Grand Openings: 5 New Must-Visit Stores Around the World

From a bespoke perfume atelier in Florence to a 400-year-old historic hall in Suzhou turned contemporary boutique, these five new stores offer serious retail therapy in thoughtfully designed digs.

Aesop in Suzhou

Shanghai-based architecture firm Offhand Practice has restored and reimagined Phoenix Hall, a 400-year-old Qing Dynasty building in Suzhou’s historic commercial district. While the handsome gable roof and intricate exterior woodwork have been preserved, the interior is now a sleek stage for Australian vegan brand Aesop’s line of fragrances and hair and skincare products. Silk—a nod to the city’s primary trade for centuries—is incorporated throughout the boutique to create an inviting and tranquil environment.

Godmothers in Santa Barbara

Oprah Winfrey and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have already stopped in at Godmothers, a charming new independent bookstore founded by former literary agent Jennifer Rudolph Walsh and makeup entrepreneur Victoria Jackson. Set in a 1920s white barn decorated by Martyn Lawrence Bullard, the store evokes a Nancy Meyers vibe, with sheepskin armchairs and a cozy fireplace. A full calendar of conversations with New York Times best-selling authors is complemented by comfort food served from a chic vintage Airstream.

Casa Profumoir in Florence

The brainchild of master perfumer Sileno Cheloni and Daniele Cavalli (Roberto’s son), Casa Profumoir offers a bespoke, hour-long perfume experience set inside an elegantly appointed house in Florence’s San Niccolò neighborhood. Fragrance enthusiasts can book a session at the private space to create a scent from a selection of 198 notes, under the guidance of a fragrance specialist. Sileno Cheloni’s retail store is located just steps away.

Ken Fulk in Los Angeles

Noted interior specialist Ken Fulk—who in 2023 redesigned the public spaces at Four Seasons Hotel Boston—has opened his first store. Inspired by the garden shed at horticulture legend Bunny Mellon’s Oak Spring Farm estate, Fulk created a breathtaking courtyard that leads to a bungalow-like boutique filled with new and vintage home goods, fine art, handcrafted scents, and antique silverware. A second location will soon open in San Francisco.

Le Labo in Kyoto

Le Labo co-founders Edouard Roschi and Fabrice Penot opened their first store in 2006 in Nolita, New York, and since then, they’ve launched dozens of other scent laboratories around the world. Their latest, in Kyoto, is exquisite and includes a cafe and courtyard garden. Housed in an traditional Japanese wood building that dates back to 1879, the flagship store feels at once monastic and modern.