Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [121]
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LA CHARRUE ET LES ÉTOILES Map Gifts & Souvenirs
01 48 87 39 07; 19 rue des Francs Bourgeois, 4e; 11am-7pm; St-Paul or Chemin Vert
Presumably named after Sean O’Casey’s 1926 play (though the Irish connection is lost on us), ‘The Plough and Stars’ may look like just another gift shop but stocks an usual collection of figurines modelled after celebrated works of art (eg Vertumnus by Arcimboldo) and miniature soldiers.
L’AGENDA MODERN Map Gifts & Souvenirs
01 44 54 59 20; 42 rue de Sévigné, 3e; 9.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri; St-Paul
Subtitled ‘The Shop of Days’, this boutique sells handmade diaries beautifully bound in natural or dyed alligator or calves’ leather. And, fear not, they’re bilingual, so the Monday-morning blues will not become les blues de lundi.
LE BOUDOIR ET SA PHILOSOPHIE Map Gifts & Souvenirs
01 48 04 89 79; www.leboudoiretsaphilosophie.fr, in French; 18 rue Charlot, 3e; 2-7pm Tue-Sat; Filles du Calvaire
Like a 19th-century powder room bursting at the seams, this kitschy boudoir’s philosophy is one of parlour games, floral prints and silky nightgowns. Overflowing with all sorts of things from soaps to carnival masks, it’s great for finding that esoteric, nonfunctional gift.
MÉLODIES GRAPHIQUES Map Gifts & Souvenirs
01 42 74 57 68; 10 rue du Pont Louis-Philippe, 4e; 2-7pm Mon, 11am-7pm Tue-Sat; Pont Marie
Here you’ll find all sorts of items made from exquisite Florentine papier à cuve (paper hand-decorated with marbled designs). There are several other fine stationery shops along the same street.
BOUTIQUE OBUT Map Hobby Items
01 47 00 91 38; www.labouleobut.com; 60 av de la République, 11e; 10am-noon & 12.30-6.30pm Tue-Sat; Parmentier
This is the Parisian mecca for fans of pétanque or the similar (though more formal) game of boules, a form of bowls played with heavy steel balls wherever a bit of flat and shady ground can be found. It will kit you out with all the equipment necessary to get a game going and even has team uniforms.
LA MAISON DE L’ASTRONOMIE Map Hobby Items
01 42 77 99 55; 33-35 rue de Rivoli, 4e; 10.30am-6.40pm Tue-Sat; Hôtel de Ville
If you’ve ever had the inclination to gaze at the stars, visit this large shop just west of the Hôtel de Ville. The 1st floor is positively crammed with telescopes, some of which can run into the tens of thousands of euros. It also stocks astronomical books, periodicals, sky maps, binoculars and globes.
BAINS PLUS Map Household Goods
01 48 87 83 07; www.parismarais.com/shopping-guide/bains-plus-spa; 51 rue des Francs Bourgeois, 3e; 2-7pm Sun & Mon, 11am-7.30pm Tue-Sat; Hôtel de Ville
A bathroom supplier for the 21st century and true to its name, ‘Baths Plus’ stocks luxurious robes and gowns, soaps and oils, shaving brushes and mirrors.
LA MAISON DU HAMAC Map Household Goods
01 47 00 66 00; www.lamaisonduhamac.com; 57 rue de Malte, 11e 10.30am-7pm Tue-Sat; République
‘The House of the Hammock’ specialises in just that – a movable bed you string between two trees and rock till you drop. Choose anything from a brightly coloured net specimen from Brazil, Colombia or Nicaragua, or one shrouded in mosquito netting for napping by the water.
SIC AMOR Map Jewellery
01 42 76 02 37; 20 rue du Pont Louis-Philippe, 4e; 11am-7pm Mon-Sat; Pont Marie
This shop sells contemporary jewellery by local designers from a shop located opposite the erstwhile headquarters of the all-but-moribund Partie Communiste Française, which is now reborn as the Galerie PCF.
FNAC MUSIQUE Map Music
08 25 02 00 20; www.fnac.com, in French; 4 place de la Bastille, 12e; Bastille; 10am-8pm Mon-Sat
Fnac’s flagship music store at Bastille has one of the largest collections