If the argument for shopping in brick-and-mortar stores had a face, it would be Faiz Momin, owner and operator of Perfume Place, where he also works as the only employee.
The choice of personal fragrance still has to be made personally and Momin is a master at finding an individual fragrance that suits each person.
Although Georgia Square Mall is considered a ghost town by locals, Momin has been doing well for the past 16 years. But this unique run of success will soon come to an end.
Last year, a $650 million redevelopment plan was approved for the mall that would demolish two-thirds of the existing structure to make way for a facelift that would include a residential section in addition to retail and green space. Momin told the Banner-Herald that he and other mall business owners were assured at a November 2022 meeting that they could remain open during the five- to six-year redevelopment phase, but plans for the area currently occupied by Perfume Place were recently changed.
“I just got a 30-day notice to vacate this space,” Momin recently told the Banner-Herald. “The mall owners informed me that this whole side of the building was going to be used for a large company, and I didn’t have the option to move to a space next to Belk, which will stay where it is.”
A call to Mall of Georgia marketing staff was not immediately returned last week.
The closure of Perfume Place marks the end of Momin’s 20-year tenure at the mall, where he started in 2004 at a kiosk selling cell phone cases. There, Momin began to build relationships with customers and earned a reputation as a warm, welcoming personality that earned him the lease for Perfume Place in 2008. Because Momin’s perfume prices are significantly lower than those of chains like Ulta and Sephora, he is considered a go-to spot for repeat customers in the Athens area.
As word spread on social media that Perfume Place was closing, Momin’s usual flow of customers became a flood, and he was “overwhelmed” by the first weekend of August. Customers came and went for hours during the Banner-Herald’s visit on Aug. 5, and most had seen the original Facebook post or had been regulars for years. Momin greeted everyone as a friend and received hugs after their purchase. Almost all expressed concerns about how they could continue to do business with him.
Momin said he placed a large inventory order before being told he had to vacate, and he plans to stay open through Aug. 31. He set up a website where customers can buy their favorite brands of perfume and cologne at their usual discount prices, and his plan is to get behind the counter at Raj Beauty Supply, owned and operated by his sister. Momin set up a perfume counter at Raj, located in Suite 22 at 3190 Atlanta Hwy., and directs his regular customers there.
“I hope to return to Georgia Square once construction is complete,” Momin said. “I’m very nervous right now, but I know people will come to me because I can recommend the perfect scent. That’s something you have to do in person.”
