Located in New York City’s NoLita neighborhood, the store opening marked a significant evolution from the brand’s original direct-to-consumer (DTC) model.
“Customers have been asking to experience Dossier in person for years,” Sergio Tache, Founder and CEO of Dossier, told CosmeticsDesign US. “We launched in Walmart doors in 2022, which was a huge success and showed us that people want to try our perfumes in real life.”
Following that success, the company tested a temporary pop-up boutique on Elizabeth Street in 2023, just steps from the new location.
“During the four-day run of the pop-up, we had consistent two hour+ wait times to get into the boutique and a line that wrapped around the corner,” he said, which “solidified to me that we needed a permanent brick and mortar location.”
Design decisions informed by consumer behavior
Consumer response to the pop-up directly influenced the layout and product offering at the flagship boutique, with a clear focus on product breadth and customer education.
“Our pop-up only featured a curated assortment of best-sellers due to the limited space, [and] many guests mentioned they wished they were able to test all of our perfumes,” said Tache.
“With the boutique,” he added, “it was important that every single Dossier SKU was represented within the space.”
The store houses nearly 150 SKUs, encompassing the brand’s Dossier Originals, Dossier Impressions, and Dossier Home lines, all within a 1,300-square-foot space. Additionally, a dedicated section highlights Dossier Originals, in-house blends created by the Dossier Creative Lab.
The boutique also features tools to support customer exploration and discovery. “As soon as you enter the store there’s a Paperscent machine where you can explore our six fragrance families,” he shared.
The design is intentional, with the layout supporting the “starting point for customers to gauge how they feel about these scent families and guide them as they move through the space.”
Navigating operational hurdles
Bringing the concept to life required overcoming logistical challenges common to retail expansions, including space optimization, SKU volume, and cost control.
“One of the biggest challenges was having all of our products under one roof,” said Tache. “We also knew we had to be in the heart of Scent Row in Nolita, which meant we had to work with space constraints.”
Cost was also a central consideration. “As a company, we cut out the unnecessary factors that contribute to bloated perfume pricing,” he explained. “We knew we wanted a space that expanded the world of Dossier and stayed true to our brand ethos.”
Education and technology at the forefront
Beyond product display, the store is designed to offer an educational experience aimed at demystifying perfumery for consumers.
“Education is a core pillar of our brand,” said Tache. “Oftentimes, perfumery and the language surrounding it feels foreign to customers, [and] when I founded Dossier, I wanted to make every aspect of perfumery accessible to everyone.”
The store’s Paperscent stations serve a dual purpose: fragrance testing and data collection. “Paperscent is an innovative perfume testing technology designed by Gaudier, which allows us to capture in-store traffic analytics in real time,” he noted. “It also significantly reduces paper waste, maintains perfume integrity, and prevents fragrances from mixing in the air.”
Future brand expansion strategies
The NoLita boutique is just one part of a broader multichannel growth strategy that includes new store formats and retail partnerships.
“In addition to the Nolita boutique, we are opening a second location this September at Queens Center Mall in Queens, NY,” said Tache.
“We wanted to test various locations to see what works best and what type of experience—stand-alone boutique vs. mall setting—resonates best with our customers.”
The brand also plans to expand its retail footprint both domestically and internationally.
“We’ve been with Walmart since 2022 and recently launched in select CVS Pharmacy doors across the country,” he shared, and “our goal is to meet customers where they’re shopping so they can have the full Dossier experience.”
