Compilation: Where to buy perfume (and a few other things) in Ashland, Oregon

When I travel, I always want to know where I can shop for perfume. Whenever we pass a row of nice little shops, I just know that there's perfume hiding there somewhere, and I always wish that I could grab a local perfume freak and demand to know where the good stuff is.

I'm sometimes a local, always a perfume freak in Ashland, Oregon, home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) and Southern Oregon University (SOU) and the Ashland Independent Film Festival (AIFF) and other nice things that could result in you driving through someday.

So I want to tell you where the perfume and other scented products are, so that you'll (1) buy some, which will (2) encourage the stores to carry more of it and possibly (3) carry more brands or more scents, so that (4) I have more that's local to sniff.

And while I'm at it, I'll tell you about a few of my favorite other stores.


Stores that carry perfume:

Prize, at 264 East Main. This is a lovely little shop with a variety of mostly female-appeal pretty things. Glassware, gorgeous blankets, children's books, jewelry, candy, some bits of pewter and silver, candles, decorative toothbrushes, cards, cookbooks, an occasional antique figurine or other knickknack. And, of course, perfume - Tocca, Sula, Becker Eshaya, and another brand that escapes me.

Maizey's, at 90 North Pioneer. is another shop with a variety of pretty things. Bedding, kitchen linens, tableware - it's more home than personal, though there are some pajamas and other nightwear. And they have a wall section devoted to perfume and perfumed products - soaps, shampoos, and so on. Last I looked, the perfume brands included Fresh, Speziali Fiorentini, Terre di Amerigo, and k. hall designs. And then there's soap and other products - Pre de Provence, Naturally European, Castelbel, and others. They used to carry Lady Primrose, but it may be gone.

Paddington Station, a big two-story souvenir and gift and kitchenware store, carries a modest selection of Pacifica solid perfumes, liquid perfumes, and candles. They generally carry only the summer scents - plenty of citrus and mango, no wood or amber. They also carry some Crabtree & Evelyn products, though I think no perfume.

Alchemy Botanicals, on 253 East Main, sells essential oils (a lot of them, as far as my inexperienced eye can judge), makeup, tons of aromatherapy stuff, other beauty products, and some perfume that, again, I'll have to get back to this post on. They also have a fair selection of atomizers, dropper bottles, and so on, in case you're traveling through and desperately need to make a decant. And they're an "herbal dispensary" - I don't really know what that means, but I thought that it might interest somebody.
Update: As of 5/26/10, Alchemy seems to be carrying some Dawn Spencer Hurwitz/Parfum des Beaux Arts perfumes. Cool!

Stores that carry other scented products:

EMZ Blendz Soap Co, at 93 Oak Street, sells a variety of natural soap and other bath products. According to their website, they're part of the Green Products Alliance, and a member of the Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild.

The Ashland Food Co-op carries some aromatherapy oils, a fair selection of 'green' grooming products, and has a fun selection of many different kinds and brands of scented bar soap.

Other stores:

I hate to leave a town and, when it's too late, hear about the places that I really would have wanted to see. Some of those might be:

The Websters, at 11 N. Main, on the Plaza. It's a spinning/weaving/knitting shop, and I hear that it has a wide-ranging reputation. The yarn and fibers are in the back; the amazing hand crafted garments and accessories are in the front, and just to add to the entertainment, there are books, magazines, jewelry, and buttons.

Fabric of Vision, a fabric shop at 145 East Main. It's quite small, which has the advantage of narrowing the selection to only really lovely things.

And there's Quiltz, a larger fabric and sewing shop that specializes in quilting and also carries sewing machines. According to their website, they'll be moving to 53 North 2nd Street in January.

And The Enchanted Florist. They sell drinking chocolate. Not hot chocolate - melted chocolate for drinking. Usually two different flavors every day. And a lot of different chocolate candies. And, oh, yeah, flowers. Really nice flowers, but I can get melted chocolate in a cup on the other side of the store, so I don't spend a lot of time looking at the flowers.

I could keep going. At least two great CD stores. At least two - no, wait, three - bead shops. Several used bookstores. Theaters in addition to OSF. Restaurants. Well, the theaters and the restaurants and other non-girly stuff will probably be covered in Himself's blog. But he's unlikely to be discussing perfume or pretty hats.

If you know of any other perfume sources, in Ashland, Talent, Phoenix, Medford, or anywhere nearby, please let me know. I'll add them to the list. (Actually, if you know of little-known perfume sources anywhere, I'm interested.)

Edited 12/29/09 to update brands.
Edited 5/26/10 to note that DSH is available at Alchemy.

Photo: By Demi. Wikimedia Commons.