Entry No. 63 — the Portland file — filed under: fragrance
The Perfume House
Chris Tsefalas ran an import company out of a house at Hawthorne and SE 33rd in the late 1970s before opening the shop to walk-in customers in 1984; he died in 2020 at 93, and his family has kept the place close to how he left it. Willamette Week counted more than 1,500 fragrances in early 2026, nearly all of them behind a glass-encased gilded bar, which means nothing happens until you describe what you're after and someone starts pulling blotters. Manager Mark Liebman has been doing exactly that for close to thirty years, and will steer you past the obvious into independent houses, antique display-only bottles, and a scent the shop says was commissioned by Napoleon. The stated house position is that skin chemistry makes any recommendation provisional, so wear-testing is the whole transaction rather than an upsell. Liebman told WW the current wave of customers skews young and treats fragrance as a collectible art form, which is why the room is often busier than a perfume counter has any right to be.
→ Three more vintage, record & maker shops in Portland — never the same twice
The story
Chris Tsefalas came to fragrance sideways. After college and a stint in the U.S. Navy he went to Europe to learn the trade, studying under Dr. Walter Lauschner of 4711 in Cologne, then worked as an international marketing director representing major fragrance houses and spent time with the Oregon retailer Norm Thompson. In the 1970s he was running an import company, Tamak, Inc., out of a house at Hawthorne and SE 33rd. In 1984 he and his wife Christina opened that same address to walk-in customers as The Perfume House. He was known as The Nose, for being able to name what was in a bottle on the first pass, and he died on June 2, 2020, at 93. The shop has stayed close to how he left it.
What is physically there is a room with almost nothing on display within reach. Willamette Week counted more than 1,500 fragrances in early 2026, and nearly all of them sit behind a glass-encased gilded bar: classic houses, independent perfumers, and a set of very ornate antique bottles that are display only. The shop describes itself as a library or museum of fragrances as much as a store, and says it encourages sampling without sales pressure. Among the stock is Le Vainqueur, a fragrance the shop says was commissioned by Napoleon and that it is the only retailer in the world to carry.
The person you will actually deal with is likely Mark Liebman, who has worked there for close to thirty years and now manages it, and whose job is to translate whatever you say into blotters. He told Willamette Week that interest has broadened sharply, that even 12-to-18-year-old boys now come in regularly, and that fragrance has become truly an all-encompassing art form, which explains why a small shop on Hawthorne is frequently busier than a department-store counter.
What it's like
Open the door on Hawthorne and there is nothing to browse. Every bottle lives behind the glass-encased gilded bar, which means the visit does not start until you say something out loud. Naming a brand you already wear works; describing a smell works better, because that is the vocabulary the staff pull from, and the blotters start landing as soon as you do. Budget 45 minutes, and do not try to decide in the shop. The house position is that skin chemistry makes any recommendation provisional, so what you want out of the visit is two or three things on your wrists and an hour on Hawthorne afterward to see what they turn into. Come with bare, unscented wrists, and accept that some of the most beautiful bottles in the case are not for sale.
The move: Show up around 4:30 on any day but Tuesday — the door closes at 6 — and each write three words describing a smell you want to be: 'cold church', 'wet asphalt', 'burnt sugar'. Hand the words to whoever is behind the bar instead of naming a brand, take the blotters they pull, then walk out and go get a drink on Hawthorne so the drydown has an hour to turn into something else on each of you before either of you decides anything.
📍 Before you go Noon to 6pm Wednesday through Monday, closed Tuesday; hours can shift on holidays. Phone 503-234-5375. The stock is behind the counter, so this is staff-mediated rather than self-serve browsing — go in with a description, not a shopping list, and expect it to take 45 minutes. Bring bare wrists and don't wear anything scented. Street parking on Hawthorne is metered and tight; the 14 bus stops out front.
- 📍 Portland
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 3328 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214
Hours: Added 2026-08-26 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Fried Egg I'm in Love — Two blocks east on Hawthorne, and the correct order is sandwich first, because you want clean unscented wrists at the fragrance bar, not egg on them.
- Roosevelt's Terrariums — Ten minutes further east off Hawthorne, and structurally the same visit: someone behind a counter assembling a small sealed world to your description.
- Lone Fir Cemetery — Block 14 — About a mile northwest, and the walk is the point, since the drydown needs an hour and Block 14 gives you somewhere worth spending it.
More weird in Portland
Good to know
Do I need an appointment?
No, it is walk-in. Hours are noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Monday, closed Tuesday, and they can shift around holidays. The phone is (503) 234-5375.
How do I get there?
3328 SE Hawthorne Blvd, mid-Hawthorne at about 33rd. Street parking is metered and tight; the 14 bus stops out front, which is the easier option.
How much do I need to spend?
Nothing. The shop presents itself as a library or museum of fragrances and says it encourages sampling without pressure. If you do buy, orders of $100 or more include two free samples.
What if I know nothing about perfume?
That is the standard customer. Nothing is self-serve anyway, so the whole transaction is you describing what you want and someone else doing the retrieving. The manager has been doing exactly that here for close to thirty years.
Can I buy anything in the case?
Not all of it. A number of the ornate antique bottles are display only. The rarest thing that is actually for sale is Le Vainqueur, which the shop says was commissioned by Napoleon and which it claims to be alone in the world in stocking.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · wweek.com
last checked: 2026-08-26