BLACKBIRD’S LAUNCH

This is an exciting week. Tomorrow is the big party to celebrate Olympic Orchids third anniversary and the launch of the perfume I made for the Blackbird store. It’s a big day in a lot of ways because it marks several important transitions. For me, it marks the transition from the first, experimental, years of establishing my business to the realization that it’s here to stay. Something has been created out of nothing, and now there’s the task of polishing and perfecting every aspect of the operation and allowing the natural growth process to take place. 

For Blackbird, it’s the last event before they move out of their Ballard clothing and perfume stores and into a mostly online retail and wholesale format. It’s possible that the brick-and-mortar Apothecary will be reinvented in a new way, in a new place, but that’s for the future to decide.

For the Northwest Indie Perfumers Circuit, it’s also the last event in the Blackbird space. I hope the circuit will continue in another venue but, again, that’s for the future to decide.

Every end is a new beginning, so I hope that all of the new beginnings, whatever they are, will be successful.

My first-ever screen-printed bottles came from the printer day before yesterday, and a batch of them are filled and ready to sell. They look great! It’s really different just being able to grab a bottle from the box and not have to spend time putting a sticky label on it, trying to get it centered. The labels aren’t the final version, but they’re good enough to make me believe that printing on the bottle is the way to go.  All of the merchandise and props have been delivered to Blackbird, and I just went shopping for snacks. We’re good to go!

I would like to invite every reader in the Seattle area to come to the party tomorrow evening. Once again, it’s from 6:00 PM until it finishes, at 5404 22^nd Ave NW, in Ballard. There will be food, drink, good company and some nice door prizes!

BLACKBIRD FOR JULY

The Northwest Indie Perfumers Circuit will continue after a hiatus of two months with a big bash at the Blackbird Apothecary in Seattle to launch my Blackbird fragrance, made especially for them. It’s going to be a celebration of summer in the Pacific Northwest, the dry season when days last almost until midnight and a walk along the country paths and roadsides brings a flood of tangy, sun-warmed evergreen leaves and cedar wood, sun-dried fields, and the unmistakable smell of ripe blackberries.

I envision a sleek blackbird, feathers iridescent in the sun, white eyes popping out greedily as he gorges himself on the big, juicy, sweet fruit, singing his heart out between messy bites. It’s not going to be a sweet gourmand, but rather a fruit-tinged woody scent.The materials that I’m using start with a suite of woody base notes along with a little compatible musk. The dominant material is fir balsam absolute, which is a real pain to work with but worth every curse bestowed on it as I try to weigh it, get it solubilized to the point where I can actually use it, and then clean up its sticky residue. It’s one of the warmest and most delicious of the natural wood materials, giving exactly the sunny atmosphere I’m looking for in Blackbird. Dry, sun-warmed soil and baked grass will be added on top of the woods, and then come the blackberries, created through a tincture of freeze-dried fruit, fruit extract, and some other fruity notes to enhance the whole thing and make it pop.

The Blackbird fragrance will launch the new look of my bottles, too, with sleek printed-on labels and a new bottle cap design. I’m really excited to finish this fragrance, work on packaging, and plan the event itself. Stay tuned for more information about the July event if you’re in the Seattle area, and special Blackbird-related promotions if you’re elsewhere in the universe.

The actual event will take place on Saturday, July 13, from 6:00-9:00 (or whenever they decide to kick us out!) at Blackbird in Ballard, 5410 22^nd Avenue NW, Seattle, WA, 98107. It’s free, there will be good things to eat and drink, and a chance to check out this hip shop. 

NIKKI SHERRITT/REBEL & MERCURY AT BLACKBIRD

For readers in the Seattle area, this is a reminder that the next event in the Northwest Indie Perfumers Circuit will take place at Blackbird Apothecary in Ballard this Saturday, January 12, from 6-9 PM, and will feature scented candles by botanical perfumer Nikki Sherritt of Rebel & Mercury, including her Blackbird-inspired candle with notes of smoke, vanilla and tobacco. Several of her perfumes will also be there for sniffing and purchase at special prices.

The event coincides with the Ballard Art Walk, so you can come early and make the rounds, ending up at Blackbird where there will be some sort of munchies along with cocktails and/or wine thanks to Wine World and Spirits, who are sponsoring the series. It’s the perfect opportunity to strike back at the winter blues by spending some time in a warm, friendly, fragrant, candle-lit, atmosphere mingling with other perfume-lovers. What could be a better way to spend a rainy, dark, January evening? 

[Blackbird is located at 5404 22nd Ave NW, Seattle, WA  98107. The logo for the indie perfumers circuit was designed by Eliam Puente.] 

THE COOLEST KIDS IN TOWN: INDIE PERFUME AT BLACKBIRD IN BALLARD

Last night was the kick-off event for the Northwest Indie Perfumers’ Circuit at Blackbird Apothecary in the Seattle community of Ballard. As Blackbird owner Nicole Miller observed, we were without a doubt the coolest kids in town. So cool, in fact, that people passing by on the street dropped in to see why we were having so much fun.

The concept is to have a monthly event in which the work of a Northwest perfumer is featured. Each perfumer will create a fragrance called Blackbird, and will have their regular line displayed in the shop for the entire month. The first perfumer to go was Christi Meshell (photo, left), of House of Matriarch. Her Blackbird fragrance was beautifully displayed in crystal bottles of various sizes as well as roll-on dispensers. The juice itself was dark, sort of a transparent purple-black color. It was reported to contain over 100 natural materials, including oud. It seemed to be quite well-received by those who sniffed it. This new scent, along with Christi’s other fragrances, will be on sale at Blackbird for the month of December, so if you live in Seattle, this is your chance to visit Blackbird and test-sniff all of her creations.

The shop was festive-looking, with lights, decorations, plates of food and chocolates, and a small bar serving some amazing drinks. The space was packed with a big holiday-spirited crowd, all having a great time. The co-sponsor of the event was Wine World, a local retailer of wine and spirits. They have tastings on a near-daily basis, so if you live in the Seattle area, go check it out sometime. I intend to do so. The highlight of the bar was an amazing grape vodka made by Glass Distillery, another local business. Christi has been working with them on cocktails flavored with a mix of essential oils, which are sprayed into the glass from “perfume” bottles before adding champagne or vodka. I tried the one called “Air”, which was mimosa and galangal, and later the one called “Water”, which was jasmine and something else. Both were tasty, and a really fun concept. Their Kona coffee-flavored vodka was also excellent.

There’s something magical about spending an evening mingling with a lot of perfumers, perfumistas, and people off the street who want to learn about perfume, drinking unique cocktails, eating tasty tidbits, and spraying and dabbing ourselves with all manner of fragrant potions. I ended the night covered with Christi’s Blackbird, Montale White Aoud, Montale Chocolate Greedy, Mesha Munyan’s osmanthus tincture, and several of Christi’s other fragrances. The series is off to a fantastic start.

Here’s this year's lineup as it stands right now:

December 8: House of Matriarch by Christi Meshell

January 12: Rebel & Mercury by Nikki Sherritt

February 9: Sweet Tea Apothecary by J.T. Siems

March 9: Meshaz by Mesha Munyan

April 13: Blooming Dream Natural Fragrances by Suzinn Weiss

May 11: Ayala Moriel Parfums by Ayala Sender

June 8: Pirouette by Karyn Gold

July 13: Olympic Orchids Artisan Perfumes by Ellen Covey

August 10: Lulu Beauty by Julie Wray

September 7: Sweet Anthem by Meredith Smith

October 12: Imaginary Authors by Josh Meyer

November 9: Puente by Eliam Puente (launch of his new line)

[Photos by Nicole Miller or Christi Meshell, used with permission]