Aedes Perfumery — Local services in New York

A nicely curated shop full of amazing scents & beautiful objects, but the execution of their policies leaves room for improvement. PLEASE NOTE: You must go in with some idea of what you want. Browsing is not allowed…

My friend and I walked in hoping to sample some scents and find something new/exciting to us. The person attending the shop didn’t really welcome us in or explain how the shop works at all so we stood in the very small front part looking at the candles for a moment. It was clear that the shop went further back but the desk/man were set up to clearly block people from walking back there. Not knowing anything about the store, which brands they carry, or what their deal is, I asked the man if they had a few of the scents on my wishlist. They didn’t carry either of them, but they had some other scents from the same brands. It was then that I asked if I could see which ones they were and he finally told us that they don’t allow browsing, you are only allowed to tell them what scent notes you like/what type of scent you want. Ok…well why wouldn’t you explain that when someone comes in the shop? How am I supposed to know what the policy is if I have never seen or heard of this shop before and you don’t say a word to us when you let us in the door? Whatever. He then goes silent and doesn’t ask either of us what kinds of scents we like or offer up scents similar to the two I had just asked about. So after more awkward silence I name a note (gardenia—side note: I’m always on the hunt for a gardenia scent better than Henry Jacques) and he types it into his iPad. He then just starts grabbing things, spraying them, and laying them on the desk without a word. I don’t know if this is done to not influence anyone’s opinion (?) but it’s a bit weird. He actually picks up 2 that I already own and a handful I’ve smelled before (which I could’ve told him I didn’t like if he had asked me a single question). After spraying about 15 or so scents, I find one that I think I like a lot. It’s hard to tell because the front of the shop is packed with incense and candles and 15+ perfumes have just been sprayed in this small space, so I ask if it is possible to get/buy a sample. He says no, but I can order a sample (set?) online. I’m sorry, but that’s such a strange thing for a perfume shop (in my opinion). I typically need to wear something for longer than 5 minutes if I’m going to drop a few hundred bucks on a bottle and why is is possible to order a sample online but not while I’m standing in the physical shop? I’ve had boutiques make little decants right in front of me. Maybe it was just that this person was having a bad day, but it was certainly not a very welcoming environment…

I don’t know. I’m someone who really enjoys perfume (I’m not an expert by any means) and I am a collector of things which smell nice to me, so I’m willing to spend money when I find something I really like. But I want to feel welcome in a shop, I don’t like feeling like I have to pull teeth just to smell the products you’re selling. I actually understand the point of their policy (get people to focus on the scent itself), but maybe I don’t know exactly what’s going to scratch my brain until I smell it! Maybe I can’t name the notes of the scent I’m going to love.

In any case, if I end up buying the scent I liked in the store, I’ll just buy it directly from the brand’s website and not...

First of all, the store is gorgeous! Walking in was like walking into a bower of beauty. My friend and I were immediately greeted, and Simon spent a huge amount of time showing us different scents, and really tried to help us get a feel for what we wanted. I had too many loves to keep track of, but he really payed attention to my reaction perfume by perfume and helped me remember.

This is seriously quality perfume and for the quality a reasonable price point. Their house line is divine and affordable. And it is exquisitely original. The collection of brands is curated so that they are really only selling top scents, and niche scents. These are not just perfumes. They are real works of art by todays master perfumers. Consequently, you will not find Sephora perfumes here (which I don't mean to knock at all, but most of those perfumes are synthetic as they spend 90 percent of the budget on liscensing and marketing, not on ingredients). A common perfume even from higher end retailers are about 2% concentration, while perfumes in a line like Frederic Malle is much much higher. The perfumers are using fair trade ingredients in high quanities which are rare and extremely expensive, and often they go to madagascar for instance to find the Vetyver or whatever ingredient they need.

I asked Simon about Violets and I was shown at least 7-8 different takes on Violet and whether or not they were for me, they were all beautiful in their own right and of high quality. This is the store to go to if you want to find something really unique and gorgeous for yourself or for someone else. They have candles too, but I was too absorbed in the heavenly search for my scents.

I ran out of time, and was still undecided. Simon was super honest about what he thought smelled good on me, but not pushy and mindful of my desires and tastes. He definitely guided me towards some of the best. In the end, I had to leave promising to come back because I needed more focus. There were just too many different scents I was into, and I was all over the map. I left with a sample of a Serges de Leboutins perfume and dreams of buying everything in the store. I will be back for sure when I decide what I want, and I know Simon will be glad to help me find what is perfect for me.

They don't try to upsell here. He showed me lower and higher price point lines with equal enthusiasm. He did lead me to 2 fragrances that are very expensive due to ingredients but I already loved them, so it wasn't his fault that I clearly fell for the most expensive ones!

Really love this store.

Alexis Sullivan,...

I visited their original location before they moved to the LES and was in awe of their shop & selection. Sadly, the person who was working there at that time, who had helped me, no longer does and works at another perfumerie in the city. I went out of my way to visit their new location, which is not easy to spot, btw. There's no sign, just a slight window with feathers and a few bottles on display. You have to ring a doorbell to be let in. It's almost like they don't want anyone in their shop. I realize I wasn't wearing designer clothes when I came to visit, but it was a humid day in NYC, and I just wanted to be comfortable and smell new fragrances that were on my list. As soon as I was allowed to be let in the door, I was met with icy cold customer service. He asked if there was anything he could help me with, but two words into my reply, he had already dismissed me and started tapping on his iPad. I was the only customer in the shop. I asked a couple of questions which he answered short & brusquely. It was clear he was not into helping anyone that day or maybe just me for whatever reason. My favorite was when I dared to ask him for a sample or two. I had even said I would pay for them, and he looked me in the eyes and told me that they don't give samples in store but that I would have to go online if I wanted samples. Even with the frigid service, I bought a bottle of perfume which he then asked which samples I wanted ¯(ツ)/¯ Needless to say, it was pretty heartbreaking to have gone out of my way to visit a perfume shop that I think is beautiful and stocked with amazing fragrance houses including their own lovely fragrance line, but after being made to feel like I wasn't a worthy human being, I can't, in good conscience, recommend this shop to anyone nor will I go back especially when I can go to other places like Osswald, Tigerlily--many fragrance houses have their own shops now as well--that have much better service. Maybe the guy was busy or having a bad day. Maybe you'll have better luck if it's a destination you really want to go to. I'm no Pollyanna, and I don't think anyone has to be effusively nice to me, but they definitely don't need to treat me like a second-class citizen. In this day and age where it just feels like there's enough bad things happening in the world constantly, do we really need to treat each other badly especially when they're coming to support...