She's a former science teacher, a biotech sales rep, a roller derby skater and the new owner of "knows perfume" at 4536 California Ave. S.W.

Christen Cottam is an avid fan of perfumes and fragrances. Her personal perfume collection exceeds 200 bottles. It's so large that she now keeps it at the store. "It's here because I share with my friends. I couldn't go through it in a lifetime, so if a friend smells something and likes it, they can wear it," she said.

Cottam takes great delight in helping people find what she calls their "holy grail" perfume, which she says people find when they smell something "and their face just lights up."

Her first career was as a 7th grade biology teacher and her background in that science worked out well for her stint as a sales rep for biotech firms as well as deepening her understanding of the mysteries of fragrance.

"Fragrance has a very distinct evolution and it's the molecular weight of the 'notes' of a fragrance. For example citrus notes tend to have a lower molecular weight and things like a sandalwood or musk or patchouli tend to have a higher molecular weight. When you spray a fragrance those top notes or lighter notes are what you smell first, but they also dissipate first," Cottam said.

"Fragrance is art not commerce," she said, "The way they sell fragrance today is counter intuitive. You spray your arm or you spray a strip and then they say 'how do you like it?' but the strip has nothing to do with how it will work with your chemistry."

She chose to establish the business purely out of a love for the art and her personal love of fragrances. "I have collected and loved perfume forever and I've wanted to do this for at least five years," she said.

Her time with roller derby (which she considered a hobby) came from first being a marathon runner. "I went to a few bouts and figured if I could take the pain of a marathon I could take the pain of roller derby." She skated for two years under the name, "Flirtation Device" and a year into it she broke her ankle. The injury required a metal plate and seven screws. She came back and skated another year before retiring. This speaks to both her physical and mental toughness. Good attributes for an entrepreneur.

Knows perfume carries fragrances for women and men, bath and body products, lotions, soaps, and home scents including candles and diffusers.
Cottam also has a lot of space to display art in the store and said, "The gallery space is very important to me. I will not be bringing in jewelry (unless it's a local artist)."

Most of all she wants to help people discover that perfumes and colognes, scents and fragrances are not simply commerce but art. "It's beautifully done and when you encounter the stuff I've got you can see that."