Paris Wonders Off the beaten track In this issue, I have even more Parisian shopping bargains and discoveries in store for readers of Paris-Eiffel-tower-news.com: designer leather and furs direct from the manufacturers shop, crystal and more again!
Paradise Street - A paradise of crystal?
Another thing that strikes you as you visit the Rue de Paradis will be the number of stores offering world famous Limoges porcelain, plates and napkins, as well as products of crystal glasses and decanters to chandeliers.
Crystal is a type of glass containing a small percentage of lead to give greater clarity and sparkle than ordinary glass. Crystal is usually cut to enhance its reflective qualities, making it a very nice, very popular (and expensive) type of glass.
Most stores sell Paradise Street "Baccarat crystal, an expensive and prestigious brand of crystal with a long and distinguished history dating back to the early 1800s and known for its royalty revenue from its production.
Those of you who do not want to spend a load of money, there is a shop at No. 52 called "Set and Crystal", which carries another type of crystal. Their source is a plant in eastern France, the "Crystal Vosges du Nord. Even if not in Baccarat crystal, they are always high quality, and - I was told by the sales assistant - even the dishwasher!
The prices are much too: some models of crystal glasses retail at 6 euros each instead of the usual 30 euros. Products are offered 20-60% discount.
Set and Crystal is located at No. 52 rue de Paradis, 75010 Paris. Their phone number is: 33 (0) 1 4824 5733.
Loose yourself in Le Grand Comptoir
If you are in the 7th district, take the time to stop 116 rue du Bac, and check the Grand Comptoir (Big meter), a popular shopping spot light and refined completed a medley of strange and wonderful items Paris.
The entrance courtyard is lined with a variety of photos as a tribute to the cow "Vach'Art," the French version of CowParade, a movement that started in Zurich in 1998 and now covers the whole world (and for the fans cow, you will find miniatures on sale inside).
The upper level of the Grand Comptoir offers a complete range of ready-to-wear for men and women. Beauty products and foodstuffs are on the ground floor, with many stores selling interior and exterior home accessories and a host of other things: old-style photo albums with photos of Paris, pillows with your photo Black and white print on their own, dinner, wine bottle boxes, lights, linens, art, etc. You can also shop for beautiful pieces of rustic furniture heavy wooden and wrought iron ( and typically Parisian) benches. These elements are obviously unlikely to fit in your suitcase, but they are rather fun to watch anyway.
Prices are around, but there are many things affordable for bargain hunters.
Le Grand Comptoir is located at 116 Rue du Bac, 75007 Paris, and can be accessed from the metro station Sevres-Babylone. Their phone number is: 33 (0) 1 4049 0095.
Parisian designer leather and fur - directly from manufacturers!
I could not believe my luck when, wandering the streets of Paradise on the lookout for yet more commercial deals for readers of Paris-eiffel-tower-news.com, I spotted the exhibition shop Jekel. Since 1947, Jekel has been fashion French expertise in leather and fur designer.
I know that fur is not the most popular in the United States, and it is much less used in Europe than in 1920-50. The art of designing fur coats and accessories are disappearing, less than one hundred craftsmen remain in business.
Posted on May 25, 2010.
