Getting to Know the Founder of The Drydown Boutique

Welcome back to The Drydown Boutique Newsletter! We’re happy to have you here. This week, we’ll be getting to know our fearless founder, the woman with the vision, Shaya Assareh. Shaya is going to talk perfume and share her inspiration for opening The Drydown Boutique.

What inspired you to open The Drydown?

Opening The Drydown was all about not having access to smelling niche fragrances in person. Really, I made it for me-- a friendly space to experience these fragrances that I was reading about and hearing about online, in person.

What is your first perfume-related memory?

My earliest perfume memories were going to the mall as a kid and haunting the perfume counters at Macy’s. I couldn’t wear any home because it would give my mom headaches, but I loved the ritual of it, and how it made me feel (grown and feminine). My first perfume purchase as a teenager was YSL Babydoll - it was a grapefruit floral and it came in a beautiful jeweled bottle and it made me feel happy and more sophisticated than the girlies wearing Love Spell by VS (which I also loved, don’t get me wrong).

What made you fall in love with perfume?

I think I’m a sensory-seeking person. Before perfume it was food, music, just stuff to make you feel good. Anything that creates dopamine! I love perfume because it makes me happy. It’s also so tied to memory and that goes deep for me. I love smelling something and being reminded of childhood or special memories from childhood.

Do you have a signature scent?

Ave Maria by House of Bo. It’s a white floral that is not sickly, it’s rich, it’s got a red wine note that elevates it. I’m a white floral girly. Now with the boutique I more frequently match fragrance to mood or occasion too, and reserve Ave Maria for date nights!

What is your perfume hot take?

My lukewarm take is that I don’t believe all natural perfume is inherently better than perfumes that include synthetic materials. At the end of the day it’s all molecules.

If you were stranded on a deserted island, which 5 fragrances are you bringing with you?

Ave Maria by House of Bo, Neroli Oranger by Matiere Premiere, Mojave Ghost Absolu by Byredo, Valaya by Parfums de Marly, but also Musc K by Ella K, and I also love Silky Woods by Goldfield & Banks but I could keep going. Let’s put a cap on it there.

What has been your proudest moment as the founder of The Drydown boutique so far?

Just doing it! I’m proud that I had the audacity to just go all in and change my career. The fact that The Drydown went from an idea one day to a full-blown brick and mortar store 7 months later is insane to me. I was probably the most proud on the day of our grand opening. I felt so supported by my friends and my family, and seeing the response from the fragrance and local communities was so uplifting.

The Drydown organizes perfume by fragrance family. What fragrance style do you gravitate towards the most?

I’m a floral girly and then woody just behind that. Day to day it’s either going to be woody or floral that I’m wearing, but honestly my taste is defined less in notes and more by the feeling. I love a soft perfume— I avoid things that are too screechy or loud and I don’t really wear perfumes that can be desbribed as “beast mode.” I lean towards fragrances that are softer and fresh. Now, that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a good incense or smoky perfume but florals and woods are just what I gravitate towards.

What are you most excited about for the future of The Drydown Boutique?

I’m looking foreward to The Drydown being more known within the fragrance community. I want people to think of us when they think of perfume and I think that’ll come with time. I’m excited for the things we have in store for the future…

Is there anything else we should know about you?

We’re friendly! We aren’t trying to breathe down your neck or turn our noses up at anything. We just want you to come in and enjoy the store!

Getting to work with Shaya is a true joy. Her dedication to this team as well as the San Diego fragrance community as a whole is as inspiring as it is infectious! Thank you for reading and for your support of The Drydown Boutique Newsletter. Smell ya later!

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