NORTHWEST PERFUMERS AT TIGERLILY

I got back from San Francisco last Sunday, just in time for our friends’ wedding, and have been playing catch-up ever since. This weekend is a little better, given that I have taken care of most of my backlog of shipping and the worst of my backlog of university administrative tasks, but there’s still a long way to go to feel back to normal again. 

The event at Tigerlily in San Francisco was great fun, a wonderful chance to meet customers, including some who have become good friends, and see what Antonia Kohl has done with her shop. The history of Tigerlily, as I understand it, is that it started out in a tiny corner of the Love and Luxe jewelry shop down the street from where it is now, then quickly expanded to occupy half of a shop in its current location at 973 Valencia Street. Given the number and enthusiasm of Tigerlily’s customers, it looks like it won’t be long before it outgrows that situation, too. If you’re in the San Francisco area I highly recommend that you spend an afternoon shopping on Valencia Street and sniffing perfume at Tigerlily,  followed by dinner at LoLo across the street, an excellent California-Mexican place that uses local ingredients, but has reasonable prices.

All but one of the Northwest perfumers featured in the NW Fragrance criterion discovery set were there, holding a small trunk show. I was amazed at the size of the  turnout and the enthusiasm of Antonia’s customer base. She is definitely doing something right. To enhance the evening’s festivities, she served cocktails based on each of the fragrances in the set. During the event there was constant traffic, so I was too busy to take any photos, but here are a few taken before the evening’s activities started. 

Here is Antonia herself. What a great smile!

Here is the Sweet Tea display by Jen Siems. She is in the background, behind the flowers. 

Here is the Pirouette Essentials display by Karyn Gold-Reineke. 

Here's the Sweet Anthem display by Meredith Smith with a picture of her back. 

Herre's Nikki Sherritt setting up her Rebel and Mercury display. 

[All photos are mine, taken with my trusty phone] 

A VALENTINE'S TEA PARTY

For those readers who are local or visiting the Seattle area, Sweet Anthem Handmade Perfumes will be hosting a Valentine’s tea party on February 11, from 12-4 PM. It will feature flowers, perfume, and sweets (chocolate!) by local designers. You can do your Valentine’s shopping for yourself and/or someone else while you enjoy fine teas and gifts with purchase throughout the afternoon.

The event will provide an opportunity to meet four local designers: Nikki Sherritt, candlemaker and perfumer from Gabriel’s Aunt and Rebel & Mercury; Anne Dowell, gardener and truffle maker from Garden Bon Bons; Lydia Love, chocolatier from Chakralate; and Meredith Smith, perfumer from Sweet Anthem Handmade Perfumes.
The shop also offers a number of other perfume lines (including Olympic Orchids) and scented works by local and national independent designers.

Sweet Anthem is located at 6021-B California Ave SW in the heart of West Seattle’s Morgan Junction, across from West Seattle Wine Cellars and Meander’s Kitchen. The photo shows the entrance to the shop during the recent snowstorm.

SWEET ANTHEM PERFUME IN WEST SEATTLE

Last weekend I visited Meredith Smith in the lovely little perfume shop that she opened last October in West Seattle. Meredith is a perfumer who has been selling her own line, Sweet Anthem, on her website since 2006. Her new brick-and-mortar shop features her own complete line of perfume oils, EdPs, and solid perfumes. She currently carries other Pacific Northwest perfume lines as well, including Arcana (Portland, OR), Wiggle (Olympia, WA), Slumberhouse (Portland, OR), Rebel & Mercury (Seattle, WA), and Lulu Beauty (Seattle, WA). Within the next few weeks she will be adding selected perfumes from Ayala Moriel (Vancouver, BC) and some of my own Olympic Orchids perfumes.

Finding the shop is fairly straightforward, since it’s about 10 blocks south of the main business center of West Seattle, with plenty of street parking if you travel by car. The shop isn’t immediately obvious since the main, large lettering on the sign says “Vegan - Unique - Local”, with the name “Sweet Anthem” in small print at the top, but it is distinctive once you get used to the concept of the shop half-concealing its name.

Inside, the shop is simply and tastefully decorated and arranged, with everything displayed in an orderly and accessible way. It has a bright, comfortable feeling that’s enhanced by Meredith’s helpful manner and friendly smile. If you’re in the Seattle area, it’s a perfect place to spend some time sniffing.

With two perfume shops on California Avenue (the other one is Knows Perfume), West Seattle seems to be becoming the perfume center of the region. I’m not sure why, except that a lot of artsy people live there, so maybe that’s where the highest concentration of perfumistas is found. In any case, it’s a very good development. I'm looking forward to exploring some of the fragrances offered in Meredith's shop, including her own line.