“I’ve always had a passion for fragrance. Everywhere we traveled, ever since I was a teenager, I would be obsessed with finding a perfume wherever we were.” That lifelong fascination eventually became Solvi, the niche perfume shop Maya Rigby opened at just twenty-five years old.
Born and raised in West Valley, Maya grew up in a family that loved hiking, food, and, perhaps most significantly, travel. Her father was a geologist at the University of Utah, while her mother worked in state government, and both traveled for their jobs. Whenever possible, Maya went along. At fifteen, a student trip took her through Europe, adding another layer to a fascination with scent that had begun several years earlier. Later travels included South America and destinations throughout the United States. Wherever she went, perfume became part of the discovery.
Maya followed both of her parents to the University of Utah, graduating in 2023 with a degree in strategic communications. She worked in social media and marketing but was still uncertain about what she wanted to do with her life when her father suddenly passed away. The two had been exceptionally close – speaking several times a day – and the loss changed her profoundly. Her dad had spoken to her about wishing he had taken more risks and encouraged his daughter to be brave enough to do what felt right for her. “Going through that kind of loss made me fearless,” Maya says. “For me, I had already gone through the worst thing that could happen.”
Opening a business suddenly did not seem quite so frightening. Fragrance became a source of comfort. Maya collected samples, explored independent perfume houses, and immersed herself more deeply in a world she had loved since childhood. The idea was crystallized on a trip to New Orleans where Maya discovered several perfumeries scattered throughout the city. Flying home, she kept thinking about how much she wished Utah had something similar – a place devoted to niche and independent fragrance houses from around the world. So, she decided to create one.
Solvi’s name reflects Maya’s interests as neatly as the store itself. She chose the Scandinavian-inspired name for its associations with light and sun, and for its subtle connection to solvent extraction, a process used in perfumery to draw aromatic material from plants. Her own Scandinavian heritage added another personal layer.
Solvi opened in July 2025, carrying seventeen brands. There was a line out the door at the grand opening, and the momentum continued. Within six months, weekend crowds were making the original shop difficult to navigate. Maya had imagined remaining there for years, but with a larger space being available just two doors away, she took another risk. In August 2026, a little more than a year after opening, Solvi moved into its new home. Today, the shop carries more than fifty brands from around the world, with fragrances connected to Italy, France, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, Iceland, Vietnam, United Kingdom, Mexico, Scotland, Greece, and the United States – including Utah.
The larger shop is light, airy, and warm, filled with wood and antique pieces rather than the polished surfaces Maya felt might make perfume shopping seem intimidating. Working with Zest Interior Design, a neighboring Pierpont Avenue business, she created a space meant for wandering. Discovering a fragrance, after all, should not be rushed.
Rather than separating perfume for women from cologne for men, everything at Solvi is unisex and organized into fifteen fragrance families – from citrus to woods. The system gives customers a place to begin without overwhelming the nose or dictating who should wear what. “It depends completely on the wearer.” There is no pressure to commit to a full bottle either. Almost every fragrance is available as a sample, generally for a modest price, allowing customers to take several home and live with them for a while. Maya encourages people to wear a scent through an ordinary day and discover how it develops on their skin before deciding. Many return for the full bottle.
But people also return simply to discover what is new. Maya has been surprised to find that many regulars visit monthly, often bringing friends or family and introducing them to favorite fragrances. For these customers, perfume is no longer something purchased every few years but a collection – a wardrobe of scents chosen for different moods, seasons, and occasions. And there is a practical reason to keep coming back. After smelling too many fragrances, olfactory fatigue sets in and the nose needs a rest. With more than fifty brands to explore, Solvi cannot be experienced in a single visit.
For all that Solvi has grown, it remains very much a family endeavor. Maya owns the business, but her mother, who retired from state government in early 2025, has become an integral part of its day-to-day operation. Maya’s younger brother works part time behind the scenes, and her husband, Ky, whom she married shortly after opening the shop, brings humor and steadiness to an extraordinarily busy life. For Maya and her mother in particular, Solvi has unexpectedly become a place where a family that endured an enormous loss can spend its days together.
One year later, Maya is still absorbing what she has created, yet what matters most to her is not how large Solvi becomes, but how people feel when they walk through the door. She wants customers to be comfortable, curious, and free to explore – and she never wants growth to come at the expense of the connection that has formed around the shop. “I’m very thankful for the community that we have. It’s not something I expected in a million years.”
