Les Senteurs
Perfume is one of the finest things to buy — it appeals to the senses, it makes us pause and reflect, it makes us reminisce, it takes us to a snapshot in time, it makes you search in the deepest nooks of your memory and makes you ask — what does this smell like? what does it remind me of? who does it remind me of? where was i when i smelled that note? The perfume buying experience therefore needs to be one that allows for such contemplations. Yet, most in-store experiences are staffed by commissioned agents who will nothing other than pushing the bottles that earns them most commissions. These agents hardly have any knowledge of perfumes, other than the script they had had to memorize and the pick up lines they had to practice. I don’t know enough about stores in Europe, but this is certainly true of mainstream shopping experience in the US. Naturally, I look for authentic in-store experiences wherever I go.
Image Credit: lessenteurs.com
Les Senteurs is an independent perfume retailer in London. When I had to go on a business trip to London, I knew I had to visit this place.
The store is situated in a street in the Belgravia neighborhood of London which looked anything but commercial. This is the kind of hole-in-the-wall where you would expect a downmarket coffee shop, or a mini convenience store. The exterior of the store looked like a garden in which the store had somehow blossomed. I was greeted in a very low-key way, without the drama you see in big-box stores. Within seconds of introducing myself, the guy told me what ‘type’ I am (i.e. what type of perfumes I gravitate to), and told me he knows what to show me. Over the next 30 mins, I had tried practically every bottle they had on display. No time pressure, no sales pressure, no looking-down attitude! He had followup questions to understand my preferences even better, had answers to all my questions (which tend to be nerdy), but more than anything — he just let me run wild.
When I go to shops like this, I go open-minded, but have at least one perfume I am certain to buy — for I believe if I get all the treatment and end up buying nothing, I or someone else may not get that treatment again. Even before I landed in London, I had matched my buy-list of perfumes against what this store had in stock, and had in mind to buy Lonestar Memories by Andy Tauer, a perfume I had researched very well. I ended up buying Le Maroc Pour Elle (also by Andy Tauer), a perfume I knew nothing about, but will tell you today that it is one of my best Jasmine fragrances.
The rep at Les Senteurs was very generous — in addition to providing excellent service, they answered all my questions and even took couple pictures for me!
Whether you are a once-in-a-bluemoon buyer or a collector like me, do yourself a favor — don’t go to big box storer or don’t go discount shopping. Perfumes last a long time, so it only reasons that your shopping experience should also be pleasant. Go to indie stores like this, where you might get better selection, better service, and an experience you won’t forget.