Don’t Miss Those Super-Small Shops, Hipsters, and Fashionistas in Paris

There are many super-small shops in Paris that incorporate fashion and vintage elements, such as trendy shops, vintage shops, retro eyeglass shops, and LOMO theme camera stores, etc. Most of them are concentrated near the Le Marais district and Boulevard Saint-Germain.

Optique Durable is a retro eyeglass shop with “les lunettes” vintage written on the door. The small store is located close to the Place de la Bastille and the Place des Vosges. Here you can find a wide variety of glasses from the 40s to 90s. Whether or not you wear glasses, if you like retro style, then don't miss it.

Lomography Gallery Store (Paris-Marais) is a branch of the global LOMO camera chain in the Le Marais district of Paris. If you have been to the branch on Jinxian Road in Shanghai, you will immediately understand the concept.

The LOMO products selection sold here is very complete, with a variety of camera lenses and limited edition LOMO cameras available for sale. A film development service is also available. The walls of the shop are entirely covered with LOMO photos, the atmosphere is very artsy.

Located on 16th street, Reciproque opened in 1978 and is one of the most famous vintage shops in Paris. There are many top brands here. In addition to apparel, there are many handicrafts and jewelry on sale. The second floor mainly sells leather bags and suitcases. Scarves, gloves, hats and windbreakers could also be found on this floor. The prices are very reasonable.

Here you can broaden your horizons: Chanel suits from all eras, Dior dresses, Andy Warhol's Monroe limited edition handbags, Celine leathers from the 1960s and 1970s, and Cartier's limited handbags... If you’re lucky, you my be able to find the envelope of Hermes!

Kusmi Tea is a tea shop specializing in Russian flavors. The brand originated in 1867 and was repackaged after being acquired by a French company. The shop is simple and modern. The packaging of tea boxes and tea jars still retain the Russian style and is very popular in Paris.

Their signature product is Prince Vladimir Tea, which tastes sweet, with spices added to warm-up the body. If you walk into the store in the cold winter, the clerk will serve you a cup of the hot signature tea.

The Cohens, the couple that founded the famous French brand Bonpoint, opened Merci in the 3rd district of Paris. The red retro car at the entrance of the store is the symbol of Merci. The three-story shop is full of layers and artiness, selling household items, flowers, designer clothes, and has a second-hand book cafe on the second floor.

The high-priced and mid-priced items are mixed together, but the styles are not mixed. The shelves are full of Paul Smith, APC, Stella McCartney, Yves Saint Laurent, and Azzaro limited editions. The simple and low-key features have long since parted ways from the brand shops on the Champs Elysées. The focus is more on the basic tastes in clothing - very much worth a visit.

Diptyque is located at No. 34 Boulevard Saint-Germain on the left bank of Paris. It is a salon perfume shop that sells perfumes, candles, and soaps. The fragrances of this local brand that was founded in 1961 are all very pure. If you like the fresh style of Jo Marlon in the UK, don't miss this French fragrance brand.

The most popular fragrances are the Eau Rose (rose water) and the Elan Moheli (Ylang Floral Water). Products other than perfumes are also recommended: organic pomegranate body scrub, composite fruit citrus bergamot shower gel and orange blossom body lotion.

La Boutique de Louise is located in the Saint-Germain block. It is a very girly clothing accessories store. The store was named by the grandmother of the owner. The whole store is filled with love. The shop window is very childlike and catches the eye at a glance from the street. The store incorporates many elements such as strawberries, ice cream, cats, space patterns and hippies.

The items sold in the store are also brightly colored and lovely, including postcards, bibs for infants, designer alarm clocks, cute pillowcases, and other accessories worth considering such as earrings, necklaces, brooches, bracelets, etc.