Tru Blooms Chicago, A Locally Sourced Perfume, Debuts October 15
October 9, 2012
Posted Oct 9, 2012 at 3:04 PM
By Lynn Okura Bey
Flower Power
Chicago’s odors can assault the senses in the best—and worst—possible ways. The smell of freshly-popped Garrett popcorn or the endorphin-inducing aroma of the Blommer Chocolate factory? Good. Certain whiffs of the Chicago River or the occasional stench of a CTA train: Not so good. Fortunately, when the Chicago-based perfume company Tru Fragrance decided to bottle the city’s essence in a perfume called Tru Blooms Chicago (trubloomschicago.com), they aimed only for the best. The fragrance is built around three floral scents—lavender, rose, and violet—extracted from flowers that were planted last spring in more than 22 plots across the city, such as a half-acre garden in Grant Park. Locals, employed through nonprofit organizations, were hired to cultivate the flowers—making it a Chicago product in more than name alone. The limited-edition perfume ($18 for a 15 ml roll-on; $65 for a 100 ml bottle) is available beginning Monday, October 15 in select local outlets, including Art Effect (934 W. Armitage Ave., 773-929-3600, www.shoparteffect.com) and Water Tower Place (845 N. Michigan Ave., 312-440-3166, www.shopwatertower.com), as well as online.