Couple from Canton discuss their new fragrance shop – with a surprising link to the Pope

Nation Cymru staff

With fragrances from around the world, including one designed by one of Icelandic music’s biggest names, a new artisan fragrance store in Cardiff is the latest independent business to open in the city’s bustling Morgan Quarter.

Alex and Kate Atkinson love to travel around the world, but instead of reclining on a sun lounger next to the swimming pool, they go looking for the next fragrance to share with their customers.

From the musky tones of Tivoli to the smoky aroma of Reykjavík, Stillroom Apothecaries stocks a collection of unisex fragrances from all around the world.

The couple from Canton are the latest independent store owners to open their door in the Morgan Arcade, bringing fresh scents and new experiences from every corner of the globe with them.

“We got into the habit of finding and buying fragrances in the places we visited,” said Alex.

“The fragrances we’ve just brought back from Canada, America and France gave us a real sense of place, and when we got home and smelled them, they instantly took us back to great memories. That’s the feeling we want to share in Cardiff,” he said.

Alex and Kate describe themselves as curators because they enjoy showcasing other people’s work, especially work from relatively unknown artists, and nearly every product in the store has a personal connection to them.

“There’s a product we stock from an artist called Maya Njie,” he said. “Her fragrances are wonderful, but we discovered her because her husband made my wedding suit. While he was making my suit I said, ‘wow you smell amazing’, and he told me that it’s his wife’s perfume.”

Before he opened Stillroom with his wife, Alex was a partner in a successful craft beer company and he has also worked in the music industry, playing in bands and working with record labels.

His interest in fragrance stems from an appreciation for artistry, which is why Alex is already planning their next fragrance finding trip to the find the next untapped aromas of South Korea and eastern Europe.

“Everyone knows who Coldplay and Adele are, but there’s millions of national and international artists out there,” he said.

“It’s exactly the same with fragrances, if you walk through an airport you’ll see Tom Ford everywhere, but there are so many brands that people are unaware of.”

When asked about the most surprising product they have in stock, Alex said: “There’s a fragrance from an Italian man named Filippo Sorsinelli, he makes all the Pope’s clothes, and we have an Icelandic brand that’s owned by Sigur Rós.”

Alex and Kate acknowledge that the perfume market can be ‘overwhelming’ in the city centre and across Wales, but they spotted a gap in the market after visiting some of their favourite stores that were doing things differently.

“Personally, I felt overwhelmed in what felt like a very clinical environment,” he said. “And I don’t want Stillroom to be a place that people only visit for birthdays or Christmas; I want this to be somewhere that feels relaxing and has an approachable environment.”

Stillroom Apothecaries can be found in 17 Morgan Arcade, online and on Instagram.

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.