Newly established business owner Michelle Anderson describes herself as a kind of story teller, whose company is working to tell the stories of the Pacific Northwest’s most iconic places through their scent. 

“This region’s landscapes are so very evocative,” she says. “I wanted my fragrances to encompass the natural forces that gave these places their topography, as well as tell the stories of the people and cultures that made each what it is today.”

Anderson is the owner and sole employee of Rare Ayre LLC, a perfume company she started earlier this year that creates fragrances inspired by the sights and smells of the Inland Northwest. 

“I’ve always felt smell is an underused sense,” she says. “But smells are a huge part of our memories and feelings. They create this sense of nostalgia, a longing for distinct places, times, and people that’s really special.” 

Anderson says the company’s name is a combination of the word rare, which denotes a place or feeling as unique, and the musical term ayre, which refers to an expressive melody. 

“I liked the idea of combining the senses of smell and hearing,” she says. “Bringing in that feeling of being uplifted and inspired by all aspects of a place.”

So far, Rare Ayre has a line of four fragrances, which it sells under the names Insurrection, Abundance, Enlightenment, and Quiescence. She says each tells the story of both a place and a season. 

“I started with the spring scent, Insurrection,” she says. “It’s called that because of how spring happens here, as this kind of explosion of dramatic scents and new life.” 

She says Insurrection features a strong lilac scent, while the company’s summer scent, Abundance is a cedar and wild rose fragrance. The company’s fall scent, Enlightenment, features earthy sage and bunchgrass, and its winter scent Quiescence, holds notes of cinnamon, grape, and honey fragrances. 

“Enlightenment was inspired by the mystery of the Palouse Falls area,” she says. “Quiescence evokes more of that ‘curl up by the fire with a glass of wine’ feeling one gets during winter evenings.” 

Anderson says the fragrances are strong, with most being made up of 15 to 20 percent oil, and come in a 100-milliliter glass bottle. Each box retails at $150. 

“Currently I have 4,000 boxes on order, so about 1,000 of each fragrance,” she says. “My goal is to sell at least 1,000 boxes each year. If I can do that I think I’ll be doing pretty well.”

Anderson says she invested about $100,000 to start the business, most of which was money she’d worked to save for retirement. 

“I think I’ve learned more through this process than I would have if I would have simply bought a franchise,” she says “It’s been a very worthwhile, creative experience for me, being able to tell the stories of this place I love so much.”

A Spokane native, Anderson attended Mead High School and went on to study English at the University of Washington before becoming an officer in the U.S. Navy. 

She served eight years in the Navy. Afterward, she went on to build a 27-year career with Pacific Life Insurance Co., retiring last year at age 58. 

 “By the end of my time with Pacific Life, I’d climbed high enough that I was no longer part of daily customer interactions and problem solving,” she says. “I missed those aspects of the job, but I also wanted the chance to do something creative.”

Anderson says she’d always had an interest in fragrances, often spending hours in perfume stores, and recommending the best brands and scents to her co-workers and friends.

“After retiring I didn’t really know what I wanted to do,” she says. “My former boss suggested I look into starting a perfume company, so I took a year to travel and research the industry to find out how to do that.”

Anderson’s travels took her first to New York City where she learned about the perfume industry, and then to France, where she met with professional perfumers and toured exotic fragrance gardens. 

“I learned there’s a lot that goes into creating a fragrance,” she says. “Perfumers need a master’s degree in chemistry, then they attend special schools to learn how to apply that science. It’s all a very complicated process.”

To create a scent, Anderson says she starts by choosing smells she likes from a set of about 40 different samples sent to her by New York-based master perfumer Cecile Hua, whom she met during her travels in France last year. 

“It’s a very hands-on process at first,” she says. “Anyone can make a fragrance, but the hard part is being able to convey the story of a place through the right scent.”

Once Anderson chooses a formula, Hua passes it along to Nathan Motylinski, owner of Bespoke Fragrance, a New York-based, fragrance-related brand and product development company, “I met him in New York, and his company produces each scent in volume, and then takes care of bottling and packaging it for us,” she says.  

Anderson says the company uses a square bottle with an atomizer sprayer originally designed by French cosmetic company L’Oreal.

“We’re small enough that L’Oreal allows us to use their atomizer design,” she says. “Right now, we’re still working to perfect a metal logo plate for the bottle’s side, but eventually each will have one.”

She says the bottles are made from an Italian glass, which she chose for its weight. 

“I wanted each one to feel a bit heavier in your hand,” she says. “It’s interesting how many little details you pick up on in designing a fragrance.”

She says the book-like gray boxes that each bottle is packaged in are designed and made by a French specialty packaging company called Anha Esigns, and shipped to the New York factory. 

“Each box has an insert we design and print locally through Plese Printing & Marketing,” she says. “The insert tells the story of the fragrance and the landmark that inspired it. Some even include old photos from my family’s albums.”

Anderson says the photos of landmarks included in each insert are taken by her husband Phillip, who is a licensed helicopter pilot. Additional artwork for each booklet is designed by Spokane artist and graphic designer Kathlyn Kinney. 

Originally from Seattle, Kinney currently serves as development coordinator for the Spokane Symphony.

“Kathlyn is not only an excellent graphic designer, but she also designs and plays harps,” says Anderson. “I felt like her vision for this product was a perfect fit with my ideas.”

Anderson says Kinney’s designs are inspired by old book covers, as well as Tiffany stained glass, and the ginko-leaf trim and bronze mail chutes of some of downtown Spokane’s historic buildings.

So far, Rare Ayre doesn’t have a store location or designated office space. Instead, Anderson does most of her work from home. 

While Rare Ayre is available for online purchase, Anderson says she sells most of her product wholesale to local hotel and resort spas, including the historic Davenport Hotel’s spa and salon, the Coeur d’Alene Resort’s spa, and Northern Quest Resort & Casino’s La Rive Spa. 

“Jigsaw Boutique featured us as part of an event last year, and several other local businesses have also inquired about selling Rare Ayre in their stores,” she says. “We’re also available through a local wedding blog, Apple Brides, but really it’s difficult to sell perfume online because most people want to be able to smell it.”

Looking ahead, Anderson says she’d like to begin designing custom fragrances for hotels and event venues. 

“I’ve been talking to businesses about creating a custom fragrance that tells the story of their property,” she says. “I think my work would translate well to those venues whose business is focused around helping people create unique memories of life’s special events. It’s something I’ve never seen done before.”

Anderson says she’s also working with Spokane paperboard carton maker Sonderen Packaging Inc. to create a sample size gift box featuring all four Rare Ayre fragrances. 

“I thought it might be a nice option for brides or other customers to use as party favors or keepsakes following events,” she says. “The first prototype should be ready by the end of this month.”

Anderson says she’s already working on her next fragrance, a scent named In your Dreams, which was chosen and named by her 13-year-old niece Lauren Dome, who lives in Seattle. 

“Lauren decided she liked one of my samples, so I told her to share it with her friends and think of a name,” she says. “I’m hoping to develop and package it in time for this coming Valentine’s Day.” 

While she initially thought Rare Ayre’s fragrances would appeal to tourists, as a memento of time spent traveling and discovering the area, Anderson says she’s begun to see it’s potential to reach just about anyone.

 “They connect with the stories just as much as the fragrance, so as we grow, my goal is to keep telling stories through scent,” she says.