Museum Stores

Museum Stores

These days it seems contemporary museum stores hawk their stock-in-trade images on everything from playing cards to neckties. The boutiques below are an antidote to these "mug-and-tote" chains and—dare we say it—are worth the trip, whether you visit the museum or not.

107Rivoli (107 rue de Rivoli, 1er, Louvre/Tuileries. 01-42-60-64-94. Louvre Rivoli, Châtelet) is the consummate museum store, inside the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. The boutique carries books, jewelry, fashion accessories, paper products, toys, tableware, and objects inspired by the past but with an up-to-date design. Some of the contemporary pieces are limited editions.

La Chalcographie du Louvre (Louvre museum store, 1er, Louvre/Tuileries. 01-40-20-59-35. Palais-Royal/Musée du Louvre) is an extraordinary find. More than 13,000 prints from the Louvre's collection can be sent to the museum's own print shop for a relatively minor investment. The most popular images are in stock, easy to view, and can walk right out with you.

Musée Baccarat (11 pl. des Etats-Unis, 16e, Trocadéro/Tour Eiffel. 01-40-22-11-00. Iéna/Boissière) has a gorgeous gallery filled with contemporary crystal by top-name designers, as well as stemware, vases, tableware, jewelry, chandeliers, and even furniture. It's all here, it's all for sale, and it's all breathtaking.

BlackBlock (13 av. du président Wilson, 16e, Trocadéro/Tour Eiffel. 01-47-23-37-04. Iéna/Alma Marceau), inside the Palais de Tokyo, has merchandise by contemporary artists and designers as edgy and subversive as the museum's exhibits. There's everything from ultrahip T-shirts, jewelry, bags, and watches to CDs, limited-edition art, and exuberantly colored sex toys. And, if you have a late-night hankering to shop, it's open until midnight.