The birth of American niche perfumery (part 5) : AGRARIA

When I was first discovering niche perfumes about 20 years ago, one of the hallowed places I used to visit to study, sniff, and shop was the perfumery in Bergdorf Goodman. The small, private, jewel-box room was painted an elegant shade of mauve. All the perfume flacons were housed in glass cases and cabinets, and the sales associates wore special lavender smocks. Sadly, no such place exists today - and the perfume department at BG has been moved to the basement and is now combined with a vast stretch of cosmetics and skincare in a brightly lit cacophonous space that feels like it is a mile wide. I still love to browse for perfumes at BG, but I miss the quaint little perfumery... it made the shopping experience feel so special !

One of the early treasures I found at BG was a line called Agraria, a company that, even though it has an Italian-sounding name, was born in San Francisco. They started on Taylor Street in Nob Hill at a boutique that sold English & French antiques.
They produced exquisitely-scented and beautifully-packaged home fragrances that seemed fit for a castle, or at least a small mansion. Just owning their Balsam candle (balsam, redwood and white flowers) or a box of their Bitter Orange potpourri made me feel as if I was of regal heritage, and this was an easy way for me to convince myself I was chic and elegant - so I was hooked !

The Bitter Orange scent (bitter orange, cypress and spices) became my favorite, especially at holiday time, and I have since gone through at least four bottles of Bitter Orange cologne over the years. I once accidentally sprayed it over Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan and this has now become my favorite winter layering combination!
Agraria has expanded, with all kinds of thematic ranges and many more products such as diffusers, bath products and scented tassels. Their website is enormous - Agraria is a true American success story !
Next time, we’ll talk about MONTGOMERY TAYLOR…