Colleen's Tips

Vintage-Second-hand and designer clothes

Consignment shops (dépôt-vente) are scattered around Paris. Other discount boutiques carry the shoe and clothes fashions that were modeled on a runway and never worn again. Some articles are prototypes.

If you have ever had a problem finding the common shoe size 7 1/2 - 9, well you have reached shoe size paradise. It is rare to find anything smaller or larger. You must keep in mind that 90% of everything is one of a kind.

What to bring

Bring your conversion chart for sizes; your Paris street book, the number 2 "Grand Plan de Paris" map (pick it up at the metro station); and lots of time. Oh, euros or a credit card will be helpful.

When looking for these boutiques, I strongly advise you to use a book with Paris street maps. An example of an excellent on is located on my guide book page "Paris pratique".

Looking for Vuitton -- almost all shops carry Chanel, but Vuitton? as the French say, ce n'est pas évident! (It's not obvious!)

I have found two shops that carry Vuitton regularly:

Reciproque (a virtual Ali Baba in disguise) -- the website might not work! and Scarlett - Achat-Vente.

Reciproque has seven shops clustered around each other on rue de la Pompe; around the corner from the metro of the same name along line 9 (Pont de Sèvres-Mairie de Montreuil) in the 16th arrondissement.

Reciproque carries fashion clothing (couture/designers, trinkets and gifts, antique and modern, men's and ladies' clothes).

List of addresses for Reciproque and what you will find:

No. 89 Gift shop: curios and Jewels 01 47 27 93 52

No. 92 Men's shop: garments, accessories and shoes

No. 93 Ladies' shop: cocktail, evening and party dresses

No. 95 Ladies' shop: day garments, furs and shoes

No. 97 Depot shop: (to leave your things on consignment) by appointment: 01 47 04 82 24

No. 101 Ladies' shop: hand bags, costume jewellery

No. 101 Ladies' shop: coats, rain coats, scarves

Reciproque Nicole Morel is open Tuesday to Friday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Scarlett

10, rue Clément-Marot - 8th arrondissement

01 56 89 03 00

(At this store, she specializes in Vuitton, Hermes and Chanel.) The French haute couture between 1920 and 1999 is by appointment only. They buy and sell accessories, handbags and clothing.

Scarlett

3 rue Chambiges - 8th arrondissement

01 47 29 56 19 or 01 56 89 03 00

This is the vintage boutique where you will find Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Chloe, Stella McCartney, etc. and collection pieces: accessories, jewelry, hand bags, clothing.

If you are going to La Vallée Village (outlet shopping mall) bring a copy of the Where magazine for an additional 10% on two brands.

La Vallée Village (outlet shopping mall)

RER A4 express train (Val d'Europe/Serris-Montevrain station from Paris (35 minutes)

Open 7 days a week, over 85 brands

Monday to Friday: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Saturday and bank holidays (until September 30 ): 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Closed on January 1 , May 1 and December 25

Guide dogs only.

Kiliwatch

64 rue Tiquetonne 75002

Metro: Etienne Marcel

Kiliwatch is a the corner of Etienne Marcel and rue Tiquetonne

Telephone: 01 42 21 17 37

Come on Eileen

16 rue des Taillandiers 75011

Metro: Bastille

Walk along rue de la Roquette

Telephone 01 43 38 12 11

Come on Eileen is three levels of clothes, shoes and accessories. Tons of stuff, requires lots of time to look. They only carry higher end in this store; Zara/H&M type clothes are sold at the Montreuil flea market. They carry a small selection of children's clothes.

Smells a bit musty in general.

Rag

81 rue Saint Honoré 75001

Metro: Louvre Rivoli

Telephone 01 40 28 48 44

Les 3 marchés de Catherine B

1 rue Guisarde - 75006

Metro: Mabillon

Telephone: 01 43 54 74 18 -

catherine-b@catherine-b.com

"In the heart of Saint-Germain des Prés, meet us at “Les 3 marches de Catherine B”, the only shop in Paris to offer so much items of the Vintage Chanel or Hermès. (Their website has an English version)--Paris tourist office"

Quidam de Revel

24 et 26 de la rue de Poitou 75003

Metro: Saint Sebastien Froissart

"The address for vintage Parisian. They carry jewelry, clothes, accessories, bags, conventional and unconventional products from the 1920s to the 1970s. (Their website has an English version)

In addition, they sell, rent, search and consult.

Clothing and accessory designers: Grès, Cardin, Courrèges, Paco Rabanne, Roger Vivier, Capobianco, Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, Hermes, Emilio Pucci, Christian Dior, Charles Jourdan, Lanvin, Biba, Ossie Clarck, Bill Gibb, Gucci, Azzaro, Roberta di Caverino, etc.

Jewelry from Lalanne, Vautrin, Georg Jensen, Henry, Torun, etc.-- Paris tourist office"
 

Iglaïne
12 rue de la Grande Truanderie 75001

Metro: Les Halles

50soixante70

16 rue Caffarelli 75003
Open: Tuesday to Friday: 2 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Saturday: 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Metro: République or Temple

"50SOIXANTE70 is the idea of Philippe Nolde.

Born from a passion for an epoque and a taste for design, 50SOIXANTE70 tries to share this interest through a selection of furniture, lighting and decorating accessories characteristic of a style of living.--Paris tourist office"

Anna Lowe

104 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré 75008

Metro: Champs-Elysées or Clemenceau

Anna Lowe is at the top of rue du Cirque which joins Fbg Saint-Honoré with avenue Gabriel; or take avenue de Marigny and go to the left on Fbg. Saint-Honoré

Telephone: 01 42 66 11 32

Anna Lowe is an outlet for haute couture and ready-to-wear, including Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Lacroix, Prada, Valentino and YSL. Prices 40-60% below retail. Inquire about tax-free, plus discount.

Beautiful clothes - all new.

Advantage: more sizes in the back

Annexe des Createurs

19 rue Godot de Mauroy 75009

Metro: Madeleine, Havre Caumartin, Auber, Saint-Lazare

rue Godot de Mauroy is parallel to Vignon and rue de Caumartin - her website has a map.

Telephone 01 42 65 46 40

Great little store in two boutiques separated by a driveway.

Edwige Meister insists on no perfume smells on clothes.

She sells second-hand in the back and new products in the front. I couldn't tell the difference between the two.

Some of Edwige's haute couture labels include Chanel, Vuitton, Prada, Dolce&Gabbana, Dior, Hermès, Versace, Gucci, Prada, etc. with prices discounted up to 70%.

Depot-vente 17th

109 rue de Courcelles 75017

Metro: Courcelles

Walk up rue de Courcelles and cross avenue de Wagram

Open 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; 2:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Mondays.

Telephone 01 40 53 80 82

Second-hand designer clothes for men and women (Chanel, Hermès, Prada), accessories and objects for the home

Depot-vente Passy

14-16 rue de la Tour 75016

Metro: Passy

Telephone: 01 45 20 95 21

Griff'troc

119 blvd Malesherbes 75008

Metro: Monceau

Griff'troc is located as close to the corner of boulevard de Courcelles as you can get and boulevard Malesherbes

Telephone: 01 45 61 19 47

Women's couture and designer clothing, shoes and accessories at discount prices, with labels including Chanel, Hermès, Kenzo, YSL, Prada, Dior, Rykiel and others.

Miss "Griffes"

19 rue de Penthièvre 75008

Metro: Miromesnil

Telephone: 01 42 65 10 00

"Found behind a modes storefront on a quiet street, this is a two-level boutique that is a treasure trove of haute couture, designer and end-of-season clothing and leater goods for women from Armani, Lacroix, Prada, Ungaro, Valentino and Yves Saint Laurent. Discounts sometimes go as high as 50%.

Google maps to locate stores

Mappy to locate stores

Nespresso

For those readers who have Nespresso machines and are looking for a boutique to buy capsules here are four addresses:

126, rue du Bac 75007

3, rue Scribe 75009

45, avenue Victor Hugo 75116

41, rue de Prony 75017

From the Paris Tourist Office:
 

New Nespresso shop on the Champs-Élysées
Nespresso, Nestlé’s coffee subsidiary, will shortly be opening a new shop on the most beautiful avenue in the world, where visitors can browse or buy coffee machines and taste several varieties of the brew.

This 1,500m2 space entirely devoted to coffee is the latest exercise in a successful image-building campaign. The boutique has been designed as an invitation to a unique and unexpected coffee experience – a new way to awaken the senses.

Coffee lovers can bask in a welcoming setting where the keywords are intimacy, comfort, refinement, desire, discovery and taste.

In the interval before the shop opens at the end of the year, take a look at the huge canvas cover 20m-long and 5.50m-high masking the work in progress. During the day, a giant zip made up of about a hundred 25cm-high

Volluto coffee capsules opens up against a deep black background. The capsules and the Nespresso logo are illuminated at nightfall.

BOUTIQUE NESPRESSO
119 avenue des Champs-Élysées 75008

Pastry ideas

Best raisin bread

Paul, the boulangerie-patisserie, has the best raisin bread I have found so far. There was time when I thought Poulain (available in grocery stores) was perfect.

Ask to have it sliced (tranché) then it is great for toast -- especially with foie gras!

My favorite is made by Paul at 91 rue Saint-Antoine in the 4th arrondissement near Metro Saint Paul and costs 2,50 euros. Ask them to slice the loaf (no extra charge) or if you want want just a half loaf, ask for a demi.

If you are looking for the raisin pastry with the cream filling, ask for an "escargot".

Croissants- taste testing

Buying a croissant is easy. Trying to find the perfect croissant is, however, difficult and enjoying the perfect croissant requires guidelines.

Did you ever imagine that a simple pastry would involve such complications?

You may think that buying a croissant at the bakery (boulangerie) is a simple matter of point to it and pay. On the contrary, it should be an emotional experience.

Kitchen wares

If you like to search out cookware and utensils, the area around Etienne Marcel is the place.

E. Dehillerin is the closest one; practically next to Saint-Eustache and the Bourse.

They have a wide selection of Mauviel cookware.

Catalogs are available for downloading on their website (brand names are not given).

It is the green building mixed in with  the restaurants.

The other stores are located on rue Montmartre, the back side of St. Eustache.

Many of these businesses and the gourmet and foie gras/paté businesses are giving way to clothing stores.

E. Dehillerin (Experts in kitchen and pastry tools and cookware)

18 & 20 rue Coquillière 75001

Open Mondays 9 a.m. to 12.30 and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Tuesdays to Saturdays 9 a.m. to 6 a.m.
Closed Sundays and holidays

18 et 20, rue Coquillière - 51, rue Jean- Jacques Rousseau - 75001
Phone: +33 1 42 36 53 13

Fax: +33 1 42 36 54 80
Email: info@e-dehillerin.fr

photo from the E.Dehillerin website

Porcelain

M.P. Samie

45, Avenue Gén Leclerc
75014 Paris, France
Telephone 01 40 47 59 21

Open: 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Métro: Mouton Duvemet

"Everything for the home and decorating..."

If you are:

Looking for Limoges souvenir of the Eiffel Tower (15 euros)

Looking for Apilco porcelain

Looking for the dark blue Limoges knick-knacks or demi-tasse services

Votive candels by Philippe Deshoulieères (29 euros)

Looking for hand-painted gold lines on plates (15 euros)

Child's tea set (10 euros)

Baby shoes (1,95 euros)

They sell seconds here as well, thus, the lower prices. Apilco and Limoges and products by Samie are on three levels at this location. Many hand painted porcelains.

Ground floor: white porcelain; basement: permanent or ordinary dishes (seconds or end of series selection); upper level: more decorative pieces, not seconds.

Porcelain baby shoes at M.P. Samie

Miniature tea set

at M.P. Samie

Using credit cards

One of my readers ran into a problem with credit cards. Here is the scoop:

At the the Place d'Italie location, the customer service counter does not take CB (short for Carte Bleu). All of the other counters take your Visa and Mastercard.

Refer to your credit card as "Carte Bleu" (a generic term) not plastic.

Plastic in France is “Carte Bleu” – the phrase is used generically for Visa and MasterCard. AmEx and Diners are another issue and is different at each shop.

The phrase to find out if cards are accepted is: …peux regler avec carte…? Of course there is a longer phrase, but say this abbreviated version and you are understood. “Est-ce que je peux regler avec la Carte Bleu?”

All major shops now accept Carte Bleu. Otherwise, there is a sign posted that your purchase must be over 15 Euros.

Knitting supplies

Received a little help from my friends and have a list of knitting shopping hints for you:

Knitting translations translations available on this website in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, French, Icelandic and Finnish:

Crochet translations translations available on this website in American English, British English, Italian, Spanish, German, and French.

The following tips are come from Susy -- her favorites:

Entrée des Fournisseurs 8, rue des Francs Bourgeois (in the courtyard), Paris 3e (Marais)
Mainly sells Rowan yarn and pattern books. Yarns are expensive, but high quality. Rowan pattern books in English. They "display a complete range of haberdashery items, including threads, diverse kinds of buttons (over 5 000 references), ribbons, soft furnishings, patterns, pearls, embroidery works, and so on (see “Products” on the website)." The website is available in English.

Lots of great feedback on this shop.

Anny Blatt Laines Pelote Depositaire - 40 rue des Francs Bourgeois Paris - Tel. : 01 42 78 65 65 ; the website is available in English.
Wide variety of yarn and patterns.

La Droguerie 9 - 11 rue du jour - 75 001 Paris - Tel : 01-45-08-93-27
At this location, sells La Droguerie yarns by weight (50/100 grams) and sells their own patterns (in French).

or La Droguerie at Le Bon Marché - Paris
Corner Rayon Mercerie
3ème étage
Sells all different brands of yarn and pattern books. Phildar, Rowan, Jaeger, Anny Blatt. Very helpful, knowledgeable staff.

Phildar
French yarn company. Many locations in Paris. Check website for addresses. Sells wool, cottons, blends, plus pattern books (in French). Prices are reasonable. (Printemps has a selection of this brand on the 7th floor. -- ed)

French knitting website Tricotin.com

This page on their website contains names, addresses and phone numbers of suppliers in the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th arrondissements.

Both Laura and Susy supplied the name of Anny Blatt -- Thank you!!

Shopping guides

Shopping guides come in the shape of a person or a book. Two individuals who specialize in shopping offer both.

Jeanne Feldman

Jeanne has lived in Paris since 1991. During that time found out that shopping can be really different from what you might be used to, so to help others out she wrote a shopping guide.

In addition she writes articles for another Paris website.

"...Packed with insider information, Best Buys and Bargains in Paris shows you where to buy the best for less...."

Paris Best Buy Discovery Shopping Tours by Jeanne Feldman

With Jeanne's help you will "discover neighborhoods and stores that Parisians know about, but that are simply unheard of or are 'invisible' to the average tourist."

Contact Jeanne about her three-hour shopping tours in the Madeleine area, the Montmartre shopping tour and the fashion tour. You will receive an information sheet containing shopping tips and size conversions.

Rachel Kaplan

Rachel Kaplan, author of Best Buys to French Chic: The Insider's Savvy Shopping Guide to Paris, has designed a series of customized shopping tours ranging from discount designer fashion shopping tours to high-end luxury tours for the discerning customer. They published the 5th edition in 2007.

You can also download the electronic version of the book.

Bois de Rose design children's clothes (especially girls' and dolls' dresses). Their specialties are clothes for processions (e.g., weddings), dolls, smocks, night dresses, hand embroidery and accessories.

Champs Elysées open until midnight

Need make up? Clothes? CDs? A place to hang out window shopping? What to know the history of the Champs Elysées?

Visit the Champs-Elysées website to locate stores. It makes it easier to decide which metro stop you should use.

Here is a sample list of stores; most are open seven days a week:

Monoprix - 9 a.m. to midnight (not open on Sunday)

Yves Rocher - make up, body care, accessories until midnight

Paul - bread, sandwiches, pastries, drinks, etc. until nine

FNAC - CDs, DVDs, accessories until midnight

Sephora- make up until midnight

Marionnaud- make up until midnight

Stores in the arcades (Etam for example until nine; l'Occitane 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.)

Monoprix, however, is open only Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to midnight

Les Champs Elysées is a fun and informative website with a map showing the location of individual stores.

When you click on "Useful information" and "telephone numbers" they provide a long list of their suggestions (every Paris website will vary). But you may find this helpful with emergencies, dialing in and out of France, credit cards, help in English, SOS lawyer, etc.

Conversion chart*

Quick reference:

1 meter = 3 feet, 10 meter = 33 feet. 2 meter = 7 feet, 11 meter = 36 feet. 3 meter = 10 feet, 12 meter = 40 feet. 4 meter = 13 feet, 13 meter = 43 feet ..

Bra sizes (found at the BreastTalk UK website ) Their cup sizing chart shows same cups between AA and D.)

Help with tons and tonnes and square meters and square feet

I found this all-inclusive private web address that includes everything you have always wanted to know about conversions or try the Google calculator: 

Centimeters into inches:

To find centimeters: Multiply inches by 2.54.

To find inches: Divide centimeters by 2.54

Kilometers to miles:

To convert kilometers to miles: one kilometer is equivalent to 1,000 meters or 0.62 miles. Thus 20 kilometers is about 12.4 miles.

Square meters - square feet:

To find square feet: Multiply square meters by 10.76

To find square meters: Multiply square feet by 0.0929

Tonnes to tons:

To find tonnes: Multiply tons by 0.9072

To find tons: Multiply tonnes by 1.1023

Useful measures:

Women’s dresses, knitwear and blouses :

Women’s shoes (chaussures):

Men’s shoes

Some linear examples:

For a total list of calculations visit a measurement conversion factors website (this will be added later). This list includes also metric to metric and American to American standards.

 *Sources: "Bloom where you're planted" (The Women of the American Church in Paris) and Berlitz.

I found this cute reference chart on the Paris tourist office website a long time ago:

A baguette of bread: 250 g = 8.825 oz
A half of beer: 25 cl = 0.52 US pt or 0.44 UK pt
Eiffel Tower: 324 m = 1063.04 ft
Champs-Elysées: 2 km = 1.24 mi

Yahoo calculator

Finding the fabric areas

The Dreyfus Marché St. Pierre maybe you know where it is or maybe you are still trying to find it. This is an area of large and small fabric stores. It is an area with answers to questions such as: “How do you hang a tapestry?”

It is an area where you are free to wander in the seas of color and to touch to your fingers’ content.

It is near Sacré-Coeur and your best metro stop is Anvers on line 2. Cross the Boulevard de Rochechouart and head toward Sacré Coeur on rue de Steinkerque.

At the first intersection on the corner of Steinkerque and d’Orsel, you might be interested in Au Bouton Saint-Pierre. Samples of their drapery tie-backs, tassels and tapestries are displayed in their window with the their prices. It is my favorite of its kind. The shop is smaller now that it shares space with a souvenir shop. Two better alternatives are Moline and Patricia & Gisele sis Passementerie (keep reading).

Continue uphill and turn right on Place St. Pierre; walk past the Musée d’art naïf Max Fourny.

You will see straight ahead the 80-year old Dreyfus Marché St. Pierre. Turn your visit into a sightseeing tour by using the elevator in the back of the ground floor.

The operator has 25 years of experience of taking patrons to the 4th floor, announcing every floor and its contents with a distinct melody. When I interrupted to ask him a question, his eyes opened a little wider as he sped through the rest of his routine in order to finish his routine before responding. I think he liked the attention; he’s been interviewed for television and radio in the past few years.

Moline and Reine, the other two large fabric stores, are across the street and well worth a look as well. Moline has redone their interior to a more upscale flavor. They have opened a new "avenue" instead of just having a long corridor. Lots of luxurious fabrics for home interiors.

Bouchara is another all-in-one fabric store with three floors. It is not, however, in the Marché St. Pierre area. Bouchara is located across the street from Galeries Lafayette at the corner of rue la Fayette and rue de la Chausée d’Antin (at the metro entrance).

If you go to the English version, click on "Signs of the time". Click on "Taking measurements" -- this page provides the usual sizes (in centimeters) of Bouchara tablecloths: round, oval, square and rectangular. Visit my "pot-pourri" page for a conversion table.

Click on "Choosing one's bed linen" with this "Taking measurements" page.

You will find the bed sizes (in centimeters), the size of the bottom sheet, flat sheet, duvet cover, blanket and bedspread.

Tapestries

I had an inquiry about how to hang a tapestry flush with the wall, without using a standard curtain rod and holder because it would stick out too far from the wall.

At the shop “Au Bouton”, I found out that you can either (a) frame it or (b) line it and make an extra “pocket as they say” at the top in order to slide in a rod. Then you can suspend it with string or wire I suspose. Another tapestry shopkeeper suggested using Velcro to attach it to the wall.

Tapestry pillows

Looking for pillows to stuff into the pillow tapestry? Univers Décor is located on rue Seveste (feather and foam), one small block from “Au Bouton”; Reine has pillows on the first floor (not the ground floor); Dreyfus Marché St. Pierre’s pillows are on the 4th floor with linens; and the pillows at Bouchara are located next to the up escalator. For tiny pillows, “Au Bouton” recommends stuffing.

Bouchara (now closed) and Reine have the nicest quality to the touch pillows. Bouchara has the best prices for the quality (3,03 euros for the 30x40). Pillow sizes are: 30x40cm, 40x40cm and 50x50cm. Bouchara also has the best selection of ready-made pillows at good prices.

Good finds

Bouchara is closed as of August 2, 2008. Without any warning and only rumors, signs went up in the store around the 23rd of July 2008 announcing sales on everything. The property will be taken over by H&M, who claimed that all Bouchara employees would now work for H&M.

Au Bouton was once the place to find trimmings and drape tassels (passementerie). I highly recommend visiting Patricia & Gisele. It is a narrow, deep shop with tassels of all sizes hanging from the sides, on display and behind the cash register and mixed with a large variety of ribbons and trimmings.

Patricia & Gisele sis Passementerie

24 rue d'Orsel (near the base of Montmartre in the fabric area) 75018

Telephone: 01 46 06 69 87

Open: Monday 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Tuesday to Saturday: 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

sis.passementerie@free.fr

Dreyfus Marché St. Pierre: Household linens and baby items are on the fourth floor. Some suggestions on the back table near the elevator that you will see right now when stepping off the elevator are French-made fabric calendars, souvenir, holiday, Toulouse-Lautrec and conventional dishtowels/torchons (1,55 euros).

A good find is the footstool/ottomans finished or unfinished with short wood legs at Bouchara, Dreyfus and Reine. Prices start at 25 euros - double or triple that price in Chicago.

Hours
Reine: Monday 2 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday to Friday 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (look for the fashionably-dressed miniature mannequins.

Dreyfus Marché St. Pierre: Monday 1:30 p.m.; Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Closed Mondays. Closed February, August and September.
Bouchara: Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (site available in English

Moline: Monday to Saturday 9:45 to 6:45 p.m.
 

Château Rouge
In this triangle, the commerce is almost strangled. The fabric, cosmetic and small markets trip over one another for business. But you could say “ça marche” – it works.

Most of the stores are open Tuesday through Sunday between 9 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Just about every two shops in the triangle is a fabric store with African style batik in vivid patterns and colors. But pay attention to the quality.

The fabrics from Holland are the best. The top of the line is Super Wax from Holland (75€-80 euros for six yards or 5,5 meters). The second in quality is True Wax -55 euros for six yards; Super Basin is 45 euros, Java - 40€. The fabric origin changes with the Anglaise (English) at 30 euros; industrial batiks from Hong Kong and China – very cheap are at the lower end. The fabrics are either tergal (French synthetic) or cotton.

(Click here to go to my weights and measures conversion chart).

I have done a neighborhood walk of Château Rouge if you are interested.

Buttons

Button, buttons whose got the buttons?

In a corner on the ground floor of Printemps, in the back by the hats, feast your eyes on ribbons, unusual buttons galore! and other accessories to decorate hats or whatever.

Marie Delaigue from Des Fils et une Aiguille suggests:

la droguerie

9-11 rue du Jour 75001

Metro: Les Halles (Sortie/Exit: Turbigo Rambuteau)

Telephone: 01 45 08 93 27

Open: Monday from 2 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.

Tuesday to Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.

You will also find la droguerie at Au Bon Marché department store -- great atmosphere and popular place -- very busy!

Patchwork

la Boutique du Patchwork (Inès)

9 rue du Général Guilhem (angle rue Saint-Ambroise) 75011

Metro: Saint-Ambroise or Saint-Maur

Telephone: 01 43 38 54 86

Open: 10:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Des Fils et une Aiguille...

1 rue Chabanais 75002

Telephone 01 49 26 09 34

Fa 01 49 26 09 19

desfilsetuneaiguille@wanadoo.fr

Open Monday to Saturday fro 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Le Rouvray

3 rue de la Bûcherie

75005 Paris

01 43 25 00 45  fax: 01 55 42 02 61 

email

INES
9 Rue du Général Guilhem - 75011  
01 43 38 54 86
Métro : Saint Ambroise or Saint Maur
Open Tuesday to Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Google: patchwork paris for maps and more information

Embroidery

Silk thread and embroidery accessories

Des Fils et une Aiguille (Marie Delaigue)

1 rue Chabanais 75002

Open Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Additional information:
1 meter (m) = 1.1 yards
dress patterns: 115 centimeters (cm) = 45” and150 cm = 60”
Upholstery/decorating fabrics come in 280 cm widths.

Terminology:
plan d'acces - means map
Lainage – wool fabrics
Soieries – silks
Velours – velvet and courduroy
Ameublement – furniture (decorator fabrics for furniture, drapes, pillows, etc.)
Habillement – dress fabric
Voilages – lace
Blanc, linge de maison – towels, sheets, pillows, etc. 

Miniature mannequins

at the fabric store Reine

Société Wax Joli Afrique

30 rue Poulet 75018

01 42 58 98 96

Fabrics from Wax Joli

Sport Stores

This information will be helpful if you want to play ping-pong at one of the many scattered around Paris in the parks:

GO SPORT

Foam soccer ball (Foot Mousse) 3,95 large or 2,50 small

Ping pong paddles and balls (Raquettes de tennis de table) - look in the tennis department

 - 2 paddles/3 balls 9,20 euros

GO SPORT  -

Monday to Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Paris locations: Beaugrenelle, Chatillon, Daumesnil, Italie 2, Montparnasse, Les Halles, Porte de St. Cloud, République, Rivoli (near Samaritaine)

DECATHLON

Ping pong paddles and balls

 - 4 paddles/2 balls 17 euros

 - 2 paddles/3 balls 8 euros

 - individual paddles 3 euros

 - 10 balls in a package 1,50 euros

DECATHLON -

Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Paris locations: Aquaboulevard, 4/6 rue Louis Armand (15th); la Défense Marathon, CC des 4 temps, rue des arcades (la Défense); la Madeleine, 23 blvd de la Madeleine (1st); Wagram, 26 av de Wagram 75008.

Wine Shops/Caves

la Treille d'Or

21 rue de la Tombe-Issoire 75014

Closed Sunday and Monday morning

Open 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

(closed for the summer holidays between July 23 and August 26, 2005).

I can recommend this "cave" for those of you looking for something different than what the chains and grocery stores carry. 

Nicolas Sirieix is the connoisseur of this wine shop on rue de la Tombe-Issoire.

He speaks English and will gladly advise you and answer your questions.

Turn left out of the hotel and it is less than five minutes away. I can recommend an organic wine: Clos du Tue-Bœuf, la Caillère 2002, Cheverny. It tastes like raspberries one day and chocolate the next.

Don't be shy! You will be glad you paid a visit to Nicolas.

Ô Chateau

Paris Wine Tasting

Address: 52 rue de l'Arbre sec 75001 Paris

visit this webpage for all of t heir phone information

contact

Read about our experience.

We participated in the Grand 7 wine tasting (no longer one of the alternatives) with other Anglos in the loft of Olivier Magny one evening....

Olivier also sells wine and accessories in his 17th century cellar..

BKWine

Britt Karlsson does wine tasting in Paris, has a free monthly newsletter that contains information on her favorite wines, wine shops, links to lots of sites, word lists, etc.

The newsletter is available in Swedish and English; websites available in Swedish, English and French.

BKWine  tours in English

BKWine is putting a big effort this year into developing their  English language wine tours. Their Swedish and French tours are already a large success.

The Musée du Vin in Paris offers tastings, classes, a museum, etc.

Nicolas Sirieix

wine products and accessories Ô Chateau

La Samaritaine:

Closed as of June 15, 2005.

Now the real story is probably that LVMH is going to turn it into a commercial center according to the news media. More information as it becomes available....

BHV terrace

overlooking

the Hôtel de Ville

Printemps terrace with Opera Garnier in background

Printemps terrace with Sacre-Coeur in the background

From the Paris Tourist office information on:

"Night-time shopping
 

Several of the big stores have late night openings; so you can moonlight shop for fashion goods, beauty products, interior decor etc.!

On Wednesday the BHV stays open until 9 p.m.  (Wednesday and Friday for the BHV Homme (mens store).

On Thursday, Galeries Lafayette Haussmann and Bon Marché Rive Gauche, stay open until 9 p.m.; the Printemps Haussmann, stays open until 10 p.m..

One can buy books and CDs at Virgin Megastore, on the Champs-Élysées, every day until 12 midnight.
 

Many neighboring stores also stay open late for night revelers.
 

The stores in the Carrousel du Louvre are open daily except on Tuesday, until 9 p.m.: with fashion, culture nature…
 

The same goes for Bercy Village. Located in the renovated former 19th-century wine stores, these charming stores stay open until 9pm, and restaurants until 2 a.m.
 

For shopping, the Monoprix stores are usually open until 10 p.m, and several (Champs-Élysées, Bastille…) even close at midnight. Finally, all neighborhoods in the city have one or several grocers that stay open very late… All part of
the charm of Parisian nights!"
 

BHV (Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville)
14 rue du Temple,  75004
01 42 74 90 00
Wednesday until 21h (Wednesday and Friday for BHV homme)
 

LE BON MARCHÉ RIVE GAUCHE
24 rue de Sèvres 75007
01 44 39 80 00
Thursday until 9 p.m.

VIRGIN MEGASTORE CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES
52-60 avenue des Champs-Élysées 75008
01 49 53 50 00
Daily until midnight

GALERIES LAFAYETTE
40 boulevard Haussmann 75009
0)1 42 82 34 56
Thursday until 9 p.m.

PRINTEMPS HAUSSMANN
64 boulevard Haussmann 75009
0)1 42 82 57 87
Thursday until 10 p.m.

CARROUSEL DU LOUVRE
99 rue de Rivoli 75001

BERCY VILLAGE
Cour Saint-Émilion 75012

MONOP'
Élysées  52 avenue des Champs-Élysées 75008
Bastille  62 rue de la Roquette 75011

Monday to Saturday, until midnight

Old magazines

One of the stores from the "old" days when I first moved to Paris still exists I was happy to find out recently.

Part of our 1930s decoration style required magazines from that period. I had found examples in the United States and Sweden, but a magazine related to the Colonial exhibit of  1931 (l'Exposition Coloniale de 1931) would be just right.

At Les Archives de la Presse I found a June 1931 copy of l'Illustration magazine. Since the magazine inventory changes constantly, you have to keep coming back if you are looking for a special issue, whether fashion, news, household, ladies, men's, children, sports, art, transportation, cooking, catalogs, etc.

They are in boxes and they are stacked. The more delicate and aged magazines are protected by a plastic cover.

The prices vary. But if you do not have time to "chiner" at the flea market, the archives in the 3rd arrondissement, not far from Hôtel de Ville is worthy of a visit for the antique magazine aficionado.

One of their handouts is for a website that deals in antique press called Journaux Collection.com

Les Archives de la Presse (Their website is available in English and French.)

51 rue des Archives 75003

01 42 72 63 93

Monday-Friday : 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday : 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. (according to their website)

Saturday: 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. (according to their handout)

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