Thursday, September 10, 2009

Paris Boutiques

"A Nation of Shopkeepers" ("L'Angleterre est une nation de boutiquiers") the disparaging remark made by Napoleon to describe the U.K. I think it applies as well to Paris.  M. asked me to paint her mother's two cats in front of a Paris Boutique (with her mom's name on it!), I started looking again at photos of Parisien shops.... It's my belief give a Parisian a few meters,
(1 Meter = 3.2808399 Feet) and they'll create a wonderful shop you can't pass without looking in, much less resist going inside....
Perhaps the tiniest porcelaine shop ever, located in the 6th. What treasures lurk within - the vitrine is full of them to tempt you to return when it's open...
Ballerinas belong in a tiny shop don't they?

Little ice cream shops make you feel less guilty about the calories...
Two tiny shops side by side in the Marais, full of these hole-the-wall wonders...
Cheese shops should be small and intimate to capture all the aromas?
Flower shops spread their wares on the street..
  Florist chain Nom de la Rose are usually closet-sized.
On rue Vavin, a chic mini barber cuts only kids hair and it's un peu cher.
Sometimes the smallest shops have the biggest signs.
There are plenty small fruitiers, you may not have noticed, they are so small.
I love this game shop, Rouge et Noir on rue Vavin (a street full of tiny shops). Everything inside is red, black or both.
Here's a favorite PB petite boutique....ahem
Can you name it? Want to go inside?
 The desserts are not petite!
BONJOUR PARIS BOUTIQUES!

21 comments:

  1. Thank you once again for my daily "fix"-- I need to find out the French word for that!! And merci merci merci for reading my blog and leaving a comment!

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  2. Katherine11:12 AM

    Chère Carol,
    I am a regular reader (viewer) of your blog and enjoy it so. Today I just had to write. When I lived in Paris a few years ago, it just never occurred to me to snap the kinds of photos that you do. Street scenes, store fronts, markets and close-ups of all sorts. Now, five years later, I am reliving my time in Paris through your blog. Merci mille fois for your keen and discerning eye.
    Merci encore,
    Katherine

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  3. J'adore toute les vitrines de Paris comme tu connait bien!
    Merci pour ca.
    Anne

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  4. There is another tiny shop in the Marais that sells miniature shops you can hang on the wall inside of of a frame..I must try to find out the name..?
    merci

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  5. FoodWalker11:39 AM

    Carol,
    How far ahead do you plan your PBs? Love this one.....
    Well love them all!
    Annie

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  6. Anonymous12:02 PM

    Is it Pierre Hardy ? Bon Journee, Julie.

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  7. Paris C'est Paris!
    merci de ta visite.

    Amitiés

    manon

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  8. Very cute! I love the barber shop.
    And thanks for throwing in the pastry pic!

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  9. Anonymous12:58 PM

    Chere Carol,
    Merci pour les bon souvenirs.
    a bientot,
    Stephan

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  10. Love these shops...I actually have a picture of a store front similar to these..a little larger, but I keep it on my inspiration board. It's what I envision my own store front to be one day. The blue in the first photo is great. Thanks!

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  11. PH is my favorite boutique, too!!!! In NY, you don't have these petites boutiques but you have Carol painting them. Lucky PB readers!

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  12. Monsieur Jambon4:01 PM

    Pierre Hermé, mais oui. Tres délicieux.

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  13. What a fun post. All sorts of cute little shops and so colorful too. I would love to shop in a few of them even if I dont understand the language. They seem to call you in.

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  14. I'm in love with the shops tiny! Does the small size mean low overhead mean low prices? Probably not...

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  15. Wonderful shops, Carol! I'd want to browse in all of those. I always enjoy little unique shops, n'est ce pas? Charming and full of character.

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  16. Another shop worth noting is Le Rouvray on the Left Bank. It is a FABULOUS quilt shop owned by an American expat--a former French designer runway model, who is married to France's poet laureat.

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  17. Paris boutiques are probably one of the best things this marvelous city can offer. Whether you wanna go for food or fashion, interesting lil' places are all around. Only time and stamina are limited!

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  18. May be you're more parisian than I'm.
    In fact your apn is much bigger than mine!
    a bientôt
    christian

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  19. hi i am a reader from Turkey, I like Paris very much so I like your blog...

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  20. I love the crown molding on the first two shops...the blue as well just shouts "Paris!Paris!"

    I love your blog! It is charming.

    xx
    Choubelle

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  21. No where else in the world do they do shop fronts like the French.

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