WE LOVE THIS STORE: DS & Durga NYC + NoLita Draw

July 7, 2019July 7, 2019

DS & Durga NYC storefront

NoLita has become New York City premier fragrance shopping mecca. The latest addition and must visit is the new DS & Durga NYC boutique. Yes, the indie fragrance brand debuted their boutique on Mulberry Street a couple of blocks over from Elizabeth Street pioneers Le Labo, Atelier Cologne and more recently NEST and Claus Porto.

David Seth Moltz and Kavi Ahuja Moltz

In 2007 self-taught perfumer David Seth Moltz and (soon to be wife) Kavi Ahuja (A.K.A. Durga) crafted some holiday gifts of tonics and aftershaves as gifts. The next year they launched D.S. & Durga and never looked back. They are now one of America’s premier independent brands. Based in Brooklyn, the award winning fragrance house opened their Flagship store in Manhattan this past February and launched the celebratory perfume D.S., and the Body Line concurrently.

Body Line

I made a point to visit upon opening for a first look. While up and running minor details were still being ironed out. It quickly took shape by my second visit. And participation in events like Sniffapalooza’s Spring Fling 2019 showed the store is open and ready for the public.

The Brooklyn duo brought their brand Mulberry Street with a glass storefront resembling a hip art gallery mixing in a punk rock attitude. Nothing warm and fuzzy here. David was quick to add that it was Kavi, who previously worked as an architect, oversaw the project with the architecture firm K&Co. While David gave me the tour I took in the store’s ambiance and asked a few questions.

Why Manhattan and not Brooklyn? “This location, the corner of Mulberry & Prince, was chosen because NoLita is one of my favorite neighborhoods for its shopping and restaurants and, I had previously worked at Cafe Gitane (around the corner) in the early part of the naughties. In 2002 it was the hottest place to be. So this is where it had to be!”

Did either have any brick and mortar retail experience prior to opening this location? David said not really, but it was their successful pop-up in Williamsburg last year that gave them a taste for what to expect of the brick and mortar experience.”

What was the timeline from conception to execution? “We signed the lease in August of 2018 and completed the built out in seven months, opening February 7th. We thought we’d open in December but construction takes much longer (especially getting the permits pulled in NYC).”

Knowing what you know now would you have done anything differently? “Just planned out longer – we originally wanted to launch during the holidays.”

DS & Durga Hiko Men

I first met David at the Elements Showcase in 2012. We bonded over music (and fragrance). Our love for the Blues and Punk Rock intersected. David it appeared was on a mission to bridge the gap between scent and sound. An example of that would be the limited edition project DS & Durga released at the end of last year that celebrates the music of Duran Duran by releasing four fragrances that mark four decades of Duran Duran’s music.

Music is a big part of the brand’s ethos so I asked how much will it play in the ambiance of the store? “A ton – playlists always playing. We plan to screen films. And we will have some shows. You know, basically, I’m forever thinking I’ll get back into playing music.” Will hosting events be key to the store’s development? “Major. Finally, we have a stage to invite people into the depth of our fragrances and our story. We can also collaborate with friends and brands in a really meaningful way.”

Working lab at DS & Durga NYC

I asked, “So have you decided how you and Kavi will split the time between the store and Brooklyn office? “Both of us plan on being in and out of the store for meetings and events but both work full time at the office in Brooklyn”.

Auto Fragrance and DS & Durga T-shirts

I wondered if they could foresee D.S. & Durga NYC being used as a testing ground for future releases? Maybe an in-store exclusive fragrance? David was not sure yet. But they do have two exclusives already, Auto fragrance and T-shirts.

Candle Collection

D.S. & Durga NYC carries their full range of fragrances (24), body lotions (3) and body wash (3), soap (1), auto scents (3), and candles (8). What I really appreciate is that their packaging is engineered to be foam free, recyclable paper, and their shipping materials are biodegradable. Their formulas are all vegan.

Fragrance Table at DS & Durga NYC

At the Fragrance Table, I questioned David about some of the older fragrances that are no longer available. He said that it was either due to the fact that some were never meant to be more than limited runs while others based on ingredients that are no longer available (IFRA regulations which are changing all the time). And with others, “we can keep them in the collection by going back and sub in other ingredients and rebuild them”.

Wall display

David was curious about what notes I gravitate toward. I threw out my love for citrus, patchouli, vanilla, and vetiver. We smelled a number of perfumes on the table and David suggested D.S., Amber Kiso, Italian Citrus and White Peacock Lily. Nailed it. David assembled a generous sample bag for me to take home.

“You know what we are doing is maybe extremely unique outside of the realm of perfume. It’s a whole world you can enter. Perfume is on the level of writing poetry, music. It is an art.” –David Seth Moltz

–Hernando Courtright, Sr. Event Contributor with contributions from Michelyn

.You can read David Seth Moltz’s CaFleureBon Profile in American Perfumery here and his thoughts about being an Independent Perfume house here

DS & Durga NYC 255 Mulberry Street, New York, NY 10012

Phone: (212) 226-2981

Website: here

Hours 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM Sunday-Wednesday, and 11:00 AM – 8 PM Thursday – Saturday.

Image from DS & Durga

Thanks to the generosity of co-owners David and Kavi we have a $50 Gift Card to DS & Durga NYC for a registered US reader instore or to be used online. To be eligible please leave a comment on what you enjoyed about Hernando’s visit to DS & Durga NYC and what you would use your GC to buy should you win. Draw closes 7/10/2019.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like ÇaFleureBon and use our Blog feed…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.