Heard It On Main St. with Alexandra McGill, Owner of mundane
We got The 411 from Alexandra of Cold Spring’s mundane on building a custom fragrance business, taking time out to appreciate life’s little things, and her hype song. In honor of mundane’s lower-case-only branding, henceforth we’re going full lower-case-only in this post.
alexandra + charlie
owners of mundane
thanks so much for taking time to give us the scoop! let’s start with learning a bit about mundane and how long you've been in the game.
alexandra: i own a custom home fragrance shop. i started testing product and operating out of a home studio in 2019 and opened our brick-and-mortar on june 24, 2022.
that growth journey is incredibly common for so many business owners - starting at home, outgrowing that space over time, and eventually moving into a devoted business location. building on that, how did you get your start in custom fragrance?
alexandra: as i've looked back i've been able to connect the dots, but for a long time it just seemed like coincidence. taking it way back, when i was young my mom used to bring me to a custom perfume shop near our home on long island called Scentsational. i grew up creating my own roll-on perfumes/body products and i loved every minute of it. after i graduated college i ended up working at Scentsational on and off for a few years in between meeting my husband, charlie, and living in a few other states. while charlie and i traveled around, i ended up managing and opening up other shops that were scent bars with a focus on home fragrance. i learned the ins and outs of the business over a few years. when charlie and i moved back to NY to be closer to family right before the pandemic hit, he encouraged me to begin and grow the business while he supported us through his corporate job. our business went from my childhood home, to our home in beacon, to our brick-and-mortar in cold spring. it took a lot of sacrifice and time to get to where we are today!
so while navigating that path, what did the day-to-day look like? who did you have on speed dial?
alexandra: my parents have been integral supporters of this business since it began in the corner of their living room during the pandemic. they helped me wick jars, pack and deliver orders, and have been there for charlie and i through moments of stress and craziness that come with running a business. we spent tireless hours getting our shop up and running in 2 months to make sure we didn't miss cold spring's summer season. we've done practically everything ourselves, from the edits and buildout of our cold spring shop to the sourcing and testing of all of our products (with a lot of support from friends and family along the way).
mix-and-match
customize your own scent at mundane’s scent bar. reservations recommended for groups of all sizes.
msbs started in a very similar way - there’s truly nothing like the emotional support and guidance from family and friends. what was unexpected about starting mundane?
alexandra: i was convinced i would open a shop in beacon! due to rent costs and competition for space (10+ applicants [going for] one shitty space), i gave up on looking there. it really feels like our shop in cold spring was meant to be, as it was never in the plan and we now couldn't picture it anywhere else. it's like most good things in life - when you stop trying to force an outcome, the best and most unexpected outcome falls into place.
on that note, knowing you’re in the right space at the right time, what strategies have worked well in bringing customers, and audiences through your front door?
alexandra: since our shop is experiential, a lot of content has been produced through our customers. word of mouth has been the best form of marketing for us. we work really hard to give a memorable in-person experience at the scent bar, and a lot of our customers have said they've seen our shop from their friend's experience on social media. we have also been fortunate to meet some incredibly kind content creators such as @hudsonvalleygirl, @westchesterfoodslut, and @womenwhobrunch who've showcased our shop through their own experiences with us. we've been featured on news12, and in hudson valley magazine, chronogram, and local blogs. by offering a creative hands-on experience and pairing it with consistent, engaging customer service, we've begun to build relationships and loyalty with our customers and pique future customer's interest.
having gone through the business development process, what's been the most gratifying aspect of it all?
alexandra: the most gratifying aspect is customers expressing their love for the environment we've built. a lot of people have told us it's relaxing and a nice escape from their day. we have actually found it to be the same type of safe space for ourselves, especially in trying times. i think that has been the most unexpected or unplanned part of creating this business - we've created a little sanctuary where you can be who you are and make the experience what you want it to be.
we can attest to that. the shop has a calmness that’s replicated at home after lighting a mundane candle. knowing you both have worked so hard to build mundane’s success, what’s the best advice you'd give to someone just starting their business?
alexandra: trust yourself. trust the decisions you make. go outside. go to other shops in person for inspiration instead of doing deep searches on the internet. i spent so much time debating the tiniest TINIEST details. i also spent so much time being sucked into a black hole on my computer. charlie had to remind me to get out of the tiny world i built in my head and go out into the real world (even if it wasn't for inspiration and it was just for my own sanity). i remember i didn't want to open the store because a few trim pieces hadn't been painted and i thought everyone would notice. *news flash* nobody else notices the tiny details that you're stressing over. your audience will be impressed with most things that you bring into fruition, so try to spend more time enjoying that rather than inside the self-imposed tunnel vision!
so important to step outside your world and see the bigger picture! and to help you get through those inevitable tough days, what’s your hype song?
happier than ever - billie eilish (the last 2+ minutes...iykyk)
listen to alexandra’s and all previous interviewees’ hype songs on the Heard It On Main St. playlist on Spotify
Follow mundane on social and the web
@mundane_newyork on Instagram & Facebook