Wednesday, April 24, 2002
Business Spotlight - Fragrances of Florida
Christopher John Davison (davison@pontevedrachamber.org)

On April 2, 1513, Ponce de Leon landed on what would later become Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Seeing no suitable harbor he sailed south and landed where in 1565 Don Pedro Menendez founded St. Augustine, our nation's oldest city. Ponce de Leon was a visionary Spanish explorer in pursuit of the legendary Fountain of Youth and his spirit lives on.
Modern-day visionary Janet Westling of Ponte Vedra Beach recently founded Fragrances of Florida and its signature scent, Ponte Vedra the fragrance. Janet's vision is to develop a fragrance that captures the essence of Ponte Vedra, something crisp, light, fresh. On March 21, 2002 a historical reenactment was staged and Ponce de Leon once again discovered Ponte Vedra. Upon coming ashore, Ponce said ''I have discovered the Scent of Youth''.
As with anyone launching a brand new business, Janet has many hopes and fears. She has been developing Fragrances of Florida since the Spring of 2001 and the events of 9-11 coupled with the economic slowdown gave her serious doubts about the timing of the launch of her company. After much soul searching Janet decided that she would not allow the spirit of American entrepreneurship to be curtailed by the acts of a tiny minority who seek to terrorize and disrupt. One day Janet hopes to grow her company to include markets beyond Florida's First Coast, so that Ponte Vedra Beach visitors can enjoy the fragrance where they live, never having to leave Ponte Vedra behind.
In order to garner some shelf space to sell her product, Janet offered samples to local Florida businesses. The response was overwhelmingly positive and now Ponte Vedra the fragrance is available at the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club, the Sawgrass Marriott, the Golf Club of Amelia Island at Summer Beach, the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island and the Paradies PGA Tour shop at the Jacksonville International Airport. Belk is considering carrying the product in its stores and a new website, www.fragrancesofflorida.com, is up and running. The perfume is produced in Atlanta, the bottles are from New Jersey, the artwork was done by Ponte Vedra Beach artist Andy Rooney, and the printing is done locally on the First Coast.
Janet is from New York City originally and she attended Loyola University in New Orleans. While at Loyola, Janet met future husband and Ponte Vedra Beach native Dale Westling and they moved back to Florida together in 1975. Janet and Dale have 3 children and Janet is very involved with volunteer work as a community activist. She has worked with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, the Junior League and the Ponte Vedra Cultural Center, and she credits her volunteer work as a major confidence builder, the key to the success of her company. Having lived in Florida for more than 25 years, Janet loves the relaxed pace of the state and the warm, welcoming nature of Floridians. She also credits Ponte Vedra Beach as a particularly good place to live since it is close to the metropolitan services of Jacksonville as well as the historical charms of St. Augustine. If you would like to contact Janet Westling you can email her at JanetWest52@aol.com. If you would like more information about the Ponte Vedra Beach area, check out www.pontevedrachamber.org