In 1983, John Harding discovered his rare talent as a "Nose," with a fine sense of smell and skill in creating perfumes. His first store, Essense, opened in Boston and Edgartown, earning praise from Boston Magazine as the city's best perfume house. Since 1991, the business has been exclusively on Nantucket, where ambergris was first used in perfumery. After John's passing in 2019, his wife Patricia and daughter Caroline, who inherited his talent, continue his legacy.