WE LOVE THIS STORE: Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique & Apothecary + Perfumes Grow in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn E-Card Draw

Twisted Lily fragrance boutique and apothecary Cafleurebon Brooklyn

Twisted Lily Store window Photo Hernando with chalk script digital Mc

Shopping for artistic and hard to find fragrances in Manhattan has always offered New Yorkers more options then most cities. Now add in Brooklyn as a fragrance destination,(Michelyn once quipped  it is the New Fragrance District) and we have a perfumer lover’s paradise.  As a NYC  fragrance blogger, I have access to the City,  an  advantage most don't have. So, with all the  independent boutiques in the five boroughs, I chose Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique & Apothecary for this edition of  WE LOVE THIS STORE. 

Easily accessible by subway from Manhattan I set a date to stop by and visit with Eric Weiser, who along with his partner in business and life, Stamatis Birsimijoglou, are the proprietors and founders.  Born in Brooklyn, raised in Long Island, Eric returned to Brooklyn to open  Twisted Lily on Atlantic Avenue. The address  was an auspicious omen; 360 Atlantic Avenue.  360 degrees.

1 twisted lily fragrance boutique in brooklyn cafleurebon November 2014

Photo by Hernando for Fall Ball 2013

My first visit to Twisted Lily was via Sniffapaoloza's Fall Ball 2013. A cocktail party was arranged for us to attend Brooklyn’s new fragrance boutique to top off the first day’s events. Twisted Lily had just opened a month prior in the Boerum Hill section of Brooklyn and this evenings event was a wonderful way to introduce the shoppe to the fragrance community. That night I discovered Josh Lobb of Portland Ore, a rich boozy gourmand and knew this was my kind of perfumerie.

Conveniently located near the Barclay Center (there is no excuse not to attend a sport or music event and not smell fabulous) the area is a melting pot of people of all ages and backgrounds which was important to Eric. 

artistic natural niche perfumes cafleurebon

 On  the shelves at Twisted Lily Photo: Hernando

Since its September 2013 opening Twisted Lily quickly became a must visit destination for all fragrance aficionados. This special perfume boutique curates hard to find artisanal, indie and natural fragrance collections. From supporting the growing Brooklyn fragrance community, sourcing regional treasures and  spanning the globe for worldly fragrant treasures, Twisted Lily also carries  a selection of home fragrance, apothecary, skincare, grooming and beauty lines. 

 Eric Weiser considers Twisted Lily an incubator for artistic perfumery. He has no interest in the “niche” moniker. "What does that represent anymore?" I asked if there were any deal breakers in  curation. "Yes, for now we will shy away from are bottles in the $300+ range, he told me. Is everything on the website available on premise?  His answer, “Yes, 95%".  My next question was how do you cut through the clutter of so many new releases. His answer was "Contacts, attending trade shows (he was our EIC Michelyn Camen's traveling companion to Milan The Scent of Excellence Esxence 2015) and yes, our customers."

twisted Lily interior niche perfumes cafleurebon

Twisted Lily and the Fragrance Island

The custom, modern but comfy interior, furniture and light fixture creates an innovative and welcoming environment for discovering the wonderful world of scent. At just under 700 square feet, the store’s fluid design which includes a “Fragrance Island”  that showcases current releases as well as acting as a scented stage for their in-store events. The layout of the shelves is not organized by scent category but by how the brands fit the custom made shelves. They are changed up regularly to give customer a fresh look at collections that might have been over looked and by constant evaluation of what is in demand. Ultimately Eric remarked, the customers decide.

Never one to enjoy a crowded event to make a fragrance purchase today gave me a chance to enjoy the tranquil environment to contemplate the wonderful collections on hand. On hand is their signature citrus infused water,  tea and nibbles so one can stay awhile.

Krista Miller Carla Siepp Eric Weiser Stamatis

Krista Miller, Stamatis Birsmijoglu, Eric Weiser and Carla Seipp -The Twisted Lily Team (photo Stamatis)

I asked Eric Weiser to walk me through how he and the store’s knowledgeable staff…Stamatis Birsimijoglou, Carla Seipp, and  Krista Miller, work with a new customer. He asked me what I liked and what I did not like in a fragrance. He brought me five choices to start with, based on  the descriptions I gave.

eric weiser making samples at twisted lily

Eric Weiser Co Owner of Twisted Lily making samples  Can you name the fragrances???

Eric  asked me to  smell them from the perfume blotters in order to eliminate the ones I did not care for. Then he showed my three more. Finally he asked me spray the  three favorites on my skin to evaluate. Samples of my final choices were made up to take home and live with. No pressure to buy.  The staff develops relationships not a quick sale.  While most of our readers know Twisted Lily from their online store, the boutique itself welcomes many of the neighborhood’s residents who are new to artistic perfume.

eric weiser maria mcElroy aroma m event

Maria McElroy and Eric Weiser on July 14 Meet the Maker

 As my first introduction to Twisted Lily was through an event it is only fitting that this day concludes with a Twisted Lily special event held on July 14, 2016. “Meet the Maker, Aroma M Perfumes”. The fabulous Maria McElroy, founder and owner of Aroma M Perfumes, the Japanese-inspired cult parfumerie,  who had just released Geisha Vanilla Hinoki, the first addition to the  Geisha collection since 2011. On hand were light bites with wine and bubbles which complimented her fragrance collection and made it all the more festive!

hernando michelyn twisted lily 2013

Hernando and Michelyn at a Twisted Lily Event 2015 (photo Carlos Powell of Brooklyn Fragrance Lover)

This year I have had the pleasure of attending events such as Andy Tauer, Euphorium Brooklyn and Sniffapalooza's Spring Fling cocktail party featuring Alessandro Brun and Riccardo Tedeschi of Masque Milano.

niche perfumes nishane hylnd mednitorrosa at twisted lily

Fragrances Local and Global at Twisted Lily

Twisted Lily carries approximately 85 fragrance houses of which eight as of this date are Brooklyn based. Impressive sampling of current brands with new releases were showcased the day I interviewed Eric and  include:  Brooklyn artisan David Seth Molz of D.S.& Durga, Menditterosa Odori D'Anima from Italy (our review of Le Mat here), Hiram Green from The Netherlands  (our review of Dilettante here), Leo Crabtree of Great Britian  Beaufort London,  (our review of Vi et Armis), Fulton Roark (North Carolina), Carlen Parfums (NY),  Masque Milano (Italy our review of L’attesa here)  and Nishane Istanbul our review of Fan Your Flames here. In addition Parfums Quartana was in the back room getting ready to launch and is available both online and in store (our review of Wolfsbane) here.

Of course I did not leave empty handed.  I purchased my seventh fragrance from the store, Berlin's Tanja Bochnig April Aromatics Discovery Set. 

–Hernando Courtright, New York City Event Contributor and Brand Ambassador (with added info and contributions from Michelyn)

All photos Hernando for Cafleurebon unless otherwise specified 

Twisted Lily- 360 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217 347-529-4681

Website: Twisted Lily  info@twistedlily.com

Tuesday – Sunday: 12pm – 7pm  

Free Shipping On-All-Orders Over $75 (U.S. only)

twisted lily gift certificate

Thanks to Twisted Lily, we have a $30 Gift Card for a registered US reader. To be eligible, please leave a comment with what you enjoyed about your virtual visit to Twisted Lily and what fragrance you might buy should you win. Also is there a brand  you would like to see at the store. Now is your chance to voice your favorites, (make sure they don't carry it first :).  Draw closes August 2, 2016

We announce the winners on our site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume

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21 comments

  • ron payne says:

    My god, I wish this had been in Brooklyn when I lived there. A wonderful addition to Atlantic Ave. I’d buy one of the Hiram Green scents.

  • sserser says:

    I went to Twisted Lily last time I was in New York so it was a real and not just virtual visit 😉 My favourite part was the custom shelves, which really made me want to sample everything… If I won this draw I would buy Maria Candida Gentile’s Hanbury, and I’d like to see Goest Perfumes and Friedemodin stocked at the store.

    I’m in Seattle. Thanks!

  • Julesinrose says:

    I feel the same way as the first commenter!

    I loved the article but have to admit to the awful green headed monster emotion coming up!! I sent my brother to thr store to buy his girlfriend a gift – he’s a fragrance newbie – and he called me from the store and said something to the effect of “this is the most awesome place ever!” It’s beautiful, they sell a fantastic of huge line of scents, and the staff is awesome!!!

    If I had the good fortune to win, I’d probably buy UNUM Lavs. I wish they’d carry Stephene Humbert Lucas’ line.

    Cheers!

  • fazalcheema says:

    It is great how much they focus on building relationships with customers instead of quick sales. They are also doing a great job of introducing neighboring communities to artisan perfumes. If I win, I may go for Papillon or Tauer. thanks a lot for the draw. I think they already carry most of the good brands. I am in the US.

  • Patty P. says:

    The absolute best part about reading about Twisted Lily is imagining what I would purchase if I lived close enough to visit the store in person and spend hours there deciding. 🙂 With a gift card I’d purchase something from D.S. & Durga. USA

  • BostonScentGuy says:

    I absolutely love this store and have had the pleasure of visiting in a real life (vs. just virtual) sort of way. Nonetheless, this article highlights everything I love about it–despite carrying many hard-to-find a expensive selections, it is not pretentious and thought is really given to curating an artistic array of perfumes. Love the modern, but not sterile decor and the friendly staff. They are more than willing to guide you through testing or kindly leave you be (but will always subtly check in to make sure everything is ok). Lastly, they are wonderfully generous with samples. It’s definitely up there in pantheon of favorite scent stores of mine, and I think it might even top the worthy competition of Aedes and Osswalds. If I were to get a gift card, I would probably try and pick up Au Dela by Bruno Fazzolari…just waiting for an excuse to buy it!

    I wish they carried Bogue so that I don’t have to rely on samples or flying to LA sniff their offerings at Luckyscent!

    Thanks for the draw–I’m in the US.

  • cdb73110 says:

    I absolutely love how personable Twisted Lily is. They are number 1 in my book. True story that might amuse the readers. So, I made my trip to NYC with friends, mind you. From Oklahoma so we have almost nothing here by way of niche. So we did the amazing One World Trade Center then I said, ” hey let’s walk the Brooklyn Bridge” as none of us had ever done. It was a sweltering day but a good breeze blowing and off we went towards Brooklyn. Little did they know I had an ulterior motive. So we made it all the way across and walked into Brooklyn. Stopped at a nifty dinner on the corner and got this yummy ice cream truffle thingy. I said, “oh while we are here there is a shop I want to visit right up the street”. They were game as we had cooled off no refreshed. So we walked up to Atlantic Avenue. Sweating like crazy but I was salivating in anticipation to explore and sample. We arrived only to find out Twisted Lily was closed on Monday. Yes, really. I should have looked at Facebook open hours no days. Guess I was too excited cause it almost worked. After a plethora of comments and much ridicule to me, we headed back to NYC to the nearest bar. Ha! Ha! I was so close. At any rate, Twisted Lily is the real deal in customer service whether it be online in my expierence or in person. Hopefully if I get to visit NYC again, I will get to be there first hand, sampling and buying till my heart’s desired. I have such an eclectic sense of smells. I really enjoy Xerjoff, Monsillage, Masque and many others, so it makes it difficult to narrown it down. Probably a Xerjoff Richwood which is so beautiful on my skin. I do have my wish list from Twisted Lily so the gift card would not go to waste. I would love to see Kemi, MDCI, or one of the exclusive lines that are impossible to find here in the USA. Can’t think off the top of my head but have ran across in the past. Thanks a million for a great draw. In the USA.

  • Rae Lynn says:

    I love this store site! It was so fun to look through all the choices! I discovered two perfumes that I would love to try-Chocolatl and Rrose Sevavy, if I would be so lucky to win.

  • Lori L says:

    I really wished I lived in Brooklyn or even close, so that I could visit Twisted Lily! I loved the fact the when you visit in the store, its about the building the relationship and the experience and not only about the sale. I have always ordered from them online. If I were fortunate enough to win I would purchase Unum Ennui Noir. I live in the US and thanks for the draw! 🙂

  • Richard Potter says:

    I love Twisted Lily. I have only deal with them online but hope to one day visit the store. The are very generous and helpful. I’ve always gotten wonderful service from Stamatis and it is nice to see photos of the gang.

  • Hikmat Sher Afridi says:

    I never have been there but would love to visit in my lifetime if & only if get Visa.
    One of my cousin (who is a barrister by profession) visited 3 years back & on my request bought Amouage Discovery/Gift set (Men & Women both). From that day I bookmarked Twistedlily website page.
    If I win I will buy through my relative in NY; April Aromatics Calling All Angels, Euphorium Brooklyn Cilice, Euphorium Brooklyn Wald and The Holy Mountain by Apoteker Tepe.
    Thanks for the draw.

  • MikasMinion says:

    I live in a perfume wasteland so even a virtual tour of such an oasis of scent is a joy. I have had Anabasis on my FB list for ages and would probably finally spring for it. I am a little surprised they don’t carry Parfum d’Empire, which is a favorite of mine. I’m in the US.

  • Dubaiscents says:

    It is so impressive that they carry 85 houses and all of them are so unique. I first went to the store last August and am planning another visit in a week, it is a must visit every time I am in the US! If I was to win the $30 gift card I’d get one of the new Masque Milanos. As for a line I wish they would carry, it is tough to say when they already have so many great ones, maybe Le Gallion…

  • teresa310 says:

    Lovely place, I wish I lived closer to visit it sometimes. It’s good that they have an online store which looks also very tempting. They carry so many brands it’s almost impossible to think of another one to launch. OK, perhaps Diptyque?

    Are you sure this draw is not for the US readers only? If it’s worldwide, I’m in! I would spend my gift card on some Andy Tauer scent. Thanks for the draw!

    (EU)

  • Steve A says:

    I believe it a refreshing idea to keep bottles under the $300+ range.
    There are plenty of brands in the store right now. There is something to be said for keeping it limited. As far as what I would I buy if I win, I don’t know I’d be apt to change my mind anyway. U.S.

  • cdhare says:

    I wish they were around when I was still living in NY 🙂 Funny, I just rec’d my order of the Mendittorosa sampler from TL and came upon your review of Le Mat when poking around for more info. And subsequently this article. I think Le Mat is “the one” I would save and splurge on :). Honestly, I can’t think of any lines they should add; I’m still relatively new’ish to many fragrance houses and so far the ones I’ve been exploring they carry. I’m in the US.

  • Michele Carvalho says:

    Sweet Vanilla Montale is the scent I would probably like to purchase as I love the smell of vanilla.

  • Cynthia says:

    I have been a fan since this store opened. A fan from afar, for the moment, but one day I’ll make it to the bricks and mortar store! i love their sample packs to allow me to try their line, most of which I can’t get where i live. I want to give a shout out for great customer service, too. A couple of years ago I had one of their samples and decided I would like to purchase (a year after receiving it) but the line was no longer on their site. When I contacted Twisted Lily they said they no longer carried the line, but referred me to another shop which did. I thought that was admirable customer service. If I were to win I would probably buy one of the Andy Tauers. I would love to see MDCI or Keiko Mecheri carried at TL. I am in the USA.

  • Tiffany says:

    Wow I can’t believe I live so close to this store and haven’t yet been! It sounds fantastic. Thank you for letting us know about it. I love that they source local fragrances and the no-pressure sales atmosphere you described. I would like to try the Heretic and Joya lines at some point, so it would be cool if they carried those. I’m a sucker for gourmand scents so if I won, I would probably buy Gourmand by Bottega Profumiera.

  • minteacup says:

    I’d love to go to visit the brick and mortar location – I’ve never been in a perfume boutique with such a diverse and eclectic selection. The shop itself looks lovely. Too many lines can be a bit much for a small shop, but missing brands I like to browse include En Voyage and Vero Profumo. If I won the gift card I’d get flustered trying to pick just one perfume to buy… maybe La Perfumerie Moderne Desarment, Carner Barcelona Tardes, Hiram Green Moon Bloom, or Tauer PHI?! Thanks for the fantastic draw, I’m in the US.

  • Naomi Sawyer says:

    Just visited this gem of a boutique! An astounding collection of niche fragrances, and such a friendly atmosphere. Marianne is incredibly knowledgeable in perfumes and notes, and assisted me in exploring some notes that were new to me. As a bonus, I got to meet a local perfumer who happened to stop in the store while I was there! If you’re in Brooklyn be sure to visit. Having fun trying out my samples, so glad there’s an option to mail-order online!