Smell that, chap? It’s Penhaligon’s

Andrew Edwards

Penhaligon’s spent two years in Beverly Hills, but it really wanted

to make its home in Costa Mesa.

“We wanted to be in South Coast Plaza; we wanted to be here for

many years,” Penhaligon’s manager Angela Connor said.

Penhaligon’s, an English fragrance retailer whose other

stand-alone shops in the United States are located in New York and

Las Vegas, shut down its Rodeo Drive store in December to move to

South Coast Plaza. Penhaligon’s spokeswoman Tara Cathcart said the

company moved its store because it expected to attract more foot

traffic and vacationing customers in Costa Mesa’s mall than in

Beverly Hills.

Penhaligon’s roots stretch back to 1870, Connor said, when London

barber William Penhaligon set up shop next to a Turkish bath where

elite gentlemen of the Victorian era went to pamper themselves with

shaves, haircuts and spa treatments that would cost about one month’s

salary.

The first fragrance sold at Penhaligon’s barbershop was called

Hammam Bouquet, a men’s fragrance that contained Turkish rose,

jasmine and sandalwood. The scent is still available today at

Penhaligon’s with the same recipe.

For about one hundred years, Penhaligon’s was a shop for men,

Connor said. Women’s perfume didn’t grace stores’ shelves until the

1970s, though now the fragrances available at South Coast Plaza and

other shops tilt toward female customers.

A more recent change at Penhaligon’s was last year’s introduction

of the Imperial Paw collection, a line of high-end pet supplies at

the store. In addition to perfumes, candles, jewelry boxes and other

items, customers can browse a product line that includes $80 dog- and

cat-food dishes and $90 leather leashes.

“I’m not sure where the inspiration came from, [but] pet supplies

have become so fashionable right now,” Connor said. “Little pets have

become quite the accessory.”

Connor also noted, “British brands tend to have some quirkiness to

them.”

When Connor samples fragrances for customers, she does not tell

them the name of the perfume, show them the packaging or reveal any

of the ingredients, she said.

She does not even let people know if they’re trying a product

geared toward men or women, and it’s not uncommon for people to pick

a fragrance that was officially designed for the opposite sex.

“So many of the gentlemen’s [products], ladies wear, and so many

of the ladies’ [items] are worn by gentlemen,” Connor said.

When letting customers examine samples, Connor tries to sell

products that remind people of pleasant memories.

Since the olfactory nerve is connected to the brain’s memory

banks, she said she finds that personal histories play a big part in

determining what perfumes a customer would want.

“If you used to, as a child, bake cakes with your mother and it

was a wonderful experience ... you’re going to love vanilla for the

rest of your life,” Connor said. “If your mother was mean and would

hit you with a spoon ... you’re going to hate the scent of vanilla.”