The Perfumery in Santa Fe, New Mexico

The Perfumery in Santa Fe, New Mexico is one part apothecary, (referencing my great grandfathers homeopathic farmacy) one part alchemical lab (where I distill and transform plant matter into golden elixirs), one part naturalist/artist studio, one part wizardress/priestess, and one part stylist.

All these parts are all the aspects of a modern day perfumer and myself as a multidisciplinary artist. If you have not yet watched the video interview with Ron, of our local art supply store here in Santa Fe called Artisan, then follow this link to the YouTube video or the embedded video at the end, from when he came by the visit. The entire video is just under thirty minutes long, thus set aside the time and enjoy!

The first out of the home perfumery, above, was located in Agoura Hills, California, just a short drive to Malibu. In mid-March of 2014 I came upon the location while celebrating Greg's birthday, and rather auspiciously the Universe aligned and the glorious space manifested into a work / showroom / teaching space.

I was there for about three years and would have stayed if it weren't for the shared ventilation system which caused synthetic aroma molecules to drift into the perfumery from the other units as well as a challenge with having any control as to the temperature of my space. Regrettably the landlord was not interested in working with me and thus I left, setting in motion the move to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The current perfumery is located in the mid town area of Santa Fe, New Mexico within a hidden complex called Lena Street Lofts with the anchor business being the original Iconik Coffee, with their roaster situated amidst tables & couches. Iconik happens to be in building A, the same as the perfumery, albeit they are at one end and I am at the other in unit A6.

Although I wanted to be in downtown Santa Fe or along Canyon Road, at the time no affordable or acceptable spaces were available. I was also told that mid-town would be a better location so that people, especially locals, could park easily. I still yearn for a spot in one of those two locations due to the vibe and visibility. It may still happen one day, while keeping the current space more for larger classes and product making.

I'm loving the connection and antique vibe of the perfumery with my great grandpa's homeopathic farmacy in Buenos Aires, Argentina called La Farmacia de la Estrella. Here are a few pictures above and below, so that you can get a flavor for it, there are more in the video linked above and here, or at the end of this post.

The Perfumery in Santa Fe, New Mexico!

After nine months since our arrival to Santa Fe, New Mexico I have finally located and signed the lease on a terrific space for the perfumery. FYI, none of the pictures posted here are my actual space, they have been taken from the website to give you dear readers a feel for the complex.

The location is a two story unit, similar to the one posted above, at the Lena Street Lofts compound that goes by the motto "Rust is a Must." The architecture has a modern/industrial theme playing off of what use to be an industrial area and the adjacent railroad tracks. Although the exterior has a bit of a rugged facade, the interiors are very clean and bright. Read more about the project and the rather visionary developer Rick Brenner at this article published in the Santa Fe New Mexican. One of the many benefits of renting here is that it is a green building uses solar panels, rainwater collection and my unit has radiant heated floors.

There has been a resurgence happening along the railroad tracks here in Santa Fe, with the most obvious being "The Railyard" which is home to our local movie theater The Violet Crown, the farmers market and a variety of galleries that were once on Canyon Road.

Dotted amongst the seven structures are about twenty seven businesses—including the infamous Iconik Coffee Roasters (pictured below),  a craft ice cream shop called La Lecheria which features some very eclectic flavors like black garlic, green chili and brown sugar red chili. There are also a host of other businesses including fitness, ceramic and artist studios.

My two story unit is an approximately 1300 square foot space in building A, a few doors down from the coffee house, pictured above. Like in Agoura Hills, it will be part studio, boutique and teaching space...which I am now calling a school.

I came across the location on Craigs List along with several others in different parts of the diverse city. In the end it was between a very sweet space in downtown and the one I settled on. Although I was drawn to the downtown location it was on a very tiny street and had no parking. I had also been told by a few respected restaurant and shop owners that the locals don't much like to go downtown because of the tourists, congestion, parking and traffic. Thus, after weighing all the options we choose Lena Street Lofts.

Stay tuned for details as I design and renovate the space to become the next manifestation of the perfumery, this time in beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico!

Lena Street Lofts photos from their website. Railyard water tower ©RoxanaVilla.

The Illuminated Workshop

Here is a cluster of photos taken in September 2012 by Rebecca Fishman of my various work spaces. Enjoy this journey.

Filtering the 2012 jasmin sambac tincture and adding new blossoms.

Photos by Rebecca Fishman