Lately, I have been attempting to sneak out into the city with any free second. This has led to some very good and bad luck. For example, Paul and I rushing through the metro at 9:50pm to make it to George Pompidou before closing to catch the view just to realize it’s closed Tuesdays. However, today, despite the continued bad luck in discovering our tickets to London weren’t going to work out, I happened upon something great. I went to check out Les Passages Couverts (Covered Passageways), which are just down the boulevard from my school. They were built mid 1800s by King Louis Philippe as shopping malls for the nouvelle riche who didn’t want to bother with mud and cobblestones. There used to be hundreds and now only ten or twenty remain.
Inside were all the stamp collecting shops that I had read about, but mostly I felt slightly dissapointed to find a bunch of kitsch restaurants and poster shops.
Then, being me, I decided to think “I’m not very interested in 19th century based history post 1815. I like the literature that comes from it, but really the only other things I enjoy from it are the victorian style christmas houses my mom and I put up for decoration over the holidays.” Just as this thought formed in my head, I stumbled upon the (Timshel, brace yourself, because this update is mostly for you!) COOLEST childrens’ store of all time!
The store is called Pain d’Epice (Gingerbread). The sign behind the vintage pony reads “Je n’ai pas sommeil!” (I’m not sleepy!). This store was literally like walking into the magical toy-stores you see in old kid’s movies, but all based on creativity.
The reason this followed my historical thought process so well was what first caught my eye in the window; dollhouses just like our little Victorian houses! My fondest memories are of my mom pulling those houses gently out of the cardboard boxes she had hauled from the basement, meticulously placing the white fuzz “snow” around their edges, while I skated the porcelain figurines across the mirror “ice rink.” However, these houses looked like they were pulled straight out a vintage French countryside setting.
You can even get the materials to create your own boulangerie!
Upon walking inside are buckets of tiny picnic baskets, baguettes, claw-foot tubs, antique wall papers,etc. All of their other toys were either artisan or hand-made by the shop.
As I walked up the stairs, I came upon big baskets full of yarn like I’d never seen before with color titles like “absinthe” and “mer du nord”. There were also large shelves of material, all for making your own toys!
Here’s the link the places fall catalog: http://www.paindepices.fr/iso_album/08_flyer_laine_sept_1.pdf
and that of the french toy company where they got all their other products from: http://www.moulinroty.fr/l_univers_memoire_d_enfant.html
Once again, the imagination and charm of France has amazed me. I was even surprised to see little bits of the Fall spirit I’ve been missing from back home tucked into parts of the city.
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I am sitting here in the studio constanty about to burst into tears from guilt about Jude and the fact that he flipped his sh&* AGAIN today and when i finally got home after being called by Ellen he was looking out his window with the puffiest eyes and saud “I thought you were gone forever Mama.” Are you kidding me? I simultaneously wanted to kick his but for telling Ellen that he hated her BUT liked her car and wanted to snuggle in bed and never leave him again. This post is ridiculous. I am aching from Nashville and think we should al figure a way to live there ASAP. So…we have goals. Paris. Now. SOunds GREAT. We miss you. Would love to give you a big fatty hug.
Plus, pumplins suck without out you.
Kali,
your beautiful pictures of that toy store just about killed me. I was wanting to be there with you and take in all those cool toys and all the other magic of that place. Thank you for sharing and making my day. love, mom