By the late 1950s, Patricia Murphy was famous in New York City, Long Island, Westchester County, and Fort Lauderdale, FL, for her restaurants and gardens. She decided to extend her brand into a line of fragrances. Like everything else that Patricia touched, her line of scents was an instant hit.
Long waits for tables were part of the dining experience at Patricia Murphy’s Candlelight Restaurants. They were also a strategy for selling. State-of-the-art public-address systems eliminated the need to stand in line. At her city restaurants, patrons could while away the time at the bar, and at her suburban locations they could stroll through her expansive award-winning gardens.
Better yet (for the balance sheet) customers could shop at the gift shops attached to the Candlelights for Patricia Murphy-branded perfumes, colognes, and bath oils — a lasting memory of the day.
Patricia’s first fragrance, Green Orchid, was a blend of floral scents, described as having 
“woodsy and woody notes, a whiff of amber, and a pinch of spice.” In 1961 a jewel-top bottle of the perfume sold for three dollars — more than the price of a dinner — but was also available in individual vials. Even budget-minded customers could splurge on a single orchid, available at the greenhouse, and a few vials of Green Orchid perfume.
The fragrances were based on Swiss essential oils. At this point in her career, Patricia made sure that anything bearing her name lived up to her standards. She visited the Geneva manufacturer during her gift-shop buying trips to Europe or after watching her racehorse, Treaty Stone, compete in Ireland.
Another fragrance, Gold Orchid, was added. A third, Regina Rose, was unveiled at an International Flower Show at the New York Coliseum, where Patricia’s orchids took top prizes. Soon the Candlelight gift shops were hiring specialized perfume salespeople and filling mail orders. Vats of the stuff were sold and are still regularly offered on ebay.
