MondayLunchCrew

This is part three of my Paris Recommendations Week series.

• I prefer Saint Germain area in the 6e arr because it's more chic and has many of the same designer stores as other places but more laid back.  (St. Sulpice area).
• Carry a copy of your passport on you, so you can have the numbers for when you want to file for the VAT refund. And if you do some shopping, do check if you can get the VAT back. The processing is easy and as long as you carry the products back with you, you get your refund back.
• If you've shopped too much, hit a post office and mail the items home.
• Oh, and be patient when shopping. At smaller places, they'll make effort to package up your products nicely. Most places will do gift wrap if you like. And in Department stores, you'll often have to pay at one counter and pick up your shopping at another because they are busy wrapping it all up for you.

• Hervé Chapelier For lightweight waterproof stylish bags in a multitude of colours and sizes.
• Longchamps, 21, rue du Vieux-Colombier. Stylish, classic, handbags, scarves and accessories. Great value and good prices.
• Petit Bateau for good tees. Yes it's a children's store, but look past that and check out their adult selection for women. I love their tee shirts. Very comfortable and in great colours.
• Printemps
Much perferred over Les Galeries Lafayette. It's a vibe thing, when we were in GL, it had much of a Macy's in New York feeling, or a Harrods in London feeling. While Printemps felt more like a Barneys or Harvey Nichols, but with things average income folks will buy. A little more like Bloomingdales, but French.

• Monoprix where the locals shop for their daily needs.
• La Samaritaine Department store. Currently closed for security renovation. I'm not sure what that means but I'm hoping it will open again in the future.
• Eva Baz'Art, 53, rue Saint-Andre-des-Arts
• Marie Papier, 6e arr, great paper store.
• L'ecritorie, 61, rue Saint-Martin - 75004 Metro: Chatelet - Hotel de Vile. Stationery store
• Des Fils et une Aiguille, 1, rue Chabanais - 75002. Cross stitch store. Great selection and friendly staff. Near the Palais Royale.
  
• Les Bonheur des Dames. Cross stitch store. Look for the massive selection of great in house designs. Their location at Viaduc is huge and overwhelming. Really super!
• Entree des Fournisseurs, 8, rue des Francs Bourgeois, 3e. Buttons, Ribbons, fabrics.
• Loisirs & Creation. Fun craft store. Look for DMC cross-stitch kits and pre-finished linen fabrics and books that's hard to find in North America. Carrousel du Louvre
• Carrousel du Louvre. Shopping centre underground of the Louvre. Very 'mall' feeling, and it's even got a food court. (if you must...)
• Le Ciel est a tout le monde. A gift shop/children store with lots of great gifts.
• L'occitane
• Anne Fontaine, beautiful good quality shirts in fabulous styles.
• Variantes, 29, rue Saint-Andres-des-Arts - 75006. Great game store. Look for games you can't find in North America.
• Colette, 213, rue Saint-Honore - 75001. Might be the first lifestyle store. Part gallery, part store, all fun.
• Le Bon Marché department store, nice food market in the basement.
• La Maison du Miel. 24, rue Vignon - 75008. Metro Madelaine. Honey, honey and more honey.
• Pain Poilâne. 8, rue du Cherche-Midi - 75006. Metro: St. Sulpice. Fantastic bread, famed in the city and worldwide.
  You'll see their bread featured in restaurants, bistros all over the city. Come here and get a loaf for yourself. Staff is super helpful and quick. G loved their apple tard.
• Dehillerin, 18, rue Coquilliere - 75001 the kitchen store. Ask for help and buy some great tools at super value prices. The place where all the professionals shop and if you can't find it here, you can't find it anywhere.
• Mariage Frères, Super selection of teas
• Phidar. Yarn shop. When purchased in France, the prices are reasonable and the wool and acrylic blends are very easy to work with, and wash and wear. Their patterns are well written (even if it's in French.) and styles are fashionable and a la mode.
• Diptyque, 34, bd Saint-Germain - 75005, scented candles, perfumes, soaps.
• Shakespeare and Company. English bookstore in the Latin Quarter. Fun atmosphere, always packed of people and books. An expat hang out place. I like to go look for books in English that are hard to find or published by local publishers.
  
• Markets: Place du Maubert and Place du Monge are two good ones. I think the mornings are Saturday and Sunday respectively. But should check it out first.
  
  There's Mouffetard as well:
  
  

Labels: Cross-Stitch, Paris, Travel

// posted by May @ 9/20/2006 07:53:00 a.m.