CENTRE COMMERCIAL CONCEPT STORE - PARIS

This concept store located at Canal Saint Martin definitely meets the following criteria; unlike other multi brand stores!

The store reflects a beautiful marriage between being elegant and downtown cool at the same time, specializing in Danish, Swedish, French, Brazilian and English brands. Created by the founders of Veja who are marked for their importance of social commitment, you can find this red line coming back at Centre Commercial where products all carry the label of social, ethical and environmental certification. And trust me, it is trendy! The space captures fantastic ready-to-wear, furniture, art and even bikes of some of the finest designers.

Address: 2 Rue de Marseille, 75010 Paris, France

Phone:+33 1 42 02 26 08

Hours:

 

Tuesday hours 11:30 am–8:00 pm

EXPO BERTRAND LAVIER JANUARY 2013 - PARIS

From the 26^th of September to the 2^nd of January 2013 ,Centre Pompidou is mounting an exhibition of Bertrand Lavier’s work, who has emerged as one of the leading figures of post-european modern art. He is known for his painted, deconstructive works he creates from “objets trouvés “ and has the unique ability to question the border between art and reality. His Walt Disney productions created back in the 1980’s , the crashed red Alfa Romeo or the Lip-shaped sofa based on the sketches by Salvador Dali, are considered iconic images of modern art and are to be admired at Pompidou.

Centre Pompidou Paris Galerie 2. Niveau 6

From the 26^th of September to the 2^nd of January 2013.

MERCI - CONCEPT STORE PARIS

As soon as you pass the vintage red Fiat in the courtyard you already feel the immaculate styling of the store. Merci is singled out as one of the city's hottest design-fashion charity shop where 100% of the profit goes to women and children in Guatemala .The 16,000 sq. ft. ex-warehouse incorporates carefully selected clothing, niche beauty products, accessories, tasty designer furniture and exclusive home ware. Merci's library café and cozy canteen just next door is the destination where you can sit back to get your conscious back and realize the damage you have done on your credit card.  
But it’s all in the name of a good cause, right?

Address: 111 Boulevard Beaumarchais, 75003 Paris, France

Phone:+33 1 42 77 00 33

Hours:

Wednesday hours 10:00 am–7:00 pm

DEMOCRATIE - CONCEPT STORE PARIS

The store located in the heart of St Michel is an enlightenment looking at the line of stores which fall in the category ;average ,boring and commercial. Run by two friendly sisters Kimo and Diana, who turned their fathers previous bookshop into a “multi-brand concept store a la London” ,can be described as a …..shop with a trace of streetwear culture.

It’s a place where you will recognize many of the labels they offer, you will find a good selection of some solid streetwear brands like Vans, Pendelton and Stussy. Bags, shoes, jewelry, accessories and gadgets are also presented in this 3 level space. The best surprise however is hidden in the basement, containing a broad selection of vinyl they inherited from their dad, for those young Parisian collectors who embrace the vinyl survival.

14 boulevard Saint-Michel

75006 Paris

01 56 24 05 55

Opening hours;

Monday to Saturday; 10h30 to 20h,

Sunday from 14h to 19h.

BLACK MARKET COFFEE - PARIS

You wouldn’t ask the same question in China but WHY does coffee tastes so bad in Paris? I mean, Paris? ! The city where they inherited gastronomic taste buds. The city where even the neighbors 4 year old is a connoisseur of fine food and drink.

In fact it’s most of the time a cup of harsh roasted coffee. But things are improving. Over the last two years more new cafes have opened their doors serving the real deal. Black Market is one of them. Coffee making is treated like a high form of craft here. It’s like their whole life revolves around creating this uber-perfect cup of coffee for their customers.

It’s a place where you are remembered by your name and your usual cup of Joe. You can find students behind their laptops, stay-at-home-mothers having a break from daily life, entrepreneurs having short work meetings and neighborhood locals catching up on the day over a lovely cup of black market coffee.

Is Paris finally taking his cup of coffee seriously?

Black Market Coffee
27, rue Ramey
Paris (75018)
MÉTRO : Marcadet-Poissonniers & Château Rouge

CAFE LOMI - PARIS

It's hard to go back to a cup of dishwater served around Paris once you've had a full-flavored cup of coffee at Café Lomi. Café Lomi, well known as a supplier for upscale restaurants & café’s around Paris, has opened a venue serving as a roastery, training area for baristas, office and café.

The new space is gorgeous, full of refurbished old wood, with floor-to-ceiling windows, a communal table and leather armchairs. It’s perfectly set up for the winter, where the cold weather generally just makes me want to hang out here all day.  

Here the coffee has that little bit of extra ; the beans are fresh grounded for each cup, the designs the baristas make in the foam of the cappuccino aren’t just to flaunt but a sign they have latte-art qualities and know how to properly foam the milk. It’s hard to resist their delicious patisserie too , prepared sur place avec fruits de la saison;

 

 

3 Rue Marcadet  75018 Paris
09 80 39 56 24

EXPO KAWS NOVEMBER 2012 - PARIS

Almost any art-toy-collecting member around the world knows the work of Brian Donnelly, better known as KAWS .The NY-Williamsburg based artist is mostly known for the limited editions of his man-size toys made from vinyl.

KAWS seems to have touched it all , from starting his own clothing label “originalfake”, to designing a special edition cognac bottle for Hennessey to collaborations with high-end labels like Comme de Garcons.The Colette store is a fan and regularly displays his paintings & products in Paris. Once the announcement is send out for another limited toy or clothing line of KAWS at Colette, don’t be surprised to see fans sleep out overnight to pay an amount of at least 500eur…for a toy that is!

His genre of pop-art, street-art and graffiti is well respected and widespread globally. The exposition “ Imaginary Friends” can be seen at gallerie Perrotin until December 23th.

Kaws – Galerie Perrotin
76, rue de turenne – Paris
From 03/11/2012 to 22/12/2012.
 

BIOLOGIC MARKET RASPAIL - PARIS

Face it, longevity & health comes along with the importance of what we eat and how it is produced, and Parisians are the living example of this. They love picking out fresh produce on markets, knowing that it’s super fresh, grown by local farmers close to where it’s sold and going to end up being eaten near from where it’s harvested.

Every Sunday just off Boulevard Saint-Germain-de-Pres , people from all over Paris are getting out early in the morning( including celebs) to pick up there daily staples of organic products at Boulevard Raspail.

Different stands offer a wide range of products ranging from fresh artisanal home-made jams, seaweeds, wines, cheeses, loafs of excellent whole grain breads, vegan pastries, raw chocolates and much more. 

Don’t miss the stalls selling chick-pea pancakes, home-made soups or the off-the-griddle hot potato pancakes, you won’t be sorry! Although, the only one who might be a bit sorry for visiting this vibrant market on sunday is your pocket.

 

Only on Sundays it hosts all-organic fare.
On Tuesdays and Fridays, the same space is devoted to a regular market.

Marché Biologique Raspail

Boulevard Raspail, between rue du Cherche

WINE BAR O-CHATEAU - PARIS

Before heading to my friends’ birthday party we decided to wind down the night with some wine and cheese at O-château. I have been waiting for too long to try this place, but never managed to make a reservation on time or get in spontaneously since it’s always fully booked. This time around, we gave it another shot and we were lucky!

It’s one of those places that really get things right; comfy leather chairs, great unconventional atmosphere, space ( which is not common for French wine bars),an enormous wine list, a private tasting room in the cellar for daily wine tasting classes and food on the menu that goes perfectly together with the wine, comme steak avec frites.

I don’t hesitate to recommend this place to anyone; there are exceptional wines on the list you would not think of buying by the bottle but can taste and afford by the glass, the staff is extremely friendly plus knowledgeable about the wines they offer and seem to have no problem taking there time to advise you. Although the crowd can be sometimes très américain, you won’t be disappointed for their good wines and cheeses.

Go ahead and splurge, its worth it! Just make sure you book well in advance for space is limited.

Ô Chateau

Tel: 01 4473 9780

68, rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Paris 1st

Metro: Etienne Marcel, Les Halles

Wine-tastings and Champagne cruises on the Seine are also offered: check out the site for more information.