The Malin + Goetz storefront in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood originally served as the company’s all-inclusive headquarters: boutique, offices, showroom, and e-commerce shipping center. Last year, staff operations relocated to a nearby address, and the shop itself expanded to fill the rear area of the interior. (Malin + Goetz also recently opened a second Manhattan location at 455 Amsterdam Avenue, spreading its influence to the Upper West Side.)
When you enter Malin + Goetz, you may find yourself happily dazed by the gleaming white interior of the company’s “apothecary” area, where precisely arranged rows of products for skin, hair, and body are displayed in open shelves. Testers are available, and a friendly young sales assistant will be able to help you in selecting a few items. You’ll also notice a few imaginative touches placed amongst the merchandise, like antique apothecary jars and dog figurines — as well as the owners’ two real dogs, who often spend time in the shop.
The back room, which serves as the "perfumery,” is a more intimate, brick-walled space, dominated by a large central counter of textured black wood with built-in display compartments. Shoppers can browse Malin + Goetz’s range of Eau de Toilettes (six, to date) and more highly-concentrated perfume oils. The Eau de Toilettes are pre-bottled in atomizers, but the oils are individually poured and labeled at the time of purchase. Other good-smelling wares include hand washes and bar soaps, not to mention a selection of sleekly packaged candles with unusual fragrances (Mojito, Vetiver), for bringing some fragrant Chelsea style back to your own abode.
Best seller: Rum Tonic.
Not to be missed: Freshly scented, highly effective body products like Peppermint Body Scrub and Bergamot Body Wash.
Details: 122 7th Ave. (between 20th and 21st Sts.), New York, NY 10011, 212-727-3777, website.
Nearby: New London Pharmacy, 246 8th Avenue (between 22nd and 23rd Streets), Ricky’s NYC (267 23rd St. between 7th and 8th Aves.), Whole Body at Whole Foods Market (260 7th Ave. at 25th St.)
— Images courtesy of Malin + Goetz. Report submitted by Jessica M.
See also: Perfume Shopping in New York City