Your favorite Paris shopping street.
 

Rue Cler gets most of the press, thank you Rick Steves, but I prefer Rue Montorgueil. I knew I wanted to stay near there since seeing Monet's painting of the street. Being able to walk over to Stohrer's every morning to pick up our breakfast , wonderful food shops and restaurants, and that it is open and lively when Rue Cler is mostly closed, e.g., May Day. To me, Rue Montorgueil captures the essence of Paris.

Your's?

Hello

I prefer les Champs Elysees. My favorite shop is Disney's stores.

(I'm not much of a shopper).

Shopping for what? I mainly shop for handbags, accessories, and clothes so it's the streets between Poilane (rue de Cherche Midi) and Le Bon Marche and Le Bon Marche is my #1 department store for inspiration although I also do Galleries Layfayette and Printemps.

I also shop rue de Rennes for clothing, gloves, handbags, and accessories and rue Jacob and that area for Jerome Dreyfuss and other handbags, clothes, fabrics at the design stores, and some household items.

Rue St. Sulpice is also on my list as is rue Madame and the side streets in that area.

As for cooking housewares and linens, then it's both Galeries Layfayette Maison and BHV.

For soap, it's the L'Occitaine boutique across from Le Bon Marche.

Happy Travels!

I guess the OP was talking just about market streets, but my favorite shop in Paris is Merci.

http://www.somuchmoretosee.com/search?q=merci

Rue Daguerre is one of the best market streets in Paris and attracts fewer hipsters than Montorgueil.

I love the little section of Blvd St Germain across from Maubert Mutualite. There is a permanent strip of shops that contain a bakery, a wonderful cheese shop, wine shop, and a traiteur. There is a fresh market I think, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday in front of the tow of shops.

For " power" shopping, Rue Faubourg St. Honore is heaven to me, even if it is mostly window shopping! ��

Rie des Pyrénées.

That's Rue...

Hi StCirq - it's nice to hear from you. You were missed at the GTG the other day. I am happy to see you are keeping up.

True, I meant market street, but having other types of shopping added in is serendipitous. A good unintended consequence.

Rue des Martyrs, followed closely by Rue Lépic.

When I lived outside the EU I liked to shop the grands magasins on Blvd Haussmann to consolidate purchases and get maximum TVA refund. Still love Printemps. I also like Rue Bonaparte and all the little streets around St. Sulpice.

Lately, I've taken to residing in the 14th and 15th and since the apartment I rent is a 10 min walk from Rue Daguerre, that's my fav market street.

I also love the Goutte d'Or area of the 18th, and the vibrant marche Barbes there.

Rue Daguerre is a nice street. We went there Sunday. Love the markets there but agree with Rue Montorgueil also. We were headed that way yesterday until the monsoon came. Try again Wed. I did get to several cooking stores though.

What are you shopping for? The Champs Elysees is super crowded on the streets and in the stores, and isn't worth it unless you just want to say you've shopped on the famous street :-) If you're shopping for clothes and/or home goods, I'd go to the Marais, in the 3rd & 4th arr. Just start at BHV (a sweet mall that's on trend and has lots of options), then walk through the neighborhood in any direction to find lots of shops, particularly around Rue Rosier & Rue Du Temple. From there (given you don't have a broken leg and don't mind walking!), walk up blvd Beaumarchais, and visit the boutique Merci. Lots of amazing goodies there (clothes, accessories, jewelry, books, home stuff, awesome maps of Paris, etc), plus they have a few cafes!

I will never understand the fascination with Merci. It is just a collection of overpriced junk.

And BHV is not a mall -- it is a very ordinary department store.

Regarding BHV, Americans aren't used to (at least this one isn't) department stores that have huge selections of drawer pulls, brass fittings, drapery tie backs etc. That makes it a novelty to me, the closest I can compare it to is Gracious Home in NYC. But, it certainly isn't a mall and many of the usual departments you'd expect in a department store don't have much variety.

Some great ideas for my next trip!

Kerouac, you really need to start taking some happy pills of some sort. It's a mystery to me as to why your posts in recent times have become so grumpy.

One person's junk is another person's treasure.

I've only ever bought a linen facecloth at Merci and I think it was around 5 euro! For me it's a great aesthetic experience, rather like installation art. I love the place but each to their own, I have no interest in the Champs Elysee.

I guess all of that stuff is for tourists.

Most Parisians I know have walked into Merci once and never set foot there again.

Authenticity, the ultimate put down ;)

I forgot to also add, Michel Huertault, the custom umbrella/parasol maker and the shops along the street his shop is on. He and I designed my custom parasol some years ago.

http://www.outandaboutinparis.com/20...rasolerie.html

I also occasionally shop the small streets of the 4th.

Happy Travels!

"Cathinjoetown on Oct 7, 15 at 10:50am
Regarding BHV, Americans aren't used to (at least this one isn't) department stores that have huge selections of drawer pulls, brass fittings, drapery tie backs etc. That makes it a novelty to me, the closest I can compare it to is Gracious Home in NYC. But, it certainly isn't a mall and many of the usual departments you'd expect in a department store don't have much variety."

Cathinjoetown, I also like BHV and have been shopping there maybe since the 80s. BHV has a very good selection of cookware some of which I can't find other places, like the Aubecq-Plug&Play line where all the pots fit inside of one another with a detachable handle that is sold separately and attaches to all of the different size pots. I've been collecting them over the years.

http://www.aubecq.fr/-Plug-Play-.html

I've also bought things like the silver knife rests that one can put on the table so that guests don't accidently put their knives on the table and stain the tablecloth. I have seen a nice variety of knife rests at BHV and bought mine many years ago.

So, as far as I'm concerned it's not about being ordinary, but about carrying what I'm looking for which is why I do both Galleries Layfaette Maison and BHV as department store buyers don't buy all the same merchandise at all stores no matter where one lives. And as for BHV not being a mall, I agree. But, I don't remember anyone on this thread stating that it was.

Happy Travels!

BHV is very different from American malls. Coming from the land of Mall of America, BHV is just drop dead beautiful. Amazing design overall. Enjoy!

I love Rue Mouffetard for its food markets.

<i>so that guests don't accidently put their knives on the table and stain the tablecloth</i>

You must have excellent guests. I am incapable of <b>NOT</b> staining the tablecloth. ;-)

(BHV was called a mall by hellomoe.)

Guenmai,

I want those pots. Agree BHV is really strong on home goods.

I miss it, maybe next year.

My favorite (food) shopping streets are (not in any order),

rue Mouffetard
rue Montorgueil
rue Daguerre ***
rue des Martyrs
rue des Pyrenees

I frequent them depending on where I am staying.

There is a good documentary on rue Daguerre, 'Daguerrotypes',
by Agnes Varda. She has lived in this quartier for more than
50 years,
http://www.filmjournal.com/content/f...daguerreotypes


She is now 87 and was the only female director of the French New Wave. She directed La Pointe Courte, Cleo from 9-5,
Vagabond etc.
https://www.criterion.com/explore/178-agnes-varda

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agn%C3%A8s_Varda

Another vote for rue des Martyrs! On the other side of the Seine, rue de Rennes & rue Saint Sulpice.

Rue de Cotte and rue d'Aligre. Not the market stalls in the street because they sell the same stuff that all the markets do but the little ethnic food shops where you can buy a whole sheeps head or a few kilos of beef innards that most people don't know how to cook. No cute packaging and no high prices and most of the shopowners don't even speak much French so it's like going to another country.

Oh, I'm sure that lots of visitors are looking for a whole sheep's head.

Rue des Martyrs is fine in terms of shopping, but I find it a bit disheveled and not particularly appealing compared to Montorgueil or Daguerre or even Mouffetard, which I personally am not attracted to.

Merci is the French version of Anthropologie. This type of store tries to sell you overpriced stuff by arranging it like a designer would in your home.

I think these stores are interesting and reflect what people are looking for these days when they shop. More of an experience or a place to gather ideas rather than just a purchase and probably aimed at the 20+ to 40 age bracket.

In Paris I don't have a preferred street for shopping but enjoy browsing everywhere when there's time.

<i>what people are looking for</i>

Sassy_cat, may I ask what "people" are these? Confused people? Superficial people? Uninformed people? Any nationalities you have in mind? Please tell us more about your understanding about the 20-40 age bracket as well. It kind of sounds like you are insulting them for "needing" this sort of place.

Whichever street market is closest to where I'm staying. I don't want to lug heavy foodstuffs any great distance, do you ?

kerouac on Oct 10, 15 at 3:09pm
what people are looking for

Sassy_cat, may I ask what "people" are these? Confused people? Superficial people? Uninformed people? Any nationalities you have in mind? Please tell us more about your understanding about the 20-40 age bracket as well. It kind of sounds like you are insulting them for "needing" this sort of place.

Did you read my next sentence?

The "people" that I refer to are looking for more of an experience when they shop.
Nowadays I don't think everyone shops in order to just simply purchase what they need.
Many people 'shop' for entertainment and stores of this ilk are set up IMO to encourage this.

No insults in my post just observations.

I chose the 20-40 age bracket as I believe this is more the target market (or older hipsters).

The merchandise is overpriced IMO partly because you're also paying for the eclectic designer displays.

Avenue Montaigne