value and unique ideas. Each of these delivers and then some. If I lived near – I would totally be involved in their education and social events too. Wonderful to know about the other stores too. I’ve wondered about who the clientele are and enjoyed hearing Arielle’s statistics. Thanks for such a great article and thanks to the owners for all you do!

  • I love supporting small businesses the service is always personal and genuine, its great to get a glimpse of what inspires these wonderful business owners.

  • I found the quote from Arielle Weinberg quite interesting: it was a bit shocking to learn that only 13% become repeat customers but, on the other hand, those thirteen keep coming for more (aren’t we all here?). I wish all of these business owners the best of luck, perfume business is a challenging one but it’s worth it.

  • I live in NY so of course Twisted Lily and osswald are my go tos. I have shared this article with my brother in Miami and my college friend in Portland. I also sent them each a wish list of fragrances. I plan on sampling from Perfumology since they have such a smaller selection but eying White Queen ever since Cafleurebon wrote about it but I don’t see it!! Maybe eau my soul then. I have lusted for stilletos on lex since the summer from indigo. Loved that photo of Ann with flowers. Shay and blue is also a good choice for me.
    Thank you for this very important article and to the Scentrepeneurs you all rock

  • Hi Flippi! I put up White Queen on our site, with the rest of our selection from the brand going up tomorrow. Thank you so much for visiting our site and looking in to our selection. Please contact me at nir@perfumologyshop.com if you have any questions about 4160Tuesdays, White Queen, or anything I can help you with.

  • What a great article! I have bought from a few of these retailers and have always been delighted. I love it when they include a handwritten note! I appreciate the “curating” aspect of what these knowledgeable sellers do, as I have learned a lot from their websites. Their businesses are clearly a labor of love, and that shines through. Thank you for sharing your passion with the rest of us!

  • Wonderful article, won a draw from Osswald in NYC and got some lovely samples s well, too bad the last time I visited a friend in Zurich I wasn’t as aware of scent so I didn’t visit their store there. Then you for all your work introducing and supporting sites and houses such as these!

  • It is through the generosity of these extraordinary human beings, posing as businesses, which provide a portal through which we, writer and reader, merge in mutual sensorial bliss and surely without which, words would prove point the ambiguity of a supposed olfactory vernacular.

    The largesse of their passion to disseminate what is at it’s reductive end – art, if not beauty itself-is the calling card and curation (if you will excuse the term) of our own editor-in-chief, Michelyn Camen.

    My gratitude for doing business and more endlessly delightful, having dove deeply into the art of perfumery remains with the dealers of the aromatic arts and again, my light and love to Ann Onusko of Indigo Perfumery and Stamatis Birsimijoglou along side Eric Weiser of Twisted Lily for our many liaisons* and those who support your aesthetic hunting and gathering; through you we touch the artist perfumers both known and coveted and unknown yet soon to be a new and glorious addiction. You are dealers of a daring, eternally new drug: consumable art, as witnessed by these quotes:

    “We believe in the importance of reaching out to the arts world and have had co-hosted several exhibitions with galleries and art students.” -Anne Onusko

    “I wanted to get back to the roots of perfumery and present it as an art form.” -Tracy Tsefalas

    ~~~~~~~
    *Twisted Lily:

    New Fragrance Review: Hiram Green Arbolé Arbolé +The Perfume of Seduction Draw

    New Perfume Review: Hiram Green Dilletante + The Giving Tree Draw

    Andy Tauer Sotto La Luna Gardenia -The Winners

    Indigo Perfumery:

    On the Radar: Editions Perfumes She Came To Stay- New Fragrance Review + Simone de Beauvoir Draw

    New Perfume Review: Shangri La by Hiram Green “Chypre Found” Draw + #ShopSmall Indigo Perfumery 20 % Off Storewide for our Readers

  • One day if I ever get to the US I would love to visit some of these stores! We don’t have quite the same here in Melbourne – Only a small handful of boutiques and of course the big business I work for that has some niche brands. But there are just some brands that are impossible to get in Australia…one day!!

  • Long Island Queen says:

    what a great presentation of ways to present perfumes to a welcoming public.
    Never knew that there were such great boutiques out there…nice to visit, browse and shop!
    thanks for making them known.

  • I have had the pleasure of shopping at ZGO and Osme, as well as Osswalds in Zurich and online at Perfumology. The perfume of course is what brought me there but the integral part of what brings me back are the interactions and conversations. I’ve found fragrance nerds like myself love to talk about their fragrances just as much as they like wearing them. I was quite surprised by the statistics Arielle shared. Very eye opening. I’m also jealous that Fumerie in Portland hosts fragrance swaps! Thank you to all the perfumeries.

  • I live near San Francisco and am a regular at ZGO. Claude and his teammate so great and never pushy. They also have great candles there which I buy as gifts. If I make it to NYC I want to go to Twisted Lily. I also buy from indigo online as Ann is so knowledgable and sends tons of samples which I end up buying bottles
    This is a wonderful article and I hope everyone supports these small stores

  • Lots here to think about! Sometimes I fantasize about having my own perfume store with a thousand and one fantastical fragrances… Curating would be really tough I would imagine.

    I wish I could visit them all!
    It’s wonderful that the fragrance community in real life and online is so vibrant and growing.

  • Thanks for highlighting these fabulous shops. I had the pleasure of meeting Josie at Osswald – she was super knowledgeable and very fun! I’ve been to Arielle Shoshanna’s shop as well and was pleased to meet and talk with Arielle. I’ve ordered from Twisted Lily and Indigo, as well. I have some things in my shopping cart right now from ZGO! Thank you to all!

  • Love this article! I’ve bought from several of these stores, online or in person, and I’ve never had an experience that was anything but delightful. The passion and commitment of their owners/managers show, from their websites to the personal notes that come with an order, often with a sample or two suggesting another fragrance to try. Thanks to all of these retailers for supporting this blog and the draws!