Courtesy of Merci
Merci has long been the high-end concept store for fashion and homeware. Spread over three spacious floors, the meticulously laid-out racks include Merci’s own labels and regular collaborations, as well as designers such as Soeur, Masscob, Missoni and Comme des Garçons. When shopping fatigue sets in, there are three cafés to choose from; the loveliest is Merci’s Used Book Café, where you can leaf through one of the library’s many books over a cup of tea. A percentage of Merci’s profits also support educational projects in Madagascar.
3. Centre Commercial
Store
Shop
Sept Cinq’s two boutiques have a simple concept: they only stock products made by créateurs parisiens. (Its name translates as “seven five”, in honour of the city’s postcode.) Elegant yet quirky jewellery (dangly earrings, delicate gold bracelets and pretty barrettes) is a Sept Cinq mainstay, but the store is increasingly branching out into shoes, bags and its own line of slogan tees. On the menswear side, there are watches, scarves and wallets. You can also find Parisian-made soaps and mugs that make great gifts.
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Shop
Since 2012, Papier Tigre has sold some 350,000 notebooks made with approximately 20,000 tons of recycled paper. There’s a serious commitment to sustainability behind this papeterie’s bold graphic-print stationery, totes and planners. The shop also sells a few handpicked items from small Parisian accessories brands such as Macon & Lesquoy, and its own line of felt-tip pens. To further limit its environmental impact, Papier Tigre is moving more and more production to its workshop in the 3rd arrondissement. It’s also launched a design-your-own notebook service, allowing you to customise anything from the binding to the page formatting.
6. Astier de Villatte
Shop
From its classic, rustic-chic porcelain, which is inspired by 18th-century techniques, you’d never guess that Astier de Villatte was only founded in 1996. Handmade in France, mostly in its Parisian studio, each piece is unique. The shop is best known for its tableware – bowls, plates and platters finished with a milky-white glaze – but it also sells scented candles and eau de cologne. More unusual are the mugs produced in collaboration with artist Serena Carone, which feature costume jewellery-style gold rings inlaid with precious stones in lieu of handles.
Artisan food and drink
7. Terroirs d’Avenir
Butcher, Fishmonger, Grocery Store, French
Greengrocer’s, fromagerie, butcher’s, fishmonger’s and deli rolled into one, Terroirs d’Avenir is militant about food sourcing. The company was founded in 2008, following a Slow Food meeting in Turin, with a mission to supply the public and Paris’s restaurants with artisanal, sustainable and (mostly) organic produce. It started with three tiny shops on rue du Nil, and has since expanded across the city, spurred by an increased awareness of the importance of traceability. Come to pick up the finest seasonal vegetables, salty Breton butter or a few slices of Prince de Paris ham.
8. Maison Aleph
Shop
Maison Aleph’s glorious angel-hair pastry nests are the must-buy alternative to samey boxes of macarons. This family-run business was founded by Myriam Sabet, who was born in Aleppo and trained in patisserie in Paris. Sabet has created a sensation with her blend of Levantine flavours (cardamom, halva and pistachio) and rich French ingredients (normandy cream and clarified butter). The combinations change seasonally, but might feature mango and jasmine, or yogurt and damask rose. The nests come in travel-friendly versions without cream, and there’s an intriguing range of chocolate bars flavoured with everything from sumac to zaatar.
9. Taka & Vermo
Shop
For a last-minute cheese fix before hopping on the Eurostar, there’s only one place to head. With its sans serif signage and minimalist displays, Taka & Vermo might stock all the great classics, but the Faubourg Saint-Denis fromagerie is far from traditional in its outlook. French cheeses are seasonal, so ask for advice on what to buy – perhaps a soft and mild goat’s cheese, a squishy bleu d’auvergne or a perfectly ripe camembert (if you don’t mind stinking out your suitcase).
10. La Cave de Belleville
Bar, Wine Seller, Wine
Part shop and part tasting room, with very reasonable corkage fees, Cave de Belleville is well worth the schlep up the hill from Belleville Métro station – although don’t expect to get a seat if you turn up after 8pm. This unusually airy cave (wine shop and bar) was among the first to specialise in natural wines, and customers usually have to wait in line for one of the staff members to help them browse the shelves. Champagnes and pét-nats (pétillant naturel, a sparkling wine) are among the best options to take home, as the bottles are stronger and less likely to break in your luggage (they’re made to withstand the pressure of the fizz).
11. E. Dehillerin
Shop
This extraordinary – and extraordinarily expensive – Aladdin’s cave of cookware counts Julia Child and Anthony Bourdain among its past devotees. In business since 1820, today it’s almost a place of pilgrimage, albeit one that still supplies professional chefs in France and beyond. The shop is renowned for its extensive range of copper pots and pans, as well as all manner of moulds, mixing bowls and utensils. Displays are very short on information (including prices), so be prepared to explain your budget and what you’re looking for.
12. La Boutique de La Brûlerie de Belleville
Cafe, Coffee Shop, French
The Parisian speciality coffee scene was slow to develop, but roasters are now seriously making up for lost time. La Brûlerie de Belleville was one of its pioneers. These days, Belleville doesn’t just serve masterfully made café crèmes and espressos in its coffee shops and supply beans to restaurants, it also dispatches blends around France as part of a subscription service. Visit its 19th arrondissement boutique, where the coffee is roasted and shipped, to pick up a bag of beans. The most atmospheric place to sample its coffee is La Fontaine, a short walk away in the 10th arrondissement.
Weird and wonderful
13. Fleux’
Shop
It’s hard to define this sprawling four-location emporium in the Marais. At first it appears to just stock hip homeware – Scandi-chic recycled-plastic stacking baskets, €100 gold robot statues, cactus-shaped coffee-pod holders and ‘cheeky’ mugs decorated with line drawings of nude couples. Explore a little further, however, and you’ll find striking furniture, adorable kids’ toys and smart linens. It’s the antithesis of identikit IKEA design and the ideal place to stop for an unusual ornament or print to take home.
14. Deyrolle
Museum, Shop
A true cabinet of curiosities, this taxidermist has been in business since 1831. Part museum, part shop, it’s completely one of a kind. Although it’s long worked exclusively with animals that died from natural causes in zoos or farms, Deyrolle’s focus is shifting to include education about environmental concerns as well as the art of taxidermy (it’s an official partner of COP21 and UNESCO). Pass on the stuffed zebras and dramatically poised flamingoes and pick up a copy of Deyrolle’s book to learn more.
15. Objets Trouvés
Shop
Ground Control is one of the most exciting community spaces to open in Paris in the past few years. Set in an old warehouse near Gare de Lyon, it encompasses several bars, diverse food vendors (some housed in repurposed bus chassis and Métro carriages) and – improbably – an aeroplane fuselage, complete with working lockers. Objets Trouvés is the on-site concept store, where you can pick up vinyl records and responsibly produced cushions from Afrika Tiss and illustrations of Paris by Julie Flamingo.
16. Green Factory
Shop
These green-fingered entrepreneurs were championing succulents long before they became the must-have desk accessory. But the plants sold at their two Parisian boutiques are a little different from a standard aloe or snake plant. Green Factory is best known for its “Jurassic lab” terrariums, miniature ecosystems housed inside apothecary jars that only need to be watered a few times a year. They’re all handmade and you can even attend make-your-own ateliers at their location in the 17th.
17. Marché Saint Pierre
Market, Store
The Marché Saint Pierre isn’t a shop, but an enormous fabric market, just minutes from the Sacré-Cœur. It’s an absolute treasure trove for dressmaking supplies. Service is old-school: bolts are measured amid the rolls of fabric and you take your paper ticket to a central booth to pay. You’ll find everything from simple cotton and tulle to elaborate toile de jouy prints, with buttons, trimmings and so on across the street in the Mercerie Saint-Pierre. Shops specialising in lace, silk and fancy dress line many of the surrounding streets.
Did you enjoy these Paris recommendations? Read Culture Trip’s curated list of celebrated small, independent businesses in London and New York.
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Source link : https://theculturetrip.com/europe/france/paris/articles/a-guide-to-pariss-best-independent-shops-and-businesses
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Publish date : 2020-01-10 08:00:00
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