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Olfactory NYC, the custom perfume maker and retailer, is powering up its US expansion plans with its ninth retail store opening in Dallas, Texas’ well-heeled West Village shopping centre.
The new location, which has a soft opening this month and officially opens on Oct. 24, will be the company’s first in the state after opening in cities like New York, Atlanta, Boston, Miami and Washington DC.
“We have a big opportunity with secondary markets and mid-sized cities,” said JJ Vittoria, the brand’s founder, naming Raleigh and New Orleans as examples. “There are people out there who are looking for a great experience, but are not necessarily fragrance lovers yet. We can take them on that journey.”
In-store, customers pick a base scent from one of nine gender-neutral core fragrances, created by top perfumers like Frank Voelkl, the nose responsible for Le Labo Santal 33 and Glossier You. Customers then select different accords with the guidance of an advisor to get a semi-bespoke blend, before adding a hand-stamped label name and choosing package colours.
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Olfactory also offers a range of scented body care products and solid perfumes, and its customised scents can also be ordered online, starting at $85.
Vittoria said the company selects its target locations by identifying cities that have high levels of visitation — both internationally but also from their suburbs — but are perhaps overlooked by major beauty brands. These areas are rife with consumers who are affluent, but are not exclusively interested in niche fragrance brands, nor are they likely to spend upwards of three figures on a scent, said Vittoria. Olfactory NYC’s top-performing stores include Atlanta and Washington DC.
“We’re not competitors with niche fragrance brands. Our customer is more interested in making something, rather than the branding side of things,” he said.
While the company doesn’t actively market itself as a place for group activity, it does attract coteries of friends, colleagues and dates — Vittoria said there have been two in-store proposals between couples who had their first date at an Olfactory NYC location. New stores are usually profitable within two to three months of opening, with the initial investment recaptured within a year. Company sales are expected to reach $15 million this year.
Next on Olfactory NYC’s horizon are new stores in Philadelphia and Chicago, which it hopes to finalise this year. It will also explore Nashville and Charleston for potential openings in 2026, as well as an entrance into wholesale distribution later down the line.
“There’s all these massive cities where there’s not much to do that’s not eating, drinking or [watching] sport,” said Vittoria. “There’s an opportunity there to give people something really fun that many brands are not focussing on.”
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