So, some people are visual, some auditory, but, my personal sensory guide, is smell! I’ve always been one to take in an experience based on scent. Oddly, I even wrote my college essay on that topic alone! That being said, my keen sense of smell has always deterred me from wearing perfumes or scented oils, simply because I could not stand any one smell for too long. Olfactory NYC is changing the game when it comes to fragrances, as they aim to make more mild, natural scents, and personalize each one, enabling you to be interactive in the blending and bottling process. It’s DIY for fragrance, and the process can be shared with your children, as they are a family-friendly shop, and want to make more of a fun experience than just your average fragrance store. If you visit, ask them to sample the Mama & Tata which I concocted myself!
How many years have you been in business in NYC?
We have been open for 5 months.
How did you get your start and what was your initial inspiration?
It didn’t feel like niche and designer fragrance brands were speaking to people my age. I wanted to create a fragrance experience that was fun, bright, interactive, and accessible.
What do you feel differentiates you from others in your field?
We don’t focus on ingredients.
We don’t focus on expensive packaging.
Our brand is colorful and fun.
We offer customization and personalization options.
We bottle all fragrances on site.
Our fragrances are a fraction of the price of our high quality competitors.
What do you feel gives you longevity in this big city with so many options?
In a word, our Accessibility. We give our clientele access to high quality fine fragrance at a price that is affordable. We give our clientele access to customization through an unpretentious, guided process. We give our clientele access to the production process and fresh fragrance through blending and bottling on site.
How do you positively impact your clientele?
We educate our clientele about the scents they are buying in an honest and unpretentious way. At our store, you don’t need to speak French or know what a vetiver smells like. We can make anyone a truly unique and personalized fragrance that they will love.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Building a brand that changes peoples attitude toward fine fragrance.
What is your favorite secret NYC spot?
Not much is secret in NYC. I love the three lives bookstore in the West Village. Small neighborhood bookstore that has great books about new York. Also, as someone from the UK, I love the nearby Myers of Keswick which has a ton of English snacks.
How do you benefit mamas?
We have a family friendly scent experience. No sexualized marketing and intimidating, antique looking bottles. The personalization process is a fun activity that always benefits from input from other family members.
What is the most memorable feedback a client has given you?
“I’m learning what I like” – and that’s the point. Scent is an art, it should be a process of discovery just like with great food or visual art. We learn over time what we like and our tastes change, we want to be a platform for this discovery.
Pay it forward and name your top colleagues in the same field or related field.
Le Labo makes great fragrances. Bath and Body Works is good value and it’s hard to go wrong there. Brands like Pinrose, Commodity and Phlur are also trying to make the scent experience simpler and more about the quality of the scent than branding.
What is the best advice anyone's ever given you? Or what is your "mantra" / words to live by?
“Whats the worst that could happen?” People are naturally risk averse, I know I am. Asking this helps me undertake things that, normally would be easier not to but could have great results.
As moms, the day can escape us, what is your best time-saving trick?
I read somewhere that when we are particularly busy with various things the best thing is to do nothing, even just for 5 minutes, to collect yourself. I find this pretty helpful. A quick 5-10 minute walk helps clear my head if the to-do list starts to look overwhelming.
How can our readers learn more?
They can visit us at:
281 Mott Street
New York, NY 10012
(917) 261-6333
hello@olfactoryny.com
Or visit our website.