When Maya learned that Scents of Woods would be opening next door to her niche perfume boutique, Solvi, she felt a pit in her stomach. "I was like, crap, this amazing, big, cool business is going to come next door and I'm going to get swallowed whole."

Five minutes later, she reconsidered. And when she met Fabrice, founder of Scents of Woods, her fears vanished entirely.

What emerged wasn't competition, it was collaboration. And it created something that exists nowhere else in America outside of New York City: a niche perfume curator and a fragrance creator, side by side, on the same street.

The Curator and the Creator

The distinction matters. Maya is a curator, carefully selecting niche perfume houses from around the world, brands with soul and story that you won't find in department stores. Fabrice is a creator, developing original fragrances through his unique "personal forest" methodology, then aging them in wooden barrels like fine spirits.

"It would never make sense for two perfumers to be next door to one another,"

Fabrice explains."But a fragrance brand and a niche perfumery next to each other is awesome."

Even their landlord was initially confused, thinking they were the same business. But the two complement rather than compete. "Between the way we conceive our scents and what Maya has created, people can spend two very enriching hours here," Fabrice says.

Sensory Street

During our conversation, Fabrice made an observation that stopped everyone: Pierpont Avenue has become a sensory street, engaging all five senses in unexpected ways.

There's touch at the clothing stores. Sound at the sound studio. Sight at the tattoo artist and the beloved Atelier. Taste at the soon to open Old Cuss and of course at The wonderful Rose Establishment. And now smell, twice over, at both fragrance retailers.

"That's really special," Fabrice says. "We should call it Sensory Street."

It's more than clever branding. It reflects Salt Lake City's cultural evolution. Just as the food scene has exploded in recent years, fragrance is having its moment.

"Salt Lake has never really been known for its food at all," Maya notes. "And then the last few years just boomed with these restaurants that are exploding in quality and diversity. And now we have us for fragrance. You can tell how many people want this and need it."

The progression makes sense. As our palates have evolved, as restaurants matured from basic to sophisticated, noses are following the same trajectory. The sweet and comforting gourmand fragrances trend serve as the gateway, much like approachable wines or comfort food. Eventually, customers grow adventurous, exploring deeper, more complex fragrances. Think of how many of us have liked milk chocolate before loving 80% dark single origin chocolate.

Why Small Business Matters

In 2025, opening a brick-and-mortar store is an act of faith. But both Maya and Fabrice believe physical spaces offer something irreplaceable.

"The thing I care most about is the customer experience," Maya says. "Making sure they have a good time and find something that they love. When you get too big, it's naturally going to be impossible to take care of every single customer that way."

She's discovered that customers often visit Solvi for moments of celebration, a promotion, a wedding, a milestone worth commemorating. "They want this scent to commemorate something special or to elevate their everyday life," she explains. "Our nose is so closely tied to memory. Scent can tie you back so vividly to your memories."

For Fabrice, whose business began digitally, the physical store serves another purpose: it's a laboratory for design. "Now, thanks to this, we get to see how people interact with our brand in real life. If I want to test design ideas, I just go behind this door and I'm in my brand."

A City Growing Up

What's happening on Pierpont Avenue is a microcosm of Salt Lake City's maturation. The city that once had limited options for niche anything (wine, food, fragrances) is developing sophisticated tastes and supporting businesses that cater to them.

Fabrice's creative process embodies this evolution. Every Scents of Woods fragrance begins with what he calls the "personal forest", conversations with perfumers about the trees and wooden objects that shaped their lives. "Everybody has a personal forest," he explains. "A tree they built a treehouse in, a forest where they walked as a teenager. Something meaningful." These memories become fragrances, then age in wooden barrels, adding depth that develops over time. Think of fine fragrances like fine spirits.

Maya's curation reflects similar intentionality. "What's really important is the brand story," she says. "I want something fully fleshed out with meaning behind it. I love when a brand has a soul to it, a Why. And you can smell it in the fragrances."

This is the future: small businesses with big ideas, great dreams, creators and curators working together, and a city sophisticated enough to support them.

As Fabrice puts it: "The future of commerce is not in competition. It's in working together."

Standing on Pierpont Avenue, surrounded by sensory experiences and genuine collaboration, that future smells promising.

To continue the conversation beyond the page, Dimitri will be hosting a perfumery workshop at CHC on January 10, 2026. An intimate exploration of scent, purpose, and personal creation. Sign up to our newsletter to learn more or visit us Thursday, December 11, from 2:00pm-8:00pm, at our Curriculum pop-up to purchase a seat at the workshop.