Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [125]
CACAO ET CHOCOLAT Map Food & Drink
01 46 33 77 63; www.cacaoetchocolat.com; 29 rue du Buci, 6e; 10.30am-7.30pm Mon-Sat, 11am-7pm Sun; Mabillon
You haven’t tasted chocolate till you’ve had a hot chocolate (€3.50) spiced with cinnamon, ginger or cayenne pepper at this exotic shop showcasing cocoa beans in every guise. Citrus, spice and chilli are among the flavoured bars to buy here or at its outlets in the Marais (Map; 01 42 71 50 06; 36 rue Vieille du Temple, 4e; 11am-7.30pm; St-Paul) and on Île St-Louis ( 01 46 33 33 33; 63 rue St-Louis en l’Île, 4e; 10.30am-7.30pm; Pont Marie).
LA BOUTIQUE DU CRÉATEUR DE JEUX Map Games
08 75 97 69 63; www.laboutiqueducreateurdejeux.com, in French; 40 rue St-Jacques, 6e; 11am-7pm Tue-Sat; Cluny La Sorbonne
Another gem, this one sells brand-new board and card games created in the last couple of years in France (many are bilingual French–English). Its jeux de mesure are made-to-measure, limited editions often focusing on a social issue such as alcohol abuse, immigrant equality etc.
ROUGE & NOIR Map Games
01 43 26 05 77; www.rouge-et-noir.fr; 26 rue Vavin, 6e; 10am-7pm Mon-Sat; Vavin
Trivial Pursuit Paris, Rubik’s cubes, juggling balls, backgammon, chess, tarot and playing cards… This small family-run boutique specialising in traditional and not-so-traditional games promises bags of fun.
AU PLAT D’ÉTAIN Map Hobby Items
01 43 54 32 06; http://auplatdetain.com, in French; 16 rue Guisarde, 6e; 11am-12.30pm & 2-7pm Tue-Sat; Odéon
People do collect tin (étain) and lead soldiers, as this fascinating boutique crammed with nail-sized, hand-painted military soldiers, drummers, musicians, snipers and cavaliers attests. In business since 1775, the shop itself is practically a collectable.
LA MAISON DE POUPÉE Map Hobby Items
01 46 33 74 05, 06 09 65 58 68; 40 rue de Vaugirard, 6e; 10am-7pm Mon-Sat; Odéon & Luxembourg
Poupées anciennes (antique dolls) is what this enchanting boutique opposite the residence of the French Senate’s president sells.
FLAMANT HOME INTERIORS Map Home & Garden
01 56 81 12 40; 8 place de Furstenberg & 8 rue de l’Abaze, 6e; noon-7pm Mon, 10.30am-7pm Tue-Sat; Mabillon
Silverware, curtains, cutlery, tableware, linens and other quality home furnishings: This maze of a concept store with two entrances is the place where moneyed Parisians shop for the home.
LES BEAUX DRAPS DE JEANINE CROS Map Home Interiors
01 45 48 00 67; 11 rue d’Assas, 6e; 10am-7pm Mon-Sat; Rennes
Restoring old fabrics is the highly specialist trade of passionate seamstress Jeanine Cros, and this old-style boudoir – a Pandora’s box of fabric – is draped with layer after layer of exquisite old linen, materials tinted with natural pigments etc.
ODIMEX PARIS Map Home Interiors
01 46 33 98 96; 17 Rue de l’Odéon, 6e; 10.30am-6.30pm Mon-Sat; Odéon
Teapots in all their guises: there are little ones, big ones, sophisticated, comic and very expensive ones. Some of the Japanese teapots are particularly beautiful.
LE PETIT BATEAU Map Kids
01 45 49 48 38; www.petit-bateau.fr; 81 rue de Sèvres, 7e; Sèvres Babylone
This much-loved French brand, now global, has been kicking around since 1893, when it first started making the soft, cotton children’s underwear for which it’s famed. A staple of any French family, Le Petit Bateau is substantially cheaper to buy in France than elsewhere. Its flagship store is at 116 av des Champs-Elsyée, 8e.
HAPART Map Toys, Antiques
01 56 24 94 34; 72 rue Mazarine, 6e; 2-7pm Tue-Sun; Odéon
A lovely one to idle in, this collector’s delight the size of a pocket handkerchief recalls lost childhoods with its romantic collection of old and antique toys.
LA DERNIER GOUTTE Map Wine
01 43 29 11 62; 6 rue du Bourbon le Château, 6e; 10.30am-1.30pm & 3-8.30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-8.30pm Sat, 11am-7pm Sun; Mabillon
‘The Last