Now that I know how many of my readers perceive the acronym B&M, I’m being cautious and spelling it out.
Saturday Question #179:
What Is Your Favorite Local Brick-and-Mortar Perfume Store?
The question is not about Harrods or Luckyscent (unless you live nearby and visit them at least a couple of times a year). I’m curious about your local “go-to” place. Where do you go to smell something new without paying for it? It doesn’t have to be a niche store, but just any place where you know you’ll try something you haven’t tried before.
Do you ever buy perfumes there?
My Answer
For many years, Barney’s San Francisco was that place for me. They carried many niche brands that weren’t available elsewhere – Serge Lutens, L’Artisan, Le Labo, Frederic Malle and many others. After its closing, Neiman Marcus in San Francisco became my favorite: they didn’t have that many niche brands, but they carried many “boutique” lines for Guerlain and Dior, as well as some other popular brands – Memo, Acqua di Parma, Perris Monte Carlo and others. These are not my favorite brands, so even though the Neiman Marcus store that is closer to me doesn’t carry the same variety of brands, a shorter trip combined with free parking made it a more appealing option.
But this week, I discovered a new favorite: ZGO Perfumery in San Francisco. I knew about that store for years and even bought some samples and Mariage Freres teas from them, but I’ve never visited it before. But earlier this week, I decided to investigate that store when I took a day off to run some errands in San Francisco that couldn’t be done over a weekend.
I loved it! A welcoming atmosphere, friendly salespeople and a wide selection of niche brands. It was a slow day, and I spent there more than an hour figuring out first what I wanted to smell on paper and then which samples I wanted to buy. I chatted with two sales assistants (not at the same time) – they were, as I said, friendly, knowledgeable and absolutely not pushy. I went through dozens (if not hundreds) of perfume bottles, carefully deciding which ones would get a nozzle sniff, which would make their way onto a paper strip, and which remain in place getting just a glance.
While from their website you can buy any number of samples, in the store they usually allow 3 samples ($5 for a 1 ml spray sample). But an above-mentioned slow day and all that, so I left with 5 samples of perfumes that I liked enough to want to try on my skin (and pay for it). I will do a separate post about them once I spend time wearing each one, but in general, I think it was a successful trip (and the parking, if you can find it, is free, which feels like a special treat when you visit San Francisco). The one that I decided to wear from the tester bottle instead of asking to buy one more sample was Atelier Materi Iris Ebene. It was a big mistake! I liked it a lot. So now I’ll have to get a sample of it anyway!
I rarely buy perfumes from brick-and-mortar stores because I rarely feel the urge to buy something on the spot. And when I know what I want, I usually try to find, if not a deal, then at least a GWP or some other incentive to spend money. But if I am ever on the market for a brand that doesn’t do sales, I will definitely go to ZGO Perfumery.
How about you?
Undina's Looking Glass 
What a delight! A proper perfumery nearby.
Local to me are Boots, The Perfune Shop & The Fragrance Shop. OK for run of the mill designer & some drug store ranges but I rarely sniff.
Department stores at the nearest Mall have closed, though the Boots store carries a better range. TKMaxx both locally & at the mall are worth a look for occasional niche bargains, no way to test if you’re not familiar though.
So the only way to test is to schlep over to Leeds & see what John Lewis & Harvey Nicks have in. To do this I have to factor in extortionate parking costs or train fares & chance being stranded as the train home is cancelled due to strikes or other problems.
There is one exception, a small independent department store, Sandersons. It is a 40minute drive away in a small outdoor shopping complex which also holds markets & a farmers market. It carries some niche & traditional brands but tends towards the Delina & Oud style outputs. Not really me.
I went shortly after the last lockdown. Almost every tester I tried was off! The SAs has no idea what the fragrances should smell of & kept telling me “my nose was tired” & offering me coffee beans to sniff. The beans were stale & grey looking. Needless to say I haven’t been back.
Long way of saying I have no favourite as there aren’t any in easy reach
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I thought about “sniff trips” to San Francisco for a while and realized that gas plus parking (to go downtown to large department stores) equals buying 4-5 samples online. So, these days I do it only once in a while and preferably combined with other errands or plans. But a free parking and that many brands in this newly discovered store seem worth the trip.
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I live about 5 miles from Manchester uk. I don’t have to drive in to the City a bus route is just at the end of my street. Debenhams was the nearest store to the bus terminus but of course closed down vey annoying ! A short walk down the main street are Selfridges and Harvey Nicks. In the shopping centre are Boots, TK Maxx, The perfume shop and the fragrence shop. Dept stores like M&S, Zara,Next all sell their own brands of perfume.
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It looks like you’re covered in terms of free perfume testing. I wonder how your Selfriges is in comparison to the London one?
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Matty I’m a hop over Woodhead Pass. Youngest lives in M19.
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We are practically neighbours. My nephew had a house share in M19 when he was at Manchester University.
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The youngest works there. He did his degree at MMU but now works for UoM. M19 the coolest postcode outside London apparently 😁
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Undina, I loved your description of shopping in an actual store. there’s nothing like a proper SA, who lets you browse, listens to what you have to say, and maybe introduces you to something new or special. When I lived in New Brunswick there was a perfect jewel box of a perfumery, and I loved it so much. They closed just before the pandemic.
Right now I live in a place where there is very little to buy. I depend on stores like Etiket, in Montreal, who will lavish time on their phone customers ( and it’s funny-the two men that work here are both from this province, so they know exactly what I’m up against, and send so many samples-I love them so much :))
There is another really special place in Halifax but it’s a five hour round trip. It’s called Be Gorgeous, because Tim, the owner, worked at Bergdorf Goodman years ago, and it’s a play on that name. I haven’t been there since probably 2019 but he’s expanded, and made it a really special place to shop.
I really miss living in a town with some shops. I like being a consumer, like having things to see and dream about. I think it’s so generous when people post about their shopping experiences – almost as good as being there.
It’s a super chilly morning here-only 8 degrees C. Warming up later. I’m off to see the Exhibition-love the animals, crafts, horses, all of it. Little kids in 4-H, with their animals sporting pretty ribbons. Think I’ll wear D’zing :)
Thank you for the stimulating Saturday question, apologies for the length of my reply-and I hope everyone has a good weekend:)
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Carole,
I loved this story and wish you had some closer shopping excitement.
Portia xx
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Thank you Portia! Having fewer chances makes actual visits even more special – upside to almost everything, right? :)
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Even though I do my shopping mostly online these days (not because I prefer but because the selection is much better in online versions even for the same stores that are close by), I like going to the shopping mall from time to time. And having perfume departments with at least high-end mainstream perfumes is a great bonus. But I agree with you that having something scarce makes it more special (but 5 hours! :( ).
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I love going to Etiket and Holt Renfrew Ogilvy in Montréal. Such a nice selection and some very nice SA’s I’ve known for years. In the winter in San Diego, there is nothing, but 90 minutes away is South Coast Plaza mall which is quite good and there is apparently a gorgeous new perfume hall in Bloomingdales. I’ve only shopped on line from ZGO but they are very nice, would love to visit in person.
As for Iris Ébène, it’s my favorite Atélier Materi, glad you enjoyed it too.
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I’ve never been to San Diego, but I didn’t realize it was perfume wastelands, so to speak. Do they not have at least Nordstrom, Saks or Neumann Marcus?
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There is a Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale’s in San Diego, which do carry a certain number of brands, but they are small and there is no niche store. South Coast Plaza is much, much better.
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YAY Undina! Love finding new sniffing places.
We have a department store in Sydney city that has an excellent selection of designer and mass-tige. David Jones. Went there today with a friend and ex blogger from APJ. We sniffed a LOT of things and chattered and had an excellent time.
We also hit a very cool high end pret a porter store that has an excellent fragrance selection, Harold’s. We didn’t spritz a lot there but enjoyed the atmosphere and had really good interactions with Pepe the SA.
Lastly we hit ZARA. Their fragrances are so underrated.
A perfect perfumistas day.
Portia xx
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After reading your comment, I almost went to Zara yesterday – but missed it somehow (it was a large unfamiliar shopping mall, and something had distracted me :) ).
I wish I had someone to go sniffing together! But my vSO is extremely patient when it comes to letting me try everything and then some. Especially when a store has a sitting area for such sufferers.
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Next time you get to the mall go check ZARA Undina. OLIVIA GIACOBETTI has just done them a range and some of the noses I admire are swooning. They are yet to hit our shores and may never, so please go check it for me.
https://www.zara.com/us/en/a-perfume-by-olivia-giacobetti-discovery-set-100-ml-3-x-25-ml-p20210671.html
Portia xx
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ZGO looks like a great store to visit! I usually do my free sniffing at a Nordstrom or occasionally a Saks inside a big mall. There is a Le Labo on Newbury Street in Boston that I’ll visit to smell new releases or city exclusives in September (planning to soon to smell the new Myrrhe).
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Thank you for the reminder! I went to Le Labo and tried the new city exclusive. I would have skipped it if it weren’t for your comment! :)
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What did you think of it?
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What a beautiful store! I’ve always wanted to visit Ministry of Scent in San Francisco. There are no brick and mortar stores near me that have niche fragrances. Dillards and Macys are the only physical stores and they have the usual designer fragrances. There is a TJ Maxx near me and I should go there more often. I might be surprised at what I find!
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I went to the Ministry of Scent a couple of times when they were under a previous name (some Lily, but I could never remembered which one was here and which in NY). They have a great selection of brands, but they are more indie/niche oriented while ZGO is more luxury tier.
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That looks like a brilliant place to spend an hour or few! My favourite local perfumery is the all niche store Libertine Parfumerie in Brisbane. Brilliant service and always willing to provide samples of anything you’d like to try. Some of the brands on offer include Robert Piguet, Santa Maria Novella, Roja, Liquides Imaginaries, Perris Monte Carlo amongst many others. But I also enjoy David Jones dept store for some of the designer exclusives and Mecca Cosmetica for brands like Serge Lutens and Frederic Malle. Luckily all are within about 20 minutes drive of my place.
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That Libertine store in Brisbane is gorgeous Daniel.
Portia x
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You have an enviable access to free sniffing! :)
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I’ll be perfectly honest, Undian. My favorite brick and mortar store was Barneys New York in Chicago on North Avenue and Rush Street. As you mentioned, Barneys carried just about everything you could imagine. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable, and it was a pleasure to spend an hour or two conversing with the staff and just sampling to your hearts content.
Barneys also had many interesting private events and guest speakers. I had the chance to speak with Frédéric Malle himself for about 30 minutes prior to an event they hosted in 2013. I even left with my purchase signed by Frédéric Malle himself. What an amazing experience it was. I miss Barneys. 😔
I had a post that outlined the nights events.
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I hate spell check. *Undina*
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Thank you for sharing this wonderful article about your visit to Barneys and meeting the man himself.
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Thanks. Barneys was my go-to store for fragrances in Chicago.
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Enjoyed reading your story, thank you for sharing!
Frederic Malle was one of my favorite brands – not only because their perfumes were great, but also because they were the first to remind the World that behind those creations many of us enjoyed for years stood real people and not just some abstract brands.
I miss Barneys too.
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I adored Barneys in SF, loved the selection and the SAs were so lovely but never pushy.
Another favorite was Jacqueline Parfumery, Andre could be cranky but I enjoyed his expertise and our conversations. I’m so sad he closed his doors a few years ago.
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I think I went inside Jacqueline once many years ago but was too intimidated to try anything. I didn’t know it closed. It’s sad. Though, these days in SF it seems harder to find a store that isn’t considering closing… :(
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The local stores where I can try a wide range of scents are Neiman Marcus, Saks, and Nordstrom, and they are quite close by — maybe a 15-minute drive. So I’m very lucky with that. A branch of another perfume store that carries independent brands has recently opened nearby, but I haven’t gone there yet. Saving my pennies for London, where I love to visit Bloom, Liberty, and Jovoy Paris. I also love London’s Les Senteurs, and I plan to visit Fortnum & Mason to check it out. It’s such a joy to find a real perfumery with nice, knowledgeable people! I’ve only visited the Scent Bar (Luckyscent’s store) in LA once, but that was great too. I’m glad you found one near you!
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I hope to visit Scent bar one day: it would be interesting just to see it.
London is my favorite perfume-sniffing destination (or you can put a full stop after “favorite” :) ). But in lieu of traveling there, a couple of nice niche and high-end perfumeries accessible within a 30-min drive is a gift!
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The nearest ones to me in NJ are Macy’s and Nordstrom, unless you consider Sephora and Zara and the other little shops B&M. When I go further afield in mod-town NYC, I have Bergdorf’s, Saks and Bloomingdale’s. I don’t usually go downtown although there are many smaller shops and boutiques, even including LuckyScent the format of which I don’t like. Anyway, all these to say that I still practice my large sample buying 🤣.
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Does Bergdorf’s have a perfume department? For whatever reason I thought they closed it about a decade ago… But maybe I’m confusing it with some other large store…
I wonder about the Luckyscent format that you don’t like – can you tell more?
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Bergdorf’s has an extensive perfume dept. I’m guessing you are thinking of Henri Bendel’s which did close their perfume section.
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Indigo Perfumery in Cleveland, Ohio
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I’ve heard of ZGO Perfumery. Sounds like the best place to be. I always pop into the stores that sell perfumes in my local centre. None of them are niche, but I enjoy catching up on new releases / releases I might have missed. Without buying, of course.
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There isn’t anywhere local to me! A bit like Alitke above, I only have access in my town to Boots, The Perfume Shop, Superdrug, and T K Maxx, though we did once have a department store with a perfume counter that was a slight cut above the mainstream outlets. The dearth doesn’t bother me, as I rarely have an urge to sniff things these days.
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Alityke, that should be!
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