Aedes de Venustas is well known to fans of niche fragrances. The West Village boutique was founded by Karl Bradl and Robert Gerstner in 1995, and I when I dream about owning my own fragrance boutique, as I do from time to time, in my mind it looks pretty much exactly like what they have created at Aedes. I asked Karl to tell me how he became involved in fragrance retail, and how he, Robert, and store manager Miguel keep up with the competition.
How did you first become interested in fragrance?
My fascination with fragrance started when my mom gave me a bottle of Rothchild for Christmas in the early 80's. I was so much into the scent …