Interview: La Parfumerie Bordelaise

Because on Travellers Society, we love everything beautiful and fragrant, we present to you La Parfumerie Bordelaise. This small boutique in the center of Bordeaux holds many treasures: Diptyque, La Parfumerie Générale, or Miller Harris... you can find sublime perfumes and candles there. Interview.

Travellers Society : Hello to both of you, how did you get the idea to buy the La Parfumerie Bordelaise shop?

We have owned a beauty institute for 13 years already, and Fabienne was having difficulty continuing to work in the beauty industry, so we were looking for an alternative. Coincidentally, La Parfumerie Bordelaise was for sale at that time. For Fabienne, this is a return to her roots, as she worked in selective perfumery at the beginning of her career, but this approach to Designer perfume interested us greatly, always keen to best meet customer needs.

JR : What were you doing before?

Before the institute, I worked in the financial sector in London, and Fabienne worked in mass retail. After some serious health issues, we wanted to create something together and bought a beauty salon in Bordeaux. We moved back to our region, Fabienne was already a beautician and had worked at the Lancôme institute in Paris, among other places. For me, it was a career change.

JR : How do you select the brands featured in the store?

When we acquired it, there were already brands present. We are trying to achieve harmony among our partners, namely brands that are better known to the general public and others that are truly niche, but with a unique olfactory signature and, despite that, within a budget accessible to the greatest number.

JR : What are your clients generally looking for? An exceptional perfume? An original gift?

Increasingly, customers are looking for a fragrance that suits them, a unique fragrance that they won't find on everyone else. A signature.

JR : What perfume to give to your boyfriend? And to your girlfriend?

A perfume we'll share.

JR : What candle should be placed in an entryway to make people feel immediately comfortable?

Scents are very personal, whether you're welcoming friends into your home or the public into a professional space: you need to inspire confidence, create a warm atmosphere where people will enjoy spending time.

JR : What is your best travel memory? Do you have a favorite hotel to recommend to us?

For me, my first trip to Asia, the colors, the smells, the people: it's a region that inspires me a lot, in which you find a certain serenity. And one place in particular on the island of Langkawi, The Andaman Islands.

Thank you very much for answering all our questions, and please don't hesitate to explore this wonderful shop full of delicious fragrances.

Photo credits: Diptyque Paris and La Parfumerie Bordelaise.