Opening a brick-and-mortar store was always our goal
Irina Novak-Calki (excerpt)
Scentrique is a specialist perfume retailer founded in Vancouver, Canada. It began selling online in 2019. The following year, when going out and shopping in person were restricted, it developed both a home-delivered sampling service and a store where visitors could compare fragrances for themselves.
Its selection consists of niche perfumery brands that place perfume at the center of their creative work. Following Scentrique’s history reveals the efforts of two women who wanted not simply to import unfamiliar fragrances, but to give people in Canada opportunities to discover them with their own noses and on their own skin.
Essential Information
- Name: Scentrique
- Founded: 2019. Its physical store in Vancouver opened in 2020
- Co-founders: Irina Novak-Calki and Maria Frolova
- Business: A specialist in niche perfumes and home fragrance, with an online store
- Address: 466 Granville Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Official website: Scentrique
Two Founders and the Making of a Vancouver Store
From Fundraising and Accounting to Building a Perfume Shop
Irina worked in corporate fundraising for national health charities. Although she valued her job, she wanted more creativity, flexibility in how she worked, and a connection with Europe. The idea for a store grew from her sense that alternatives to major perfume brands were limited and difficult to obtain in Vancouver and Canada more generally.
Maria studied financial management and spent many years in accounting before moving into a management role at a local clinic. There, she learned how a small business operated. Having grown up in an entrepreneurial family, she also wanted a business of her own. When Irina invited her to join, she accepted.
It was a close friend who had opened a perfume shop in Russia who introduced Maria to niche fragrance. Previously a wearer of designer perfumes, she came to prefer the scents her friend recommended. What attracted Irina, too, was more than rarity alone.
unusual combinations of scents
Irina Novak-Calki (excerpt)
Surprising compositions, and the backgrounds of individual creations and brands: Scentrique turned that interest into an assortment people could try in their own city.
An Online Beginning in 2019, with Fragrances to Try at Home
Scentrique began in 2019 as an online perfume store based in Vancouver. Delivering small perfume samples was part of the business before it had a physical shop.
An announcement dated June 13, 2020 described both themed sets and sets customers could choose themselves. Names such as Floral Bomb, Sweet Dream, and Man Cave provided starting points for discovering fragrances to test on one’s own skin at home. At the time, sample-set orders also came with credit toward a bottle purchase.
Even when shopping face to face became difficult, there was no need for encounters with unfamiliar scents to stop. Rather than selecting a full bottle from online descriptions and photographs alone, customers could first try a small amount. Scentrique’s way of reaching distant customers began at the sampling stage.
Opening a Store on Granville Street in 2020
A physical shop had nevertheless been a goal from the start. Local customers using the home-sampling service had asked for somewhere they could visit and compare fragrances. The pandemic delayed the plans, but in 2020 the business established a store at 466 Granville Street downtown.
Grand-opening events ran from September 3 to 7, with limits on the number of people inside and cleaning procedures in place. Alongside perfumes, the shop carried candles, home fragrances, and scented body care, introducing scents for the body and the room in the same space.
The move from online retail into a physical store was more than an additional sales channel. Alongside time spent trying delivered samples alone, customers gained opportunities to talk with staff and compare several brands on the spot.
Historical Timeline
| Year or Period | Event |
|---|---|
| 2019 | Irina and Maria found Scentrique, introducing niche perfumes online. |
| June 2020 | An at-home sampling program is announced, offering themed and individually selected sets. |
| September 2020 | A physical store opens at 466 Granville Street in Vancouver, with grand-opening events from September 3 to 7. |
| June 2024 | An official interview with the founders explains their approach to balancing fragrance styles and prices, and selecting perfumes by trying them personally. |
| December 2025 | Local publication Vancouver Magazine interviews co-owner Irina as an expert on choosing perfume. |
| As checked in October 2026 | The Vancouver boutique and Canadian online business continue. The official US website also lists a Denver-area store and US online sales. |
Making Unfamiliar Perfumes Approachable Through Selection and Service
Balancing Fragrance Styles and Price Points
The selection aims for balance in notes, overall fragrance character, and price. The intention is to give visitors choices that suit both their tastes and their budgets.
Our selection process is quite subjective
Maria Frolova (excerpt)
The founders try new lines and fragrances themselves before deciding whether to carry them. They also listen to customer requests and pay attention to developments among perfume enthusiasts. Their method is driven neither by their own preferences alone nor solely by trends.
The current official brand directory includes Etat Libre d’Orange, Pierre Guillaume, Nicolai, and Maison Crivelli, among others. Canada’s Untamed is also listed. Although the shop offers a way into European perfumery, its shelves are not confined to that region.
From a Much-Discussed Bottle to a Fragrance Tested on Your Skin
In Vancouver Magazine’s December 31, 2025 article, Irina advises caution about buying on an influencer’s recommendation alone. A bottle may look appealing on a screen without revealing whether its scent will suit you.
A fragrance is never just one scent; it’s an evolving journey on your skin
Irina Novak-Calki
These words capture the purpose of sampling. Knowing a perfume’s first impression is not the same as understanding how it changes after being worn. Customers can encounter possibilities in the store, then take their time assessing them at home. A business with both a physical boutique and sample sales makes it possible to move between those two experiences.
What Enthusiasts Mention: Somewhere to Smell Perfumes, and Samples
When Scentrique is mentioned in Reddit discussions about finding niche perfumes in Vancouver, its role as a nearby place to try them in person stands out. Replies to people wanting to smell alternatives to designer brands recommend the Granville Street shop. In another discussion among regional enthusiasts, a participant describes collecting samples from the store.
Responses are not uniformly positive, however. In an older discussion about obtaining samples in Canada, one customer appreciated the prices and perfumes themselves but was troubled by the smell of the containers. Anonymous posts should be read as individual experiences. Even so, they show that what people expect from the store is not just access to rare fragrances, but practical ways of trying them.
Today’s Store and Online Business, and Expansion from Canada to the United States
As checked in October 2026, the Canadian official website continues to list the boutique at 466 Granville Street. Its hours are Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. It presents the store as a place for everyone from newcomers to collectors, with staff available to help choose fragrances.
Online orders are packed and shipped from Vancouver for delivery across Canada. The current FAQ also describes sending samples by mail. Those able to visit can consult staff in person; those farther away have a way to try small quantities. A retail space in one city, Vancouver, is thus opened up to perfume lovers across the country.
Etat Libre d’Orange’s retailer directory lists the same address and official website under the name Scentrique Enterprises. The Canadian official introduction still tells the story of the store Irina and Maria founded.
Meanwhile, the US official website describes the arrival of a third partner, Zhanna, and expansion to a store in the Denver area. The listed address is inside Park Meadows in Lone Tree, Colorado. The Canadian FAQ also directs US orders to the US website. The Vancouver and US stores, and their respective ordering and delivery channels, should be distinguished.
Scentrique’s starting point was to increase the range of perfumes people could encounter close to home. That work does not end with adding new names to a shelf. The people selecting the range try it themselves, respond to wearers’ budgets and interests, and connect fragrance experiences in the shop with those at home. Its role in Canada rests on this accumulation of small encounters.
References
- Scentrique’s announcement of its physical store opening, August 2020
- Scentrique’s interview with its founders, June 25, 2024
- Scentrique’s announcement about at-home perfume sampling, dated June 13, 2020
- Scentrique’s current store introduction, founding background, and brand directory
- Alyssa Hirose’s guide to choosing perfume — Vancouver Magazine, December 31, 2025
- Reddit discussion about finding niche perfumes in Vancouver
- Reddit discussion among fragrance enthusiasts in Vancouver and British Columbia
- Reddit discussion of perfume sampling options available from Canada
- Scentrique’s current shipping, sample delivery, and opening-hours information
- Etat Libre d’Orange’s North American retailer directory
- Scentrique US’s introduction to its partners and US store
