Finally some posts for my fellow crafters! We visited (well, I visited and hubby kindly joined me and helped take pictures!) lots of stores and here are a few of my favorite spots to find craft supplies in Paris.
First is
Mokuba - you may have seen this Japanese brand of ribbons here in the US, too. It was so nice to be in a store full of only beautiful ribbon - just heavenly.
La Droguerie (which means "hardware store") sells yarns, beads, and other craft notions. Hubby managed to get a few photos of the yarn section before being reprimanded for taking pictures inside the store. Not sure what was up with the no photography rule...perhaps they have problems with piracy?
Entrée Des Fournisseurs is another charming store located in a nice courtyard. Check out their lovely website, too.
There are two department stores in Paris that are known for their craft sections.
BHV and
Bon Marché which houses a branch of La Droguerie. After being yelled at one too many times in various stores, hubby tried to be less conspicuous with the camera which resulted in some fuzzier shots, but you get the idea!
yarn and buttons at Bon Marché
fun plywood shapes at BHV ready to decorate
It took two trips to make it to Ultramod (3 & 4, Rue de Choiseul, 2nd arr.) but it was worth it - for some reason the store was closed the first time we went so we made a second trek out there. There are two parts to it on opposite sides of the street and both are packed with vintage goodies like fabric, trim, and millinery supplies.
The area at the foot of the Sacré Cœur is chock full of fabric and trim shops. It was overwhelming and I think requires the guide of a local to navigate and find what you need. If you only have time to visit one store there, don't miss
Le Marché St Pierre, the ultimate fabric retail establishment with 6 floors!
the six-storied Le Marché St Pierre
trim stores in the neighborhood
a store for all your Solid Gold dancer needs! should we
be worried that the name of the store is American 2?
I managed to make it to only one true yarn store called
Chatmaille. It was tiny (which is why my personal photographer didn't follow me inside!) but nicely organized with commercial European yarns like Katia, Gedifra, and Bouton D'Or. One thing that is very different from what we knitters here are used to...no yarn-petting allowed! As a matter of fact, full-service was pretty much standard in most stores, craft and otherwise. If you think about it, it's actually nice because the merchandise remains in pristine condition before you purchase it, an especially nice thing when it comes to food items.
cute yarn skein door handle
located in the Montmartre neighborhood
Le Marché aux Puces de la Porte de Vanves
my purchases
near closing time, I picked these up from boxes of free stuff on the sidewalk!
Le Marché du Livre Ancien et d’Occasion @ Parc George Bressens
many vendors were closed
gorgeous chandelier
vintage designer handbags and luggage
beads being sold by the (small) cup for 16 Euros - about $22
vintage paper house
can't imagine where this would go in your house or yard
my purchases from au petit bonheur la chance
