If you live in the East Valley, the folks who run Passage have made it downright inconvenient to get to their gallery-style boutique, which is mired in the light-rail construction along Central Avenue in Phoenix.

They don’t open until 11 a.m., long after most of us have trudged into the office, and only stay open until 7 p.m., which makes an after-work trek to central Phoenix an unpalatable race against time. They’re not open Sundays, which makes it 50 percent less likely you’ll make a weekend trip. And they never answer their phone — which, for the record, is (602) 279-1272.

(And their web site works only in Explorer — if you use Firefox you don’t get to see the address, or phone number, or hours, or brands, or stock … just a pop-up window to a SMoCA Nights event. Seriously customer-unfriendly.)

Why even bother?

Well, it doesn’t hurt that, being German, I am stubborn as a mule, but really I went to check out the CB I Hate Perfume line, which Passage is the only store in the Valley to carry.

Christopher Brosius, the guy behind Demeter fragrances — you know, those singular-scent sprays that smell like everything from Dirt to Gingerbread to Orange Cream Pops? — has ventured out on his own to create higher-end, more conceptual scents. No more replicating Jelly Belly candies; instead, the offerings include Winter 1972 and Gathering Apples.

Passage’s best-sellers include Mr. Hulot’s Holiday (the Web site describes it as “the salty breath of the breeze off the Mediterranean, driftwood, rocks covered with seaweed and the smell of old leather suitcases”) and At the Beach 1966 (“Coppertone 1967 blended with a new accord … Wet Sand, Seashell, Driftwood and just a hint of Boardwalk”). One of the owners of Passage compared them to “East Coast beach” and “West Coast beach,” respectively.

And then.

While I was there, I was introduced to Escentric Molecules by German perfumer Geza Schoen. Here’s what intrigued me about Molecule 01: You spray it on — and you can’t smell it, but other people can. How odd is that? And how awesome is that? I was worried about putting on too much, but even after pretty much saturating my arm with it, I smelled nothing and my friends said it wasn’t strong at all — and they loved the scent. (I did too, two days later, when I caught a whiff of it on the sleeve of the jacket I had worn that night.)

Plus, for the hidden trivia nut in me: It has only a single ingredient, something called Iso E Super, which creates “less of an aroma than an effect,” the Web site says — maybe an occasional subtle whiff rises, but that’s it.

(If that’s a little too out-there, Schoen also created Escentric 01, with the same Iso E Super but also some components like pink pepper and incense.)

I adored both these lines, which start around $65 and end around $150. But for something as personal as scent I won’t buy online — I prefer to smell it before I shell out.

If only Passage (4400 N. Central Ave.) didn’t make it so darn hard to do so!

ammit

WHAT SAM WORE: 3/18/08
The shirt: Polo (American Eagle Outfitters)
The pants: Khakis by Chip and Pepper (Last Chance)
The shoes: Oxblood loafers by Rockport (Last Chance)
The scent: Mentha Body lotion by C.O. Bigelow (Bath & Body Works)

sammit

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