Needless to say, the selection of perfumes on sale is as eclectic as the store’s design. “We have spent months traveling and trying samples before finally deciding what we would include in our selection this first year”, Dimitra and Alexandros explain. “We selected perfumes based on that we personally love, could envision a friend wearing, or evoke memories.” The selection includes brands like Astier de Villatte, Atelier Materi, Ormaie Paris, Perfumer H, and Santa Maria Novella. Suffice it to say that they applied their selection to other scent-related products such as incense and candles, while flowers vary based on availability and seasonal constraints. “We prioritize using Greek producers in order to reduce our CO2 footprint and support the local market, currently offering just one bouquet arrangement each week to minimize waste.”
When asked about their favourite flowers, Alexandros mentions his preference for the bitter orange blossoms, jasmine and wisteria. Dimitra on the other hand, says she’s currently into carnations, a flower that holds a special place in Greek culture, viewed as it is as a symbol of love, admiration and distinction. Nowadays used mostly in churches and cemeteries to adorn altars and tombstones as well as at Greece’s popular live music venues, known as ‘bouzoukia’ where they are thrown onto the stage at the performing singers, it is nevertheless rarely chosen for arrangements in “high end” flower shops, a paradox that Dimitra finds very intriguing.
Plans currently in the pipeline include offering limited-edition objects crafted exclusively for PHĀON, organizing workshops with artists whose practices involve sensory exploration, and launching a series of flower bouquets composed by renowned designers and artists later on this year. With such a deep love and obvious passion for what they do, their infectious obsession with the magical world of perfumery, scents and flowers is destined to captivate and inspire the hearts and minds of their ever-growing discerning clientele.