When I give my perfumes lectures, I tell the participants up front that I am not there to sell them perfume. In fact, I don’t even encourage them to BUY perfume. I am there to talk about the creators and their great potions and to give them an idea of the some of the history, chemistry and vocabulary. But, I also talk about perfume classification and I wave around my 2012 copy of Michael Edwards’ Fragrances of the World which many consult after the lecture to check for replacements of discontinued perfumes. And so many questions I get are about what I like, what I don’t like and what is extraordinary… so buying perfume seems to be on everyone’s mind!
I occasionally get asked by people if I would be willing to go to the perfume counter with them because they find perfume shopping downright scary. It needn’t be… it’s not complicated… it’s about what you like. It’s only perfume. With the right approach, it can be a lot of fun. I prefer places where I don’t feel pressured to buy… and I am in the stores A LOT! Those poor sales associates… they must wonder who this guy is who tries everything, seems to know a bit about perfume… and buys “rarely”. (Disclaimer : I own more than 150 bottles of perfume…but that’s between me, my accountant and my analyst… hi Moishe!)
In Montréal, we have several excellent perfume stores and departments right in the downtown area so if you are coming here this summer, these are my “go to” locations (from West to East)…
1. Etiket
Specialty : many niche perfume houses you won’t find anywhere else in Montréal such as Amouage, Histoires de Parfums and Heeley
1832 Sherbrooke Street West
Montréal, Québec
Tel : 514-687-3886
Toll-free : 1-855-687-3886
Website : www.etiket.ca
2. Holt Renfrew
Specialty : Chanel’s Les Exclusifs, Jo Malone, among others
1300 Sherbrooke Street West
Montréal, Québec
Tel : 514-842-5111
Website : www.holtrenfrew.com
3. Ogilvy
Specialty : very large selection of major brands
1307 Sainte-Catherine Street W.
Montreal, Québec
Tel : 514-842-7711
Toll-free: 1-855-842-7711
Website : ogilvycanada.com
4. Sephora
Specialty : serve-yourself experience – great if you know exactly what you are looking for
677 Sainte-Catherine St. W, Space #R04
Montreal, Québec
Tel : 514-849-8484
Website : sephora.com
5. Hudson’s Bay
Specialty : very large selection of major brands
585 rue Ste-Catherine Ouest
Montréal, Québec
Tel : 514-281-4422
Website : www.thebay.com
6. Henriette L.
Specialty : curated collection of niche perfume houses such as Frapin, Berdoues, Jeroboam, J.P. Schwarzloze and Parle Moi de Parfum
1031 Laurier Avenue West (not exactly downtown but worth the short subway or bus ride)
Montréal, Québec
Tel : 514-277-3426
Website : hparfums.com
The Perfume Chronicles 
Andrea
/ April 28, 2015Thanks for the tips. Years ago I worked right downtown and I still remember the sea of bewildered looking men at Eaton’s perfume counters at Christmas time. Oh… so desperate for a little advice!
Normand Cardella
/ April 28, 2015Availability is one thing. Good advice is something else! It seems to be feast or fame. The sales associates seem to know a lot about perfume… or nothing at all. It’s a tough business.
Undina
/ May 7, 2015I couldn’t believe nobody wrote anything about perfume shopping in Canada before but I checked my Perfume Shopping around the World page and discovered that I haven’t previously found a single post about Canada. Now I’ve added a link to your post there. I hope I’ll need this information one day.
Normand Cardella
/ May 8, 2015Thanks Undina! And if you “need” that information one day, don’t you dare go to the perfume counter without me!
Normand