Welcome to the Paris Guide, Part III: Here’s your list of the small boutiques, big department stores and all the French brand Motherships.
Travel Tip: I don’t know if it was a Covid thing or if this is always the case, but most of the smaller boutiques we went to required appointments so be sure to check before you go. Our concierge at the Ritz made all the appointments for us which was incredibly helpful.
By the way, if you want to refer back to Parts I and II, click here (where we stayed) and here (where we dined).
And don’t forget to use the GoogleMap of our Paris stops!
BOUTIQUES:
- Talmaris: From Travel & Leisure – “A labor of love assembled by owner Alain-Paul Ruzé, this chic boutique on Rue Mozart has been called the world’s smallest department store. Ruzé compulsively scours the globe six months out of each year looking for one-of-a-kind finds and then displays his wares at a popular showroom frequented by the likes of Diane Von Furstenberg. The wandering proprietor’s tastes run to the eclectic: A 1700’s-era American flag coexists easily beside a Faberge egg. Talmaris is favored by the social set for its quality home goods. Designers Tom Ford and Victoire de Castellane pick up engraved note cards here.”
- Le Cabinet de Porcelaine: The most beautiful porcelain flowers. “Le cabinet de porcelaine exhibits flowers that do not wither. In small terracotta pots or old-fashioned jardinières, their thin metallic stems stand up, bow graciously or rise assertively in the case of tulips. These are the works of two porcelain artists, Didier Gardillou and Samuel Mazy – the master and his pupil – who have revived the antique craft of the porcelain florist.”
- Officine Universelle Buly à Paris: The most charming & unique perfumery/beauty shop. We all bought these adorable lip glosses with initals on the case for Christmas presents. Even better, the store delivered them to our hotel so we didn’t have to wait or carry them around with us. The packaging was almost as cute as the lip gloss.
- Antoinette Poisson: It is hard to describe this little shop but basically they create decorative papers using an 18th Century technique. They have the most amazing selection of notebooks, prints, lampshades and other unique products using their handmade papers. I loved this shop.
- Deyrolle: This is the coolest store — it feels as if you’re shopping in a natural history museum. Founded in 1831, Deyrolle is actually a taxidermist so you will see all kinds of animals – lions, tigers, snakes, birds, insects, literally everything. I selected these beautiful butterflies and they put them in a glass case right there in the shop, wrapped them in bubble wrap and I carried it home on the plane.
- La Tuile à Loup: lovely little handmade tableware shop
DEPARTMENT STORES
- Le Bon Marché: Oldest department store in the world and the ultimate Parisian shopping experience; cannot be missed.
- Samaritaine: Another true Parisian experience; Samaritaine closed in 2005 for renovations and just re-opened in the summer of 2021. The interiors alone are worth seeing.
FRENCH BRANDS & THEIR FLAGSHIP STORES
The porcelain flowers
The butterflies