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So what stores carry the weird, original, niche, over the top stuff?

post #1 of 12
10/12/10 at 11:30am
Thread Starter 
I live in Roanoke Virginia in the U.S. so about the most exotic stuff I can find is Chanel.
What stores carry the interesting and unusual brands Basenoters are always talking about like, Serge Lutens, Frederic Malle, Etat L'Orange Libre (or whatever it is), Demeter...etc. etc., Strange Secretions, Weird Molecules, Perfumes from another planet (you get the idea...)?

So where can I find these fascinating scents I've never smelled? Who carries what and sells it where? And most importantly...how can I get samples?

I would appreciate any help Basenoters!
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post #2 of 12
10/12/10 at 11:59am
Barneys is the most daring of all the dept. stores in their stock choice.
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post #3 of 12
10/12/10 at 12:13pm
I lived in the Shenandoah valley for a year so I know the challenge you have in finding anything different and I think your probably gonna have to look online or make a trip to DC to get a chance to smell a wide variety of stuff. There maybe be some of the upscale stores closer than that but it would take looking on their website and finding where their locations are. My guess is DC is going to have the most amount of stores carrying the widest array of frags in the most centralized location. Good luck!

I know in that area if you're a guy and don't just smell like beer, deer or gun powder, you just might not be a redneck and that could be trouble....
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post #4 of 12
10/12/10 at 12:18pm
I came up with this-- don't know if it's any good:
Perfume Mall of Virginia
4802 Valley View Blvd, Roanoke, VA 24012-2001
(540) 265-0990 ‎

If you don't have any brick and mortar stores nearby that carry niche, ThePerfumedCourt.com is a good place to get samples. Also Luckyscent.com and Aedes.com.

There are discussion threads about other places to get samples online; a search will bring them up.
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post #5 of 12
10/12/10 at 1:21pm
If you get up to the Northern Virginia area in Tysons Corner Mall there is a store called Parfums de France. It carries the entire Montale line, Amouage and other niche lines. At Tysons galleria, there is a store called Art and Flowers. They carry Serge Lutens, L'Artisan, and a few more niche lines.
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post #6 of 12
10/12/10 at 1:54pm
Meechie! I live in Phx area, in Scotts alot and never knew of that spot. I never go into the Borgata so it would make sense I didn't know about it. Although I go to Trader Joes next door all the time! Haha.... Going to check them out for sure. Thanks for that tip.

Edit: Went to the website...looked at your blog entries... now I see the connection. Thanks again, though, I'll probably see you there. Haha
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post #7 of 12
10/12/10 at 3:08pm
I go to that Trader Joe's all the time! I'll keep my nose open for you! ;-)
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post #8 of 12
10/12/10 at 3:23pm
I think unless you have a specialty shop around that you don't know about, you're going to have to travel to a city with the Big Boys: Nieman, Saks, and Barney's. And even those don't carry the really off-the-wall stuff. For that you'd have to go to Paris, or, like, Hong Kong or something.

I recommend theperfumedcourt and luckyscent. Between the two of them, you can get samples of pretty much anything you'll see mentioned here.
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post #9 of 12
10/12/10 at 8:46pm
I know that part of the allure of niche is the exclusivity but really it's ridiculous! I can't find Montale or Nicolai anywhere in Chicago.
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post #10 of 12
10/12/10 at 8:56pm
If you are in the Portland, Oregon area, visit The Perfume House. But, while they have a very knowledgable staff and a an impressive inventory, they don't have every niche thing. And so you shop via the internet.
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post #11 of 12
10/14/10 at 10:09pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks, these are great suggestions!
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post #12 of 12
10/15/10 at 3:38am
  • gmb
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You might also check out the 'shopping guides' section of the forum: http://www.basenotes.net/forums/44-USA.
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Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Male Fragrance Discussion › MFD Archive › So what stores carry the weird, original, niche, over the top stuff?