The Great Grocery Store of Le Bon Marché - the antechamber of paradise for gourmets and epicurians

When I landed in Paris, more than two weeks ago, the sky was grey and I knew it would be cold before the sun would kindly accept to makes an appearance.


Going to Paris made me suddenly fashion conscious. Not that I am an ultra fashionista but I wanted to look nice and chic, so this was my Parisian outfit



A vintage grey fur coat to be in harmony with the grey Parisian sky on the first days of my stay. Please note the big belt which is or rather was the season accessory and according to my sister's boyfriend makes me look like an SM adept....(really?). The fur hat is quite funny but then I stopped wearing it because it was definitely too much !


I would like to dedicate this entire post to the temple of gourmet and luxurious food in Paris : La Grande Epicerie du Bon Marché in the 7th arrondissement. Le Bon Marché is a very chic store where I could easily spend a whole day…just looking at things and clothes. I fell in love with a lovely white knitted dress by Azzedine Alaïa but the priced tag reading 2000€ made me shudder and sigh. Not for you girl!

Another reason why I dearly love Le Bon Marché is that it had been my very first important customer, for more or less 10 years, for the cards. The day I arrived, I had to meet the stationary buyer in the evening and had lots of time to kill before my appointment. After dreaming in the designers’ clothes department, I got out of the store to take some pictures of the windows which featured prints of famous designers or brands like


Liberty

or Jean-Paul Gaultier. Through little kaleidoscopes, you could see miniature prisms.



Facing Le Bon Marché is its Grande Epicerie (the great grocery store). If you’re a food person, this is your place….If you’re a gourmet, this is your paradise. Here you will find food from every part of the world, all sorts of teas, dozens of variety of pasta, of olive oils…sugar in many colors and shapes. I nearly cried when I saw all the different types of salt. All the luxury brands are present: Fauchon, Hédiard, Mariage Frères.


mm…voyons…which pepper did you say you wanted ?


and..oh my…the bread department..


naturally the biggest temptation for me was

the pastry corner. Mamma mia…Let me see, between 4pm and 6pm, I had an “éclair au café”, a little “brioche”, just to remember the taste of it at the Grande Epicerie


then I headed to the Delicabar, the Bon Marché tea room where I had....


…the most delicious “tartelette aux fraises des bois” (tartlet with wild strawberries, you know, the tiny ones which have a very delicate flavor). Very simple but to the point : pâte brisée, a thin layer of "crème pâtissière" and a generous crown of wild strawberries.


When I finally went to my appointment, I can assure you I felt full of sweet energy….so to speak.


I showed the buyer some samples of summer cards




I’m a pink and white lover but I also love the idea of using black, especially for Christmas. No no, don’t be horrified, believe me it can work. I did sell black Christmas cards to the Bon Marché a few seasons ago. Anyway, the buyer liked those with the bikini and the high heel sandal but lamented the colors were not right for this coming summer so we decided to use the late Christmas cards

and make a summer version of them in bright colors.

So, yes I'd better get down to work !


Photos: all photos are mine except the ones showing the Great Grocery Store. There was no way to take pictures. Photos of pepper and bread corners are from flickr and photo of pastry corner is from PinayNewYork on tripadvisor website.


ps: Elizabeth from the House in Marrakesh had this lovely idea of sharing photos of doors tomorrow Wednesday. So be prepared to see doors, doors and doors again on lots of blogs and enjoy it !

Another ps: Dear Dave Wilkes, you left a comment lately. I wanted to answer to it and thank you but couldn't find your email address or your blog's address. I felt really touched by your comment and was so surprised to learn you live near Granada as well ! amazing blogging planet…

Comments

Your card designs are fabulous; I especially like that last one with the dangling key.
rochambeau said…
I love your outfit Lala! You have Style, Flair and Drama. My BIGGEST possible compliment!
paris parfait said…
Ah, I was just going to ask how you got away with taking those photos - stores can be so picky about photos. I was in Bon Marche yesterday, buying Italian delicacies. Your card designs are fantastic. And the outfit is wonderful too - so right that one has to make a bit of an effort to dress up more in Paris, although sometimes I don't feel like it and walk around looking and feeling very American. :)

Popular Posts