I may have found a new assistant and hope to put the cart back up next week. I will keep you posted!
And I wanted to say thank you to Perfumeshrine for including To Dream and Wood Violet in yesterday’s list of best woody violet scents!
Elena of Pefumeshrine also posted an interesting interview with Mandy Aftel on Fragrantica a few days go. They discussed a new model of business being adopted by many small artisan perfumers in recent years: staying small enough to create only what can be produced by hand in-house, using high-end ingredients not found in the mass market, and distributing products directly through the artisan’s own website rather than using distributors and retail stores. The traditional distribution chain causes so much markup that formulas tend to be cheapened in order to end up at a reasonable price point after everyone gets a cut. By going directly to customers without the middle men, artisans can use more expensive ingredients and still be competitive (though we must wear many hats and do everything we can ourselves in order to save money for the juice, which makes the business also a project of love). Keeping control of the distribution of your own line also lets you present it exactly as you wish. The interview is an interesting read.
16 comments
There were unusual questions and refreshing answers from Mandy in Elena’s interview. You are on the right path. All the best to your new assistant. Wish it was me! I have been thinking about Christmas Eve and what to waft and have concluded Spiced Citrus Vetiver. Not that I will not wear it until then! It is on monthly rotation at the start of each month.
Yes, they were complex, thoughtful questions and honest, eloquent answers. Nice to see the artisan model discussed as a valid option.
That’s an honor to have Spiced Citrus Vetiver considered for your Christmas eve! Glad you like it. Citrus and spices do seem festive. It’s always hard to decide what to wear for holidays. (Can’t believe it’s that time of year again!)
Congrats to your new assistant. I imagine it must be fun to work so closely with you and see how all the magic happens.
Is your arm back to 100%?
Thanks, poodle! The arm is fine for tasks like blending now, but I still can’t lift anything very heavy or get it straight overhead. I’m continuing to work on it. Very nice to be able to use it more normally in the kitchen and lab though!
Glad to hear that. The strength will come back in time I’m sure.
I think so.
HI Laurie, thank you for posting the link to Mandy’s interview. Loved the thoughtful questions.
Glad you got a chance to read it!
Apropos of nothing, I wanted to tell you that I wore Incense Pure to the U. K. basketball game last night, and every time I clapped, I got a delicious whiff. 🙂
Off to read the interview. Glad your arm is doing better.
Aw, little stories like that really make me happy. Thanks. 🙂
I’m still working on that new floral scent. I have a mod I like but it’s too dilute right now, so I’m scaling some of the dilutions up to see what it is like a bit more concentrated. I’ll talk more about it when I have a mod that’s ready to send out for testing.
Thanks for linking to that interview, it was wonderful! And I’m crossing my fingers for you that the possible assistant works out. 🙂
Thanks, Dionne!
Thanks for the links! I am enjoying my Wood Violet, thanks so much!
Great! Thanks, Tara!
I am so excited to hear that your shopping cart should be back up soon! I bought some samples right before it went down and have been longing to buy a few full bottles and purse sprays. Hope your arm continues to improve.
Thanks for being so patient and for your good wishes! I’m sorry for the delay. Glad you found some things you liked! We had a sample-making session yesterday to re-stock samples, and now we just need to batch a couple things and we’ll be in good shape.