MiN New York?

[24 Faubourg]

I haven't been here in some time but want to do a run through a few major fragrance shops in NYC over the next two months or so.

I remember that MiN used to stock many different niche houses.... but looking at their website, I can only see information about their in house brands? Is this just a feature on their website or did something change?

 

[hednic]

You're right. They used to stock many brands years back. Their offerings now are woeful. This place has gone downhill big time IMO.

 

[24 Faubourg]

You're right. they used to stock many brands years back. Their offerings now are woeful. This place has gone downhill big time IMO.

I called to ask what houses they stock and the person on the phone said they do have some Montale but no testers so you have to know what you want...

What happened to this place? I went here a few times when first getting into fragrances and it was amazing.

 

[Uni No Uta]

It seems they're just carrying their own line now? Maybe selling off what's left of the old brands? Which, some of theirs are nice, sure.

In this town, though - we've got the great Twisted Lily, plus Aedes, Perfumarie Discovery Studio, Osswald, now there's a ScentBar on Elizabeth. Not to mention countless smaller, more tightly curated boutiques - I recently stumbled across a place on Myrtle Ave (Jill Lindsey) that had a small but interesting selection (only five or six houses) of niche stuff. So I'm not stressing MiN going downhill.

 

[24 Faubourg]

It seems they're just carrying their own line now? Maybe selling off what's left of the old brands? Which, some of theirs are nice, sure.

In this town, though - we've got the great Twisted Lily, plus Aedes, Perfumarie Discovery Studio, Osswald, now there's a ScentBar on Elizabeth. Not to mention countless smaller, more tightly curated boutiques - I recently stumbled across a place on Myrtle Ave (Jill Lindsey) that had a small but interesting selection (only five or six houses) of niche stuff. So I'm not stressing MiN going downhill.

Totally. I generally shop at Bergdorfs, Osswald, Barneys (RIP), Saks, or individual house boutiques (Frederic Malle, Hermes, etc). I've not yet been to Twisted Lily (Brooklyn always feels like a trek...) but plan to soon. There's a chance I might be moving from NYC so I want to do a run or two through a couple of places here and get anything I really fall in love with before I leave. I hate shopping online...

 

[Uni No Uta]

I've not yet been to Twisted Lily (Brooklyn always feels like a trek...) but plan to soon. (

Depending on your starting point, it may be less of a trek than some of the places listed. Like, if you're staying downtown, in the EV/LES area, TL is actually a shorter journey Bergdorf's or Saks.

The boroughs were confusing in the days before we all carried GPS in our pockets. Now it's so easy to get around. Nice brunch spots near TL, too, you can make an afternoon of it.

I'm awful fond of TL - super-knowledgeable salespeople and mostly very nice (the owner isn't unfriendly, I just get a vibe he's a little on the spectrum. Everyone else there is quite warm) - since they're not on commission they're not constantly pushing the hard sell on you like they do at some department stores, where it can get very pushy. The last time I was at Bergdorf, to check something out out of curiosity, it was like, I just wanted to tell the salesperson to calm down and leave me alone for a bit. I had a couple smell-cards I wanted to walk around with for a few minutes while they dried down, and meanwhile she's shoved like six others I had no interest in in my face. Like on first smell I'm gonna impulse buy a $350 bottle.

At a place like TL, Aedes, or Perfumarie they're just honestly interested in finding you something that'll float your boat, not the most expensive bottle on the shelf.

 

[24 Faubourg]

Depending on your starting point, it may be less of a trek than some of the places listed. Like, if you're staying downtown, in the EV/LES area, TL is actually a shorter journey Bergdorf's or Saks.

The boroughs were confusing in the days before we all carried GPS in our pockets. Now it's so easy to get around. Nice brunch spots near TL, too, you can make an afternoon of it.

I'm awful fond of TL - super-knowledgeable salespeople and mostly very nice (the owner isn't unfriendly, I just get a vibe he's a little on the spectrum. Everyone else there is quite warm) - since they're not on commission they're not constantly pushing the hard sell on you like they do at some department stores, where it can get very pushy. The last time I was at Bergdorf, to check something out out of curiosity, it was like, I just wanted to tell the salesperson to calm down and leave me alone for a bit. I had a couple smell-cards I wanted to walk around with for a few minutes while they dried down, and meanwhile she's shoved like six others I had no interest in in my face. Like on first smell I'm gonna impulse buy a $350 bottle.

At a place like TL, Aedes, or Perfumarie they're just honestly interested in finding you something that'll float your boat, not the most expensive bottle on the shelf.

I live in NYC and am in the area near Bergdorfs constantly. It’s the shortest trek of them all for me, along with Hermes/Frederic Malle/etc.

That’s perfect to know. When I make the journey to TL I’ll definitely want to grab some food and maybe a drink to make the day of it.

Hahaha! Funny because I impulse bought a bottle at Bergdorf that same way after spending time shopping and drinking champagne at Hermes :embarassed:
I definitely want to find bottles that fit in with what I like and captivate me, definitely not just the most expensive bottle.

During the next few months I already know 6-7 fragrances I want to buy for sure but am open to adding maybe 10 or so additional ones so want to check out all the stores in the area. TL seems like a great stop.

What is your experience at Osswald? I haven't been there in forever, but will be in the area next week. Also checking Bloomingdales over the weekend to smell/potentially buy Baraonda though I've yet to go there.

 

[Uni No Uta]

I live in NYC and am in the area near Bergdorfs constantly. It’s the shortest trek of them all for me, along with Hermes/Frederic Malle/etc.

That’s perfect to know. When I make the journey to TL I’ll definitely want to grab some food and maybe a drink to make the day of it.

Hahaha! Funny because I impulse bought a bottle at Bergdorf that same way after spending time shopping and drinking champagne at Hermes :embarassed:
I definitely want to find bottles that fit in with what I like and captivate me, definitely not just the most expensive bottle.

During the next few months I already know 6-7 fragrances I want to buy for sure but am open to adding maybe 10 or so additional ones so want to check out all the stores in the area. TL seems like a great stop.

What is your experience at Osswald? I haven't been there in forever, but will be in the area next week. Also checking Bloomingdales over the weekend to smell/potentially buy Baraonda though I've yet to go there.

Haha. That champagne is strategic! Only BG got the benefit of Hermes' largesse this time, I guess.

Osswald - I've been a couple times, it seems to have a curatorial voice - specifically, very lush, traditional "luxury" stuff (Roja, Initio, Creed, Xerjoff, MEMO, etc) and some more obscure brands you don't see much elsewhere but fall into the same category (like Laurent Mazzone) - they're heavy on ouds and the like. It seems to lean towards a particular audience which, admittedly, I might not be part of. But I haven't really spent a lot of time there. I do appreciate that they're not pushy. They let you explore, do your thing.

I was wary about ScentBar at first - west coasters invading NYC! How dare they! - but the staff there are great. If you're at all interested in higher-end Japanese stuff, they're the only place in the US that carries Di Ser, an amazing (but often veeeery pricey) brand. They make the only oud I've ever liked (which is, unfortunately, $1,000 for a 30ml bottle, so it won't be joining my collection... but might as well let them spray you with it, they'll do that for free)

TL is a bit funkier, but they also have their share of high-end luxury stuff. They're one of only two local places I've seen Floraiku, the new spin-off of MEMO - maybe not a brand for me personally but amazing stuff.

For Lunch/Brunch (or dinner, if you go in the evening) around Twisted Lily there's a wealth of good options, depending what you're looking for: The Hihi Room, French Louie, Grand Army, all good casual places. Slightly longer walk there's Saint Julivert and La Vara. If it's the evening you can go for fancy cocktails at The Clover Club, if that's to your liking. If the weather's nice and you're up for a longer walk, head over to Brooklyn Heights, stroll the promenade, there's good stuff over there as well. If you want to go full old-school NYC luxury before you leave town, make a reservation at The River Cafe for lunch or dinner.

 

[24 Faubourg]

Haha. That champagne is strategic! Only BG got the benefit of Hermes' largesse this time, I guess.

Osswald - I've been a couple times, it seems to have a curatorial voice - specifically, very lush, traditional "luxury" stuff (Roja, Initio, Creed, Xerjoff, MEMO, etc) and some more obscure brands you don't see much elsewhere but fall into the same category (like Laurent Mazzone) - they're heavy on ouds and the like. It seems to lean towards a particular audience which, admittedly, I might not be part of. But I haven't really spent a lot of time there. I do appreciate that they're not pushy. They let you explore, do your thing.

I was wary about ScentBar at first - west coasters invading NYC! How dare they! - but the staff there are great. If you're at all interested in higher-end Japanese stuff, they're the only place in the US that carries Di Ser, an amazing (but often veeeery pricey) brand. They make the only oud I've ever liked (which is, unfortunately, $1,000 for a 30ml bottle, so it won't be joining my collection... but might as well let them spray you with it, they'll do that for free)

TL is a bit funkier, but they also have their share of high-end luxury stuff. They're one of only two local places I've seen Floraiku, the new spin-off of MEMO - maybe not a brand for me personally but amazing stuff.

For Lunch/Brunch (or dinner, if you go in the evening) around Twisted Lily there's a wealth of good options, depending what you're looking for: The Hihi Room, French Louie, Grand Army, all good casual places. Slightly longer walk there's Saint Julivert and La Vara. If it's the evening you can go for fancy cocktails at The Clover Club, if that's to your liking. If the weather's nice and you're up for a longer walk, head over to Brooklyn Heights, stroll the promenade, there's good stuff over there as well. If you want to go full old-school NYC luxury before you leave town, make a reservation at The River Cafe for lunch or dinner.

Hahaha, well Hermes definitely got to profit from the Champagne too. I'm there pretty much all the time. Even though they aren't my favorite fragrance house, I own the most by them just because I shop there a lot so am always smelling on my way in/out. Always finding something else I enjoy!

It’s been quite a while since I’ve been to Osswald. I’m not sure if I’m the typical audience there; ouds, while beautiful, don’t do well on my skin.

Di Ser… I haven’t heard much about them. Are the fragrances actually ones with great longevity and projection? I lived in Japan and the idea of a stronger fragrance house being popular there is so foreign to me. They typically seem to go for very light fragrances. I might check out Scentbar then… Do you know what else they stock there? Is it just everything from Lucky Scent?

Thanks! I still have a few months at least before I’d potentially move so I can make a few trips to TL. Thanks for the recs!

Edit: I just called and ScentBar has a fragrance I was going to buy elsewhere this weekend so might stop by and check out some other stuff as well. Hopefully the store doesn't get too crazy so I can smell around a bit. :dankk2:

 

[Uni No Uta]

Di Ser… I haven’t heard much about them. Are the fragrances actually ones with great longevity and projection? I lived in Japan and the idea of a stronger fragrance house being popular there is so foreign to me. They typically seem to go for very light fragrances. I might check out Scentbar then… Do you know what else they stock there? Is it just everything from Lucky Scent?

Di Ser's stuff tends to follow the Japanese fashion... sits closer to the body, though maybe has a bit more longevity than some.

I've noticed a trend in American niche to go bigger, bigger, bigger of late.There are some that are just bananas (like Zoologist - I can smell Tyrannosaurus in my laundry like a week after wearing it.) - but I like to have a couple in the rotation that are a little more "personal" so to speak.

 

[24 Faubourg]

Di Ser's stuff tends to follow the Japanese fashion... sits closer to the body, though maybe has a bit more longevity than some.

I've noticed a trend in American niche to go bigger, bigger, bigger of late.There are some that are just bananas (like Zoologist - I can smell Tyrannosaurus in my laundry like a week after wearing it.) - but I like to have a couple in the rotation that are a little more "personal" so to speak.

That's very true! I honestly don't mind if they sit closer to the body/are more personal, but I do care about longevity. Admittedly not as much as I used to but I am normally out for hours at a time and putting everything in atomizers is a pain.