The fragrance community knows that perfume is more than just a spritz of scented oil. We love to see people post about how it can become a small act of courage, a way of gathering yourself before you step into the day, or a reminder that beauty still has a place even when the world feels uncertain.
Why this July Fourth story still matters
This Fourth of July, as the United States marks 250 years, we found ourselves returning to a message from another uncertain summer. In 1932, at the lowest point of the Great Depression, John Blocki, our founding perfumer, sent an Independence Day message to the people who worked with him and the customers who had placed their trust in the Blocki perfumery.
He was in his late eighties by then. He had seen panic, loss, reinvention, and recovery; including starting over after the Great Chicago Fire. He had also spent a lifetime serving his community – helping train pharmacy chemists for a growing Chicago, lobbying for small businesses, and standing up for American perfumers.
We were not surprised to learn that he sent a heartfelt message of encouragement to his customers. It reflects the strong sense of community and gritty resilience still associated with Chicagoans today. And it is a reminder, from personal experience, that courage and independence are choices we can make, even in difficult times.
A message from 1932
The original circular has not been found, but The American Perfumer and Essential Oil Review, a fragrance industry publication known today as Perfumer & Flavorist, reprinted excerpts from Blocki's Independence Day message. We are sharing those excerpts here because they still feel remarkably human - and because they remind us why a perfumery can be more than a maker of beautiful things.
“Few company circulars have carried so splendid an inspirational message in this time of depression as the message sent out on Independence Day of this year by John Blocki, Inc., Chicago. We regret that we have not space to publish it in full, but we have selected several especially appealing paragraphs which we pass on to our readers herewith:
‘One hundred fifty-six years ago, on July 4, the Declaration of Independence was signed. We are now suggesting that on July 4, 1932, the people of America mentally sign a new Declaration of Independence.
We are confronted with annoying problems, harassing difficulties, confusing distractions, vexing worries. Many of us have seen the accumulations of a lifetime swept away during the past three years. All of us have been affected by the business decline since Black September of 1929.
We do not deny the difficulties of the present day. They do exist; and they are severe. But let us summon the spirit of our ancestors who built this nation by their indomitable courage, who succeeded because they were able to meet situations and overcome them instead of weakly complaining about them.
Anyone can be happy and optimistic when they are making money and ‘getting the breaks.’ But surely, we do not expect to do what no one else has ever been able to do, to march steadily from one victory to another, without a single reverse!
Let us each, in his own mind and his own heart, issue a new Declaration of Independence on July 4,1932. Let us declare our independence of spirit and of courage; let us resolve that we, too, will fight our way back to prosperity and to success, and not idly bemoan and bewail the times.’
This message is typical of the career of John Blocki…Mr. Blocki began his career in the industry in 1859 as an apprentice…now his daughter is general manager. Mr. Blocki has directed his business through so many periods of stress, depression and panic that the present dip does not alarm him, and his attitude toward it is splendidly expressed in the Independence Day bulletin.”
Nearly a century later, that message still resonates with anyone who has ever needed to begin again. It belongs to the person choosing hope over cynicism and beauty over indifference. It belongs to the person who understands that independence is not only a national idea, but a deeply personal one.
An invitation for Independence Day
This Independence Day, we are grateful to share a small part of John Blocki's independent spirit with you - not as a history lesson, but as an invitation. Choose beauty that strengthens you. And wherever this summer takes you, carry your own declaration of independence with you.