I've always been guided by scent. As a kid, I crushed petals and stirred creek water into makeshift perfumes, listening to the earth and that voice that says, "follow this..."
Fast forward to grown-up life in a corporate suit and proper career in LA at Toyota's North American headquarters. I embraced my job and it took me on serious business trips around the world, including Mexico, where I became mesmerized by the story of mezcal. During a board meeting in Tokyo, I was utterly distracted by the cherry blossoms swirling outside the office window. They whispered, "Go!"
So I did.
I started from scratch, spent my savings on oils and glass vials and opened a mix-your-own fragrance bar called Salud in Tucson, Arizona. Then the recession hit. I lost the shop, and for a moment, my courage. Serendipity landed me in a role in New York City at Firmenich, one of the world's top fragrance houses, where I learned from the masters how fragrance becomes art and memory.
On weekends, I grew my wine-inspired fragrance line. After getting in trouble at a tasting room for wearing perfume, I worked to defy this fragrance rule with my own approach. Co-workers and sommeliers laughed at my idea, but outside my West Village apartment window, a cherry blossom tree whispered again, "Keep going."
The 2020 twist had me traveling back + forth from NY to Detroit for family and solace. I found myself once again under a blooming cherry tree - so on cue for Michigan, and a sign that told me to make the Midwest our new headquarters.
All of those blossoming whispers have alchemized into KELLY+JONES. Essences that break the rules and remind us to take a chance on what we love. The kind of fragrance you bring to a dinner party, pass around to your friends, and say, "Smell this!"
Because scent, like life, is meant to be celebrated - glass in hand, hearts open, petals swirling into stories. May these fragrances remind you to follow your own signs and take the chance that's calling your name.
-KELLY JONES, FOUNDER
Listen to our full story on The Perfume Room Podcast
