INDIEHOUSE Modern Fragrance Bar Opens in Historic Downtown Alpharetta
Interactive Clean Beauty Fragrance Boutique Includes Custom Mixing Bar, DIY Workshops and 150+ Exclusive Scents Found Nowhere Else in Atlanta
ATLANTA – For most people, it’s been a while since they smelled a fragrance they were crazy about and shopping for fragrances can be overwhelming. A giant wall of expensive looking bottles, names that have nothing to do with the actual smell, and salespeople pushing commissioned products – you get home and not only does the scent smell nothing like it did in the shop, you’ve spent money on a perfume you may never wear again. The solution? INDIEHOUSE Modern Fragrance Bar, a new concept in fragrance now open in the heart of downtown Alpharetta, just north of Atlanta. The interactive clean fragrance bar features niche brands offered in a creative boutique atmosphere including a custom mixing bar, DIY workshops and a retail space with 42 independent brands from around the world, including 150 individual scents that you can’t smell anywhere else in Atlanta.
Created by Alpharetta resident, brand development executive and mom Carrie Hadley, INDIEHOUSE is a new concept in the world of modern perfumery. After spending time in the south of France and developing proprietary house scents at a perfumer’s studio in Los Angeles, Carrie spent years researching the industry and analyzing the fragrance shopping experience.
“I started to realize that what the world needed was not another fragrance brand, but rather, a better way to experience the many amazing independent brands already available on the market,” said Carrie Hadley, founder and creative director of INDIEHOUSE. “I figured if I could bring together the best in clean fragrance then offer the opportunity to try your hand at creating your own, it would be a win for customers. Not to mention a fun evening out!”
INDIEHOUSE only carries brands that adhere to strict EU laws and carefully screens brands for compliance, declining any that are included on the “dirty” or “suspicious” list. For those guests looking for 100% pure fragrances with zero synthetics, INDIEHOUSE has curated a “100% Botanical” category which is designated by the “SQUEEKY” symbol, these brands guarantee they are crafted using zero synthetic ingredients, only pure essential oils, purified water and organic alcohol.
“Fragrance has this amazing magical ability to bring people together because it can be so personal and inviting,” added Hadley. “It’s the spark that can start conversations. We wanted to bring a unique experience to the South, giving customers a choice to purchase clean, niche fragrances from around the world or to mix their own scent in a fun, boutique atmosphere, creating their own signature fragrance to reflect the mood and personality they want to convey.”
The INDIEHOUSE experience includes:
Mixing Bar - flex your creativity and create a bespoke scent with a team of experienced fragrance curators. The six INDIEHOUSE fragrance accords are designed to be mixed together or can stand on their own with no enhancements. Customers decide which of the six blends are perfect for communicating their style, choosing them blindly with no distracting names or packaging to influence a decision. Yes, there are also recipe cards for the easily overwhelmed crowd. People can name their own personal creation and INDIEHOUSE will create a custom label with the date, the fragrance name and of course, the customer’s name as the perfumer. The INDIEHOUSE sustainable refill service allows each full size bottle to be returned and refilled for half the price.
DIY Workshops – enjoy Scent Blending 101 with the INDIEHOUSE fragrance team. Enjoy a 2-hour basic workshop and make a personalized fragrance from 30 perfume accords. Group classes with friends and family or private events are also available and many customers will find this a creative option for birthday parties, bridal showers, teambuilding events and more.
Retail – explore one of the largest collections of scents in the Southeast. To set the stage, fragrances are organized by the mood that they enhance (Modern Romantic, Refined Sophistication, Stylishly Confident, Urban Bohemian, Outdoor Adventurist, Sporty Chic and Fresh Minimalist), then by price point. As guests approach the tables, glass funnels correspond to each scent with tester bottles on a shelf above.
Why the funnel? Guests can smell the fragrances without spraying small strips of paper, getting a scent they may not love on their hands. Once guests have chosen their scents, they proceed with the tester bottle and spray some on their skin. INDIEHOUSE always recommends testing on a small patch of skin before purchase since fragrances will open up depending on an individuals’ body chemistry and evolve over time. INDIEHOUSE offers an exclusive "flirt before you commit" program where guests are encouraged to choose three scents for $19 to test out at home.
“I have loved fragrances since I was a kid; mostly I bought them because people sold them to me and some I never wore once I left the store,” Hadley said. “With this new fragrance bar concept, I hope people will have fun in the fragrance choosing experience – it’s accessible, personal and one of the few products that's literally for everyone. You can find the perfect fragrance to communicate what is unique about you here at INDIEHOUSE, and we hope you have an awesome, fun and positive time doing it.”
Launching a new concept business is a huge undertaking under normal circumstances, but add COVID-19 to the mix and the situation feels almost impossible, Hadley said.
“The whole point of this business is to bring people together, to encourage strangers to interact and become friends, so you can imagine how our whole team has been hard at work preparing to preserve the integrity of the experience for customers while keeping everyone safe."
INDIEHOUSE Fragrance Bar will take temperatures, require guests to use hand sanitizer prior to entering the store, and ask guests to maintain the CDC suggested six-foot social distance from other customers. The fragrance bar has assembled cleaning disinfectant kits and implements a regular cleaning regime that targets frequently touched surfaces. Gloves, goggles masks, and aprons are always available for guest use in the workshops. The space has a medical-grade Carbon-Filter Air Purifier from Austin Air running continuously that is known to remove viruses and bacteria from the air. Curbside pick-up and free shipping is available for website orders. Workshops can be booked online and, until further notice, only six guests maximum will be scheduled per session, however up to eight guests will be allowed at private events if they pass a health check questionnaire.
INDIEHOUSE Fragrance Bar is located at 26 Old Roswell St., Suite 101, Alpharetta, Georgia, 30009. INDIEHOUSE staff are certified through the Fragrance Foundation, the non-profit education arm of the International Fragrance Industry founded in 1949.
For more information, visit: www.indiehousefragrances.com.
