We had the good fortune of connecting with Margaret Griscom and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am very proud of Grisiau Parfums. I wanted to create something beautiful and luxurious but that also had integrity and a conscious. I designed the website myself, with a bit of outside help to get through the bugs. I designed all the packaging and labels myself and worked really hard to find the right vendors that would be able to deliver it in the eco friendly medium I demanded. The fragrances themselves were all curated by me, working with my library of oils and absolute and my own creativity. I then send the fragrance brief to a master perfumer who takes my vision and creates the fragrance.

It was not easy and there were many challenges. The launch date was stalled several times due to sourcing issues. It is very difficult to find vendors that will work with a small company and small ‘runs’. Most don’t want to sell a few hundred bottles or make a few hundred boxes. The MOQ, minimum order quantities, are typically 10,000 each. Once I found vendors, COVID created problems with paper, ink, glass etc, all sitting at docks without any way to ship them. Again, my career in retail has prepared me to handle stressors of all kinds and keep moving.
The lesson I learned with starting a business is be prepared for a lot of obstacles, for it to cost more than you think and for sales to take longer than you think. Advertising is much more expensive than you may think and it is vital in a social media-minded, ultra-competitive landscape.

What I would want people to know about Grisiau Parfums is that it is truly a labor of love. Every moment that I spend with it, every order I receive, every comment or like on social media, and every new subscription is truly so exciting, so magical and so honored. To be able to create something that people love, appreciate and see the beauty in it is amazing.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m not sure what city you are referring to. I don’t live in Arizona but I would definitely want to see the red stone cliffs, the sunset, the stars at night and do some shopping.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I am a firm believer in the power of thinking, but also of taking responsibility for the uncomfortable events in your life. Peter Vajda is a great author and coach whose books have been very inspiring to me.

Website: www.grisiau.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grisiauparfums/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grisiauparfums

Image Credits
All product photos by John Cockerham at Castle Click Photography Greensboro, NC

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutArizona is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.