Commodity Fragrances NYC interior

From the Beginning: In late 2024, New York City saw several high-profile fragrance brands open brick-and-mortar storefronts. In NoLIta alone, DIOR, Amouage, Granado, Penhaligan’s, and Commodity opened in close proximity to each other. I visited them briefly in December for inclusion in our comprehensive annual Shopping Guide to New York.

Brands with engaging back stories, fragrances, or otherwise intrigue me, and Commodity certainly has one. A successful Kickstarter campaign in 2013 raised over $57,000, certifying them as the first net generation fragrance brand. Launching with 20 scents as a direct-to-consumer play, Commodity was later sold at Sephora under the original ownership. In short order, things went sideways, and they shut down operations in 2019. Here’s where it gets interesting. Commodity was purchased by Vicken Arslanian, Owner and Founder of Europerfumes, making him Commodity’s Re-Founder and Creative Director. Clarifying the brand’s vision was the first order of business before the re-launch. Vicken then spent the next two years rebuilding the brand before a return to the market in 2021.

Commodity Fragrances NYC signage outside the boutique

New Beginnings: Bordering Scent Alley, on Crosby Street, Commodity Fragrances NYC is a magnificent new scent destination for several reasons. Upon entering, my first impression was the size of the space. The 1,000-square-foot storefront is significantly larger than the competition. Fragrance store events are usually a tight affair. Now this is a proper space to hold events. Next, my focus was drawn to the store’s layout design. From my point of view, it gives off the impression of a Chelsea art gallery. Visually stunning. Modern but inviting, and aesthetically pleasing. On entering, I met Bryson Ammons, Store Manager, who gave me an intro to the store and recent developments with the brand. After an engaging conversation, I arranged a return visit in the new year to experience the store in a more serene setting.

 Commodity Fragrances NYC Bryson Ammons, Store Manager

Upon my return in March, I had a handful of questions. What grabbed my attention was the scent space concept. It’s set up for customers can start taking control of their fragrance from a projection point of view. Bryson explained the fragrances:

Commodity Fragrances

Juice, Milk, Gold, Paper, Book, Moss, and Velvet are available in 3 Scent Spaces: Personal – for those who like to hold their fragrances close, Expressive – the original formulations that’s the perfect balance of projection and strength, and Bold – which are infused with deep, dark notes of bravado like Patchouli or Labdanum for added projection. Of the three, Expressive is the most popular. I intoned; it reminds me of the Goldilocks Principle. Bryson brought to my attention the signage around the store that helps guide customers through Commodity’s main collection of the seven scents. And while there is a lot of information on the walls, some don’t always want to read and will ask for assistance. I agreed, while signage is useful, it is not a substitute for the knowledge the staff can provide. The Commodity Editions (Archives) on display at the main counter are the original scents (not reformulated) and only sold at the store, except twice a year, in March and August, when they are made available online (similar to the Le Labo City Editions) and only available in the original form (Expressive). There are twelve in the Collection, and they are subject to change depending on demand.

Commodity Fragrances NYC  interior explains Scent Space

The store opened for business on October 26th, 2024. Is this the only brick-and-mortar store? Yes, for now. I was curious about the breakdown of the store’s scent demographics and habits. The average customer spends approximately 30 to 45 minutes. Bryson’s observations are a diverse array of old, young, and some who knew the brand from Sephora. Maybe three or four out of ten are familiar with the brand, probably from Sephora. He gets five or six repeats a week. Some start with a sampler or travel size and then graduate up. Some start with one of the three iterations and then move to another. Some go through all three. Seven out of ten are native to the city. Saturday is the busiest shopping day.

Before departing, I had a few questions for Bryson. I was intrigued by the choice of music – energetic and appropriately loud. I enquired who makes the music choices, and he told me that it is pretty much up to him to curate music that is appropriate for the mood of the day, from easy to listen to Jazz, Bossa Nova, etc. There is thought behind the tunes. There is talk about  having a speaker outside to draw people in. I’m all for that! How many are on staff here? Your favorite fragrance? That would be Milk.

Commodity Milk Expressive courtesy of Commodity

How many are on staff here? There’s Bryson Ammons and Mason Reed, Sales Associate. The Commodity Fragrances  NYC store has quickly become a favorite destination not only with  perfume aficionados but also with the local community. While the shop has only been open for five months, some favorites have emerged:

Commodity Fragrances NYC Store Top-Sellers (as of March 2025)

1 – Milk– Expressive

2 – Rain

3 – Juice – Expressive

4 – Wool

5 – Gin

Vicken Arslanian of Commodity and Europerfumes courtesy of Commodity

Prior to the start of the evening’s event, I spoke with Vicken Arslanian. I inquired if this was his first choice for the location, and he indicated that the search involved many neighborhoods, from the Upper East Side to SoHo to the Meatpacking District, and he didn’t feel they were a good fit. It was by chance one day when he parked on Crosby Street, believing he was not going to find anything, he looked up and here it was. It was serendipitous since the block was home to the now-shuttered Min New York, a multi-brand perfume store where Europerfumes launched several of its brands. “Could we have sold perfume in a smaller space? Sure, but Commodity is about scent space. More of a studio than a store, which is what I did not want. It was a former furniture gallery.” Vicken said he was looking for something comfortable and not a commerce-driven space. Very spatial with a vibe. Since the space caught my attention, I asked about the design. He appointed his wife, Rosette D. Khorenian, founder and principal architect of RDK Architect, to convey the feel of the Commodity website into the New York City brick-and-mortar space.

Concerning the perfumes, when he bought the brand,  Vicken discontinued everything he did not like. He brought back five and added two. “If you noticed, all the fragrances are one-word names, they are not ingredients. I was looking for words that conveyed emotion.” How’s the neighborhood treating you? “It hasn’t been six months since the opening, so we are still in the honeymoon phase”. What’s new? “We recently dropped our Editions collection for a limited time. With this drop, we included Orris, a previously discontinued Archive fragrance. So, of course, we had to celebrate its grand comeback in a big way with an event at our flagship SoHo store. The Editions collection is available year-round at our SoHo store, but is currently only available online in March and will re-appear in August.” We finished up our talk with his declaration regarding Orris, “I do not love it. I’m allowed not to love it! We can’t love everything. So tonight, I get to sit next to the perfumer who made it and tell him that.” I joked and said I’m looking forward to seeing how that works out for you!

Orris: A Fragrance Worth Fighting Over (courtesy of Commodity) 

Orris NYC Event March 21st (International Fragrance Day) at Commodity Fragrances NYC: Orris, which launched in 2017, soon developed a cult following, but when the brand was re-founded in 2019, Orris was discontinued, until now. As part of the new Editions Collection, Orris is becoming a permanent fixture at the Commodity Fragrances NYC Flagship Store. Created by perfumer Stephen Nilsen,  Orris is a comprehensive and skillful examination of contrasts. There is a lily-of-the-valley greenness that never gets too green because of the powdery orris note, and a vanilla sweetness that never gets to sweet due to a bright freshness of the pink peppercorn.

The Expert -Emma Vernon, The Hater – The Re-Founder Vicken Arslanian, and The Maker – Master Perfumer Stephen Nilsen

For the first part of the evening, a debate was orchestrated with three speakers: The Lover – Expert Emma Vernon, The Hater – The Re-Founder Vicken Arslanian, and The Maker -Master Perfumer Stephen Nilsen. The idea was to see if any noses could be swayed to the other side. I placed my bet with the lover. Never go against a lover! In the end, I believe The Hater was giving up ground and seeing their point of view. Guests appeared to enjoy the good-mature banter between the three as they took stock of the fragrance honoree, orris. After it was all said and done, The Hater might not hate it as much as he thought!

Guests attending the event at the Commodity Fragrances NYC store

The second part of the evening involved a Masterclass with Emma Vernon and Stephen Nilsen breaking down the components of the fragrance. Scent strips were passed around for all to participate. For this series, the object is to isolate specific notes to get a better understanding of the fragrance. Orris, one of the most coveted raw ingredients in perfumery, is also one of the most misunderstood. Better known as iris, it isn’t extracted from the iris flower but rather from its root. This was an excellent way for all to understand what it takes to create a fragrance.

Thank you to all at Commodity, Europerfumes, Vicken, and Bryson for your hospitality. I’m ready to schedule my next visit.

~Hernando Courtright, Senior Events Contributor and Brand Ambassador

Unless otherwise stated, all Photos by Hernando© of ÇaFleureBon and cannot be reproduced without our permission.

Commodity Fragrances  NYC Flagship Store 

Address: 113 Crosby Street, New York, NY 10012

Phone: (212) 220-3785

E-mail: customerservice@commodityfragrances.com

Website: https://commodityfragrances.com/

Hours: Monday-Saturday 11 AM -7 PM, Sunday 11 AM-6 PM

 

 Commodity Orris courtesy of  Commodity

Thanks to the generosity of Commodity, we have a 100 ML EDP of Orris for a registered US reader ONLY. To be eligible, please leave a comment on what you enjoyed about Hernando’s visit to Commodity Fragrances NYC. Do you have a favorite Commodity perfume? Draw closes 4/10/2025

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