Today we’d like to introduce you to Nia McAdoo.
Hi Nia, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I always say my path to Note and Accord really began in childhood. My father owned a fragrance company, and my Aunt was a perfumer in New York City, so I grew up surrounded by the world of scent without realizing it would one day become my own calling.
Before launching the studio, I spent 12 years building and eventually selling a commercial printing company. When that chapter closed, I wanted to create something more personal, something rooted in my family’s legacy and aligned with my love for creativity and connection. I noticed that there wasn’t a space where people could craft a custom fragrance in an elevated, guided environment, and I knew there was an opportunity to fill that gap.
Using the proceeds from selling my first business, I opened Note and Accord and designed it as a place where luxury, storytelling, and scent come together. What started as a passion has now grown into two locations offering workshops, bespoke sessions, and a full product line.
At its core, my story is about honoring legacy and creating experiences people can’t find anywhere else and watching Note and Accord grow has been an incredible reminder that timing, authenticity, and courage can change your life.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Like most journeys, it hasn’t been completely smooth. Building Note and Accord has been rewarding, but it’s also come with real challenges. One of the biggest was introducing a concept that didn’t exist in Charlotte and Durham before. Educating people about what a fragrance studio is and why a custom scent experience is different from buying a perfume off the shelf takes time, consistency, and a lot of storytelling.
Entrepreneurship comes with the quiet challenges people don’t always see, managing cash flow, balancing creative vision with business realities, and staying confident during slow seasons. Every bump in the road taught me something important each one has helped us build an experience that feels intentional at every touchpoint. The road hasn’t always been smooth, but it’s absolutely been worth it.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are a luxury fragrance studio where guests don’t just smell fragrances they create them. Every client who visits our studio formulates their own custom fragrance from scratch, bottles it, and names it. That combination of creativity and craftsmanship has become what we’re known for.
What truly sets us apart is that every formulation created in our studio is saved in our system. That means clients can reorder their fragrance anytime, and we can turn that same Signature Scent into a full line of vegan-based, phthalate-free products, everything from body oil, lotion, and beard oil to home fragrances and even pet spray. It allows people to build an entire lifestyle around a scent that is uniquely theirs. It’s a level of personalization and connection you simply can’t get off a shelf.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Family legacy has been the driving force behind the studio. I grew up working in my family’s fragrance businesses on weekends and during school breaks, watching my father and my Aunt blend oils, fill bottles, and talk about scent as both craft and storytelling. Those early experiences grounded me in the fundamentals of fragrance long before I ever imagined building a studio of my own.
Studying fragrance creation in Egypt, throughout Europe, as well as in the states, has shaped the way I approach scent. Each place introduced me to new techniques, raw materials and cultural traditions that now live inside Note and Accord.
Creativity is the second piece. Fragrance is both art and science, and the ability to blend emotion, memory, and technique is what makes a custom scent feel meaningful. Continuing education keeps me sharp, but creativity and family legacy keeps me connected.
Pricing:
- $100 for our Signature Scent Workshop
- $30 for our Sunday Body Oil Bar
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.noteandaccord.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noteandaccordperfume/
