First was a cicada invasion of sorts that started during the Cincinnati Flower Show, where Sylvain Acher, owner of The French Rendez-Vous, accented his display with several ceramic cicadas. The insect-shaped objects, intended to hold lavender, are popular in the south of France.

"They weren't for sale, but many people asked if they could buy them," Acher said. "I sold all that were in my shop and had to reorder."

Before long, the French-born proprietor found that his shop was becoming the source for cicadas in all inanimate forms. Besides the whimsical ceramic cicadas, which traditionally hang beside French doorways as symbols of good luck, there are cicada tabletop accessories. Cicadas are also a frequent design motif in Provencal fabric, which The French Rendez-Vous stocks.

Acher reordered cicada-related merchandise several times this summer and still receives requests for it, although the pace has slowed.

Then there was the matter of the perfume.

SMELL LIKE A STAR

Customers from all over North America have followed their noses to the French Rendez-vous after Jessica Simpson revealed that her favorite fragrance is Maison de la Vanille's Tahiti. There are five vanilla scents, ranging in sweetness; Tahiti is the sweetest. The others are Antilles, Madagascar, Tropiques and Mexique. The store stocks eau de toilette in 100 ml ($29) and 50 ml ($19). Shower gel is $11.50, body lotion is $12.50, foam bath is $11.50 and soap is $11. A gift set, with 15 ml samplers of each fragrance, costs $24.50. Most of French Rendez-vous merchandise is home decor items: fabrics, antique furnishings, dishes and accent pieces. The store is at 9410 Montgomery Road, Montgomery. Information: (513) 792-0252 or www.frenchrendezvous.com.

"In mid-March, I started getting orders by phone for a particular perfume I carry," Acher said.

The scent, one of several vanilla fragrances produced by a small French manufacturer, Maison de la Vanille, was the subject of a sudden flurry of phone and Internet orders.

Acher was puzzled, especially because perfume makes up only a small percent of his sales.

"After about the fifth call, Sylvain asked the customer why she was ordering this perfume," said Acher's wife, Ann Human. "The young girl told him that it was Jessica Simpson's favorite."

Simpson talked about the fragrance in interviews with InStyle and Allure magazines that were published in April.

Simpson fans went to the Internet, where they discovered that The French Rendez-Vous was one of a few U.S. retailers of Maison de la Vanille products, and the only one with a remaining supply.

"Sylvain jumped on it and called the manufacturer for more," Human said.

Once he realized how popular Simpson was, and how influential her style preferences, Acher began promoting the perfume to his customers.

"I go into the shop every now and then to see what's new," said Ann Torchia of Mount Lookout. "I have two teenage daughters, and Sylvain suggested they might like the perfume."

Torchia bought a bottle for each daughter, and they loved it, she said.

The products drove Acher's second-quarter sales to double over the same period from the year before and rise 10 percent in the third quarter.

Keeping up with demand has been a challenge because Maison de la Vanille is a very small producer and its output is limited. But Acher has established a cordial relationship with the company and has been able to build inventory.

Through cicadas and, especially, through the vanilla-scented perfume products, The French Rendez-Vous has connected with a new market.

"I had never dealt with the general public in a wide way," said Acher, whose walk-in and Internet customers traditionally have been upscale matrons who favor European home accents. Archer, a jazz musician, started the shop as a sideline business four years ago.

"It has forced me to think about whether I want to expand," he said. "I don't believe in fast growth. I don't want to expose myself too much financially."

E-mail jcallison@zoomtown.com