Aedes de Venustas is well known to fans of niche fragrances. The West Village boutique was founded by Karl Bradl and Robert Gerstner in 1995, and I when I dream about owning my own fragrance boutique, as I do from time to time, in my mind it looks pretty much exactly like what they have created at Aedes. I asked Karl to tell me how he became involved in fragrance retail, and how he, Robert, and store manager Miguel keep up with the competition.
How did you first become interested in fragrance?
My fascination with fragrance started when my mom gave me a bottle of Rothchild for Christmas in the early 80's. I was so much into the scent that I started exploring the fragrance market. At this time I was also very much interested in fashion and as we all know the glamorous 80's were all about designers and their fragrances. My scent library grew very fast...from Armani, YSL Kouros and Dior Poison...I covered them all. By the time I was 20 I got tired of the fact that everyone was wearing the same scents and my enthusiasm for fragrance slowed down. That was until I discovered niche scents. The mystique of niche fragrances made me fall in love again.
What was your career before you opened Aedes de Venustas, and what led you to open your own boutique?
It was all destiny! I grew up in a small German town and couldn't wait to move to a big city. As a child, I was obsessed with New York and it was always the city where I wanted to be. When I turned 18 I packed my bags and moved to Munich where I found a job in banking (and spent most of my lunch breaks at the perfumery across the street). Then I met my friend Robert, who was offered a job in New York and asked me to come with him. I thought I didn't hear right when he dropped the question.
In September of 1992 my dream became reality. We left everything behind and came here. Robert worked for international trade and I found a job in retail at Bagutta in Soho. During this time a German friend asked if I would like to run a skincare section in his store on West Broadway. I was all for it, but the line he had in mind didn't work out. I was so eager that I started to research other "hard-to-find" brands that nobody else had ever heard of, and although to my disappointment my friend rented out the space in his store for something else, I decided to continue with the project and that's how Aedes got started.
On a cold evening in January of 1995, while walking through Greenwich Village, Robert and I stumbled on a little space on Christopher Street right across from MAC cosmetics. Back in those days on the weekends there was an endless line outside of MAC. People lined up around the block to get their lipstick so it seemed like a perfect location for Aedes. At the time, there was no other boutique in NYC that was dedicated to niche perfumes. (I was not really aware of the expression "niche", I just loved these rare products I found).
Actually thinking back I was quite naive. I remember going up with a little giftbox in my hand and asking the concierge at the CondeNast building if I could see the beauty editor of Vogue. And yes, Amy Astley (who was super nice) was willing to see me in her office despite the fact that I didn't have an appointment. The next day she visited the store, and then she gave Aedes a mention in the October 96 issue, which started the ball rolling.
New York City does not lack for perfume boutiques, so I can imagine that you face serious competition. What do you think accounts for Aedes' success?
The flower arrangements, the romantic location in the West Village, the living room effect, the fact that we won't push a fragrance and would rather send someone home with a sample before making a wrong decision, the small talks with our customers...all this contributes to a personal touch and creates a positive energy that results in a shopping experience that makes the customer want to come back. We also cater to the corporate world in the Fashion and Entertainment industry on a regular basis, and that keeps us very busy.
Another very important issue is that we only carry products we believe in and use ourselves and do not jump onto a product line just because it is trendy at the moment.
What is the best thing about owning your own fragrance store, and what is the worst?
Owning my own business has been an enormous challenge for me, and I have learned so much in the 10 years since Aedes started. I am able to use my creative energy in a lot of different aspects. From weekly trips to the New York Flower market to pick the perfect flowers for arrangements, styling and shooting the Aedes catalog, decorating the store window, travelling and discovering new products...these are all things I looove to do. And on top of all this I am surrounded by the most wonderful fragrances and bottles. It certainly does not feel like going to work.
The worst: unfortunately e-commerce sites frequently take artwork from our website...pictures I did myself. I don't appreciate it.
What is your best selling perfume at the moment?
Serge Lutens Daim Blond
Of the fragrances that you carry, can you pick 3 favorites and tell us a little about them?
My favorite fragrance really varies. It depends on my mood, season, day, night, location...you get the picture. There is not a single one I can say: this is it. I guess I am surrounded with too many. But right at this moment these are the ones I wear:
Oud Queen Roses by Montale: Sophistication in a bottle... I love it. It's a fragrance you wear on a crisp fall day. It smells like roses infused with a touch of leather.
Costes Roomspray: I spray it around in my house but also on me. Miguel and I stayed at the Hotel Costes last April when we had a seminar at L'Artisan Parfumeur. The entire hotel is scented with this sensual smell. It carries me right back to heaven. (This one will stay on the list for quite a while. Miguel and I are using it a lot lately...that's why we are sold out of it most of the time.)
Serge Lutens Daim Blond: A fruity apricot start with wonderful warm notes of suede. Also perfect for fall and one I keep spritzing on at the moment.
But again there are so many other wonderful scents, it is very, very, very hard to only list 3 here.
And what are your 3 favorite fragrances that you don't carry?
Serge Lutens Encens et Lavande: Lavender in fragrance can be a bit on the boring side...this one is not. The lavender is full at first but it dries down to a clean incense note.
Serge Lutens Tubereuse Criminelle (almost medicinal) layered with IUNX Forte Splash (a cinnamon-y blend).
Jo Malone Orange Blossom: I am a big fan of anything orange blossom. It's soothing and puts me in a happy mood.
Note: both of the Serge Lutens scents mentioned above are in the exclusive line and available only from the Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido in Paris.
Thank you to Karl for participating in this interview. Aedes is located at 9 Christopher Street in the West Village, New York City, and their selection includes Diptyque, L'Artisan, Lorenzo Villoresi, Montale, Santa Maria Novella, and Serge Lutens, among many others.
Tell them to open a branch in Miami! Oh, how I would love to be able to visit/live at Aedes 😉 Nice to hear the story behind the founding of this Mecca, R. Thanks!
Hi R –
Great interview! Karl, Robert and Miquel are the best of the best in the industry. There is never the pressure to buy no matter how often you stop by 'just to sniff'. Samples are always handed out with a smile. I cannot recommend Aedes enough. Thankyou for highlighting them on your blog.
A, my town could use an Aedes too, LOL — although I'm not holding my breath 😉
Thanks F! The lack of pressure to buy is a wonderful thing, especially after a day in the NY department stores!
This was a wonderful interview R!
The boys at Aedes have always been so lovely and generous.
Thanks Annie! I should have mentioned above that my very first sample order was from Aedes, and I had to call and do it over the phone — and of course I mispronounced EVERY single fragrance. They were very kind 🙂
Fantastic interview, R! Aedes is the most gorgeous perfume boutique I have ever seen, both in person and online. It is wonderful to hear its story. The Aedes catalog is a positively captivating world of its own, even more so now that I know it is Karl's own creation! When I visited the shop last spring, Karl sprayed the Costes Roomspray in the air and on his arm and oh it smelled so fabulous that I had to have it and he's been my personal folk hero since then. Aedes is an absolute gem. No other boutique matches it in style and aesthetic appeal.
Thank you for the interview of Mr. Bradl. It is such a lovely store, and it is nice to hear the story behind it. Whenever I go there, I try at least four fragrances (and smell great), so I am glad they are generous with the samples so I can find out during the week, at my leisure, if the fragrance works with me or not. I also love their in-house lime coconut exfoliant, which is the best.
I am on my way there in a couple of hours. Aedes is among my favourite perfume boutique anywhere, US or Europe. It certainly helps that Karl, Robert and Miguel are so charming and warm. The decor of the store is very special, and it makes the boutique stand out among others.
Great interview, R! I loved reading about the story behind the store.
K, thank you! The catalog is a treasure, and I was surprised to hear it was done in-house too.
I need to try that room spray again! I didn't love the Costes personal fragrance, but I liked the room spray on a test strip and maybe it would be a better fit for me.
That store is so great, and I love those guys. They're so free with the samples when you go in, too! I keep going in there chanting, “Ormonde Jayne, seek Linda Pilkington in London, bring to me Ormonde Jayne…”
Hey, I didn't even know about the lime coconut exfoliant, thanks!
I am terrible about deciding on the spot if I like something, so agree completely: samples are important.
Lucky you V, wish I would join you! Have a great shopping trip 🙂
Wouldn't that be perfect, Ormonde Jayne in Aedes? We can keep hoping.
Thanks for that great interview! I just found out I'm going to NYC next month! I can't wait to hit Aedes!
:O)
Victoria O
Great interview Robin. I loved my vist to Aedes in April. He's right, they don't push and Robert was ever so helpful and low-key. jdmom, goodlaw and lucyshnoosy spent a couple of hours there with me. It was like being in a beautiful, welcoming parlor, surrounded by my favorite things (perfumes of course!) I wanted to abscond with their sweet little dogs too.
Lucky you V, I hope you have a wonderful trip, and can't wait to hear what you buy!
L, so nice to see you, and wish I could have been there with you guys 🙂
Thanks for sharing this conversation with Karl, R. He was my guide on my first visit to Aedes (in its original location), and he couldn't have been lovelier. He's less effusive than Miguel but he really opens up once he knows you share his passion for fragrance.
I'm glad to see he has officially blessed the practice of wearing room spray on one's person.:-) I'm also pleased to learn that he shares my love of JM Orange Blossom!
N, I did not know they had moved from their original location! And it is nice to get “permission” to wear room sprays, I do it all the time too 😉
Lovely interview. I haven't had the pleasure of visiting Aedes….. yet….. but your interview transported me right there. Very interesting, and really makes me want to stop in that wonderful shop and explore some new scents.
K, You must go, you would love it!
Awesome interview, I love to learn more about these guys as I love their boutique so much. I cannot wait to sniff that Costes Room Spray now!! (lemming alert!!)
Thank you so much, and joining you in the Costes lemming!
Wow, I'm surprised that Daim Blond is their best seller! It doesn't seem particularly mainstream to me.
I love Aedes, it really does transport you to a magical world which seems eons away from the grit and anonymity of New York City. It's a gem, and I love their approach to fragrance. Great interview, R! Oh, and now I need to try that Costes room spray too (though I wasn't a fan of the regular fragrance, it was too soapy for me). The Montale leather rose fragrance sounds like a must-try for me too. *sigh* How I miss Aedes.
L, I was surprised too, Daim Blond certainly isn't the rage on any of the fragrance boards — but then, the fragrance boards are obviously not a representative sample of the perfume buying public!
I *need* to go here! The picture is beautiful; it looks like a treasure box.
Hi G! In this case, I can vouch for the fact that the reality is just as lovely as the picture implies.
Wonderful interview as always R! Haven't had a chance to visit the store in person but I'm a huge fan of the site and of course the catalog! 🙂
Thanks S!
R, I realize that I am a day late and a dollar short, but this is an outstanding interview. I have always dreamed about what it would be like to own a fragrance boutique, and this gentleman is actually living it…for ten years, no less! And, he has an etailer business.
No doubt it's a lot of hard work, because it sounds like he does everything for the store and the etailer business. But it sounds so satisfying! I bet he has met some wonderfule perfume mavens (like you) along the way, too.
Hugs, and talk with you soon, darling.
R, I dream about it too, obviously. But I would be a really, really bad retailer — I would be much more interested in playing with the perfumes than selling them, LOL!
Lovely interview. In 1995, when I was 16, I discovered Aedes after shopping at the aforementioned MAC store (makeup was so much more fun as a teenager; now i can barely be bothered to use it much less shop for it!). I was awestruck by the beauty of the store, it seemed so decadent and opulent and forbidden at the time. I was fascinated by L'artisan's Tubereuse, but unsure about it since I had never before worn, or even smelled, a scent that was so heady and intense. I worried that it would make me smell “dirty” unlike the fresh florals I was used to. Karl educated me, told me it was a dramatic fragrance that captured the romance of gardenias, and that it was Madonna's signature scent. He was so nice and seemed so knowledgable that I bought it, despite the price and my only income being pocket money from my parents. It ignited a passion in me for tuberose fragrances, niche brands, heady florals, challenging perfumes that people around me were often perplexed by. It made me a sophisticated connoisseur! I have a collection of about 50 tuberose and gardenia scents now, and I never ever get sick of them. Thanks Karl!
And also, Robin, since discovering nowsmellthis I feel like my taste has blossomed. After years of only being interested in florals, I now find myself craving cedars and other less traditional notes, thanks to your reviews. I am dying to try to the new SL with cedar and tuberose…
What a wonderful story — I wish I had discovered Aedes when I was 16! Although I'd probably be bankrupt by now, LOL…
I haven't made up my mind about Cedre yet. The top notes are out of this world, just lovely, but the tuberose is very subdued and the dry down is mostly sweet amber — not my favorite note. Will certainly give it another try but it wasn't love at first sniff.