What makes a perfume house 'niche', exactly?

Neither, really. The Class on what niche perfumery means says it's mostly about selling through selective channels to a narrower audience, and that the word promises nothing about quality.

Old houses can be on the list too. There's an overview of niche houses with a section on British perfumers old and new that dates Floris to 1730 and Penhaligon's to 1870.

Older than the shipyards, then. I'd assumed niche meant new.

Same as shoes: hand-welted or factory, you judge the hide, not the label. Would have told your granddaughter the same.

Oxford has a couple of old perfumers' shops. I've only ever gone in to smell, never asked what they call themselves.

Selective channels, so it's about where it's sold. Simpler than I thought.

I'll tell her it's about the shop, not the age. She'll say I've got it wrong anyway.