Bonjour Friends!

On the heels of my second best friend getting engaged in Paris in the most ridiculous of ways, (yes, two friends, Paris, engaged, I know) I am inspired to share with ya'll one of my most favorite shops EVER! Nestled on a busy corner in historic downtown Savannah is The Paris Market and Brocante; part-cafe, part-boutique, part-living room, The Paris Market is one of the most inviting, charming nooks I've ever seen.

The store is gorgeous gorgeous stripped-down wood plank floors, bright windows to the ceilings, a beautiful old-fashioned bar to serve coffee and an assortment of sweets and confections.

There are chic little marble-topped bistro tables on the sidewalk where you can enjoy your hot cocoa and people watch all day. It feels authentically French: chic without trying, urbane with a sense of history, sophisticated and yet whimsical. It's almost hard to explain what the The Paris Market is, actually, but then you realize that it actually is a market. (Duh.)

It has this sense of bustle and organized chaos that you find in any market or street bazaar from here to L.A. to Portabello Road to India. First of all, the window displays of Paris Market are art themselves; I have seen some of the most elaborate, magical, even scary window dressings imaginable. They are award-winning.

The store is packed with the most mind boggling range of items. There are coffee table books, ornaments, aprons, jewelry, chandeliers, candles, bleached sand dollars, vintage clothing; meander down the staircase and the cavernous rooms are set up like a home. The furniture comes from all over the world and appeals to all tastes. I've seen gorgeous leather chairs, huge antique farmhouse style dining room tables, lamps, you name it.

At one point there was this elaborate carved structure that almost took up an entire wall and appeared to be either a playhouse or the most elaborate armoire I'd ever seen. It turned out (if memory serves) to be some sort of Middle Eastern altar, that they had had taken apart, sent to Savannah and reassembled there in the store. (Again, that's the explanation I remember.) But, this illustrates the philosophy behind The Paris Market; the owners Paula and Taras globe-trot and scour the flea markets, bazaars and antique dealers of the world to find these amazing treasures and one-of-a-kind pieces.

They have a passion for the unique and the beautiful. It's been my impression that they're drawn to things with a sense of history and soul. You can walk into Paris Market and leave with a cookie cutter, a shower curtain, an antique printer's desk, and a latte. Where else can you do that, I ask?

If you visit Savannah, you must stroll by The Paris Market and take it in yourself.

The Paris Market & Brocante
36 W. Broughton Street
Savannah, GA

Web:
http://www.theparismarket.com/

Phone:
912.232.1500

Facebook: Paris Market