Paris's Hot New Retail Concept

If Saint Germain and Avenue Montaigne seemed a little desolate on this sunny Saturday afternoon in Paris it might be because all the chic shoppers had migrated up in the Bastille neighborhood to check out Paris's newest concept shop, Merci, which opened Thursday. I stopped in this afternoon before the Comme Des Garcons show and the place was mobbed. Housed in three floors (1500 square meters total) of an 1920s industrial building on the Boulevard Beaumarchais, Merci is the brainchild of the founders of Bonpoint. The concept of Merci is to gather all sorts of tasteful merchandise under one roof--from home furnishings to fashion, from table top accessories to flowers. There's even a used book shop (my favorite part of the store) and an Annick Goutal fragrance bar where you can refill your empty bottles at 40% off. The idea behind what they are calling France's first "charity" store is that vendors must donate a percentage of their earnings to a foundation that benefits children--the first one is in Madagascar. Merchandise includes a mix of items specially made for the store and vintage stuff. Big fashion brands like YSL, Stella McCartney and Martin Margiela have created special pieces and furniture brands like Drucker have created their iconic Fouquets cafe chairs in exclusive colors like mauve and turquoise. Retailers take note, there are tons of cool ideas: each piece of furniture has a notepad printed with all of the information about the object. No need to ask a salesperson for a price or even measurements, just tear off a sheet from the notepad and take it with you. Everything has a sustainable, recycled sense to it: In the bookshop there are donated books selling for 3 euros. Only flowers in season are sold, and the changing rooms are two cargo containers painted white and lined in pretty floral wallpaper. Downstairs a potager style garden designed by Christian Tortu will eventually supply the small restaurant.