Just a couple of side streets back from the iconic gabled buildings of Bruges’ Grote Markt, is a hidden gem of a fragrance concept store that all olfactory fiends will want to beat a path to while in the Venice of the North. Offering an awesome selection of niche brands, it specialises in difficult-to-get-hold-of fragrances.
Chocres is more like a contemporary art gallery than most fragrance stores I’ve been accustomed to, and is seriously easy on the eye, with its neon-lit tunnel-style entrance which opens up into the most stylishly serene shop floor where prized potions are laid out like museum exhibits. It’s the brainchild of husband-and-wife team Brecht Deleye and Dominika Dienova, who opened the store back in 2023. They’d toyed with the idea of opening a lifestyle store, but the pandemic put their plans on hold for a while. The couple have since capitalised on the popularity of niche fragrances among a younger clientele. ‘Particularly on social media, we’ve noticed that young people are keeping a keen eye on the products we offer,’ says Deleye. As a father to one such generation Z’er myself, I can certainly vouch for that. It was my son Will who led me here in the first place. Sadly, I’m old enough to remember the neon yellow Acid House motif the Chocres logo brings to mind – albeit an upturned version where curved letters replace the iconic smile. ‘Since Covid, there’s been a noticeable increase in customers searching for new, lesser-known niche brands. There is still so much to discover in terms of perfumes. We want to help our customers with that, by offering them lesser-known and exclusive fragrances,’ adds Deleye.
Chocres offers a selection of premium perfumes, many of which are sourced from small family businesses who really focus in on quality, which is something the couple are keen to support. While the majority of their fragrances are produced in a smaller-scale artisanal way both in France and Italy, they also import products from as far afield as Australia. Most are eau de parfums, which tend to possess fragrance oil concentration levels of between 15 and 40 per cent, and can last up to 24 hours. Because the products are of such premium quality, it means you use less – but the scents last far longer than traditional high street eau de toilettes. Go at your own pace and choose from a beautifully curated selection from the likes of Clive Christian, Mancera and Montale, among myriad others.
What struck me the most was the couples’ extremely amiable customer service. Besides being well informed, their approach allows customers to breath and sample the wares freely from multiple scent funnels, without being pounced upon the moment they enter the store. They even make tax-free shopping via Global Blue a breeze.
The Bruges flagship has proven so successful that the pair have recently flung open the doors to a sister store, on Ooststraat in their hometown of Roeselare, a half-hour drive away.
Chocres Brugge, Korte Zilverstraat 8B, B-8000 Bruges, Belgium; chocres.be
