San Antonio's newest Ulta Beauty opens near Castle Hills

One of the world’s most coveted fragrance houses is wafting into San Antonio’s Shops at La Cantera. Creed will take over the former Johnny Was space at 15900 La Cantera Pkwy #2310 as early as September.

Although Creed is sold locally at Neiman Marcus and The Gents Place barbershop in the Dominion, this will be its first standalone store in San Antonio. In addition to carrying the fragrance line, similar stores offer candles, body care, and leather accessories.

The luxury brand has long been a favorite of the menswear press, especially for its costly bestseller Aventus. But much of its allure has come from the company’s own myth-making.

The perfumier claims to be among the most venerable perfumiers in the world. According to company lore, James Creed established the brand in the 18th century as a tailor. His son, Henry Creed, brought the business to Paris in the 19th century, where he was allegedly a clothier and habit maker to royals like Queen Victoria and Empress Eugénie.

According to Creed’s somewhat muddled timeline, scent came into the picture in the early 20th century when leather goods like shoes, gloves, belts, and sword scabbards were supposedly scented to mask unpleasant tanning odors. While traditional tanning practices were indeed, well, gross, industrialization did away with the smell in the 1880s. Leather scents became marketable — most notably with Chanel’s 1927 Cuir de Russie.

At least according to journalist Gabe Oppenheim, Creed’s history is partly poppycock. His 2021 book, The Ghost Perfumer, alleges that Creed heir Olivier Creed invented much of the history. Oppenheim paints the youngest Creed as a sort of olfactory P.T. Barnum, taking credit for the work of master scent-maker Pierre Bourdon (Kouros, Cool Water).

In any case, the house did go on to be valued by the aristocracy, both actual (the Shah of Iran) and Hollywood (Audrey Hepburn). Today, it is owned by cosmetics giant L’Oréal.

According to newly filed Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation project details, the new 1,465-square-foot Creed boutique will arrive fairly quickly, finishing construction in mid-September. The brand did not immediately return a request for a more exact opening date. Meanwhile, Johnny Was continues to sell its bohemian womenswear from a new space near Nordstrom.