)(( hannah mello ))(

Bond No. 9 & Genius.

After a pancake breakfast with the Residents of The Jersey House, I took a city drive with James to a certain boutique of epic wonders & entrepreneurial genius where his buddy Rob just started being a salesperson of suave mastery.

The company?
Bond No. 9
The product?
Perfumes
The contact?
Rob. New employee No. 3

and there is even a Bond No. 9 blog... here

I stepped into this gorgeous space (photo-ed here) in my unsuitable flip flops and hoodie with James in his chic Burberry rain jacket, all stylin'. We were there to say hello to Rob, but I had no idea that I had unexpectedly entered a whole new world.

The company was started by a woman (Laurice Rahme), French perfume expert and long-time employee of the historic fragrance "Creed" that was once exclusive to Neimann Marcus, and only now is found in Sax 5th Ave as well... Anyway, they wanted her to move to Paris to be employed there, and instead, she chose to stay in New York City, where she started her own company-- Bond No. 9.


THE GENIUS:
It's a given that every corner of New York City has a particular vibe, reputation, draw, and sterotypical/prototypical persona attached to it. Each fragrance is titled with a different corner of the city and, with mystery and intrigue, mysteriously embodies the life of that particular persona/personality/atmosphere. Sheer genius.


QUALITY:
The ingredients used are high, high end quality-- the scents and their fusions are defined, not muddily indistinguishable. The result is profound. And, yes, you pay the price for the quality to be sure.

((Side-note: I NEVER THOUGHT that I could be passionate about fragrances! And a fragrance company! Insanity. All that know me would never guess it as well! But I am. I'm a fan. I'm a fan.))


HOLISTIC APPROACH:
What I also love about the idea of the company is that it is holistic. You enter a shop that promotes not just the attractive accessory of fragrance, but of a specific City and a deep appreciation of it's culture, elevating the tones of life that are ever so unique to NYC. The company promotes really living a full and colorful life-- intentionally choosing to recognize it and appreciate it.


HISTORICAL ASPECTS:
In addition, Rahme had discovered that the antique NY Subway token had not been patented, and so she used it as the very Bond No. 9 logo, whose tagline is "Making Scents of NY".

The Bond No. 9 boutique located on Bond Street-- No. 9-- with the cross street of Lafayette-- provides a tea bar and lounge in the back of the space, giving visitors space to enjoy high quality teas from a famous company in Connecticut. In addition, Bond sells books of photography of NYC that paint such an accessible, vivid image of what the true life of the City and it's people is. Profound.

You have the option of purchasing fragrances in an antique style fragrance bottle (photoed here) or in one of the special Bond No. 9 forms.


SUMMARY:
So, in summary--what I appreciate about Bond No. 9-- are the Elements of:

- History
- Belonging/Affinity to the uniqueness of the City
- Embodiment of Personalities/Humanity/Lifestyles
- Art (photography, even the historic culinary arts with the tea aspect)

______

A toast. A couple of them.

A toast to Rob, the man who knows so much about this company because of his personal interest and passion, who shared with the 2 of us.

A toast to James, who is such a man of many unexpected interests and appreciation for so many parts of culture that I would never know about or gravitate towards without his influence (fashion, specifically Tom Ford, models, foods and the culinary arts, this company, etc.).

A toast to the City, it's nuances and vitalities, and this company that has creatively sought to enliven its reputation and integration into our lives.

Cheers. Cheers.

posted by )(( hannah mello ))( @ 9:11 AM