Violette and Co is an 850 square foot space dedicated to books about women, lesbians and the rest of the queer community. It’s a breath of fresh air in a city where a guy on a motorcycle feels the need to comment about two women holding hands as he is riding by (and pass for a douchebag); in a city where four men in a car will have the urge to laugh at two women holding hands on the street (while definitely making fools of themselves); in a city where pimply teenagers will insult two women embracing each other on a sidewalk (ignorance is such a plague.) Finding essays and studies about the gay community is particularly refreshing when you want to offer, let’s say, informative literature about homo-parenting to a parent with some internalized homophobia.
Violette and Co sells novels, essays, thrillers, art books, comic books, magazines, books for youths, CDs and DVDs. The bookstore also hosts book signings, book readings, debates and exhibitions.
Violette and Co
102 Rue de Charonne
75011 Paris
tel: 01.43.72.16.07
Metro: Charonne
Tu-Sat: 11am-8.30pm
Sun: 2pm-7pm
Closed on Monday
The whimsical and sophisticated world of Parisian jewelry designer Emmanuelle Zysman feels like a haven from the adjacent bustling Pigalle neighborhood. Emmanuelle Zysman uses gold, gold-plated sterling silver and semi-precious or precious stones (diamonds.) Check out the simple, yet original and soulful design of her bracelets, such as the 18k gold-thread hammered and “Diane” bracelets with their robust cotton fasteners. The “Seven” bracelets send me straight back to my childhood—they are my madeleines de Proust. Her stoneless gold rings work so well as a set. And lastly don’t miss her beautiful and more intricate sautoir necklaces and her stylish earrings (i.e: “Java” earrings.)
While her prices depend on the fluctuation in the prices of precious metals, her jewelry is always very reasonably priced. You might easily walk by her shop, find yourself wanting to see more, enter the place, fall in love with one of her pieces and buy one on a whim.
Emmanuelle Zysman works in the back of her store, all her jewelry is cast, assembled and set in Paris. Her reliable customer service offers a lifetime warranty to maintain, repair or bring your jewelry back to life.
The store also sells accessories such as the glamorous leather lamé pouch or the python glasses case, silk headscarves, wool or mohair scarves, and the timeless, fashionable and fabulous Maison Fabre gloves (check out the Steve McQueen pair…)
Emmanuelle Zysman
81 Rue des Martyrs
75018 Paris
tel: 01.42.52.01.00
Metro: Abbesses
Tu-F: 11am-7pm
Sat: 12pm-8pm
Sun: 3.30pm-7pm
Closed on Monday
For French people American coffee is often associated with weak coffee (I guess those people have not tried a black cup of coffee from either Starbucks or Peet’s) while Americans associate French coffee with bad bitter espresso drinks served at cafés. While one might find both to be accurate it is nice to know that it is possible to find good coffee in France and strong coffee (do I have to mention good?) in the United States. An American French roast is actually darker than a French French roast, and coffee isn’t served as strong in France as it is across the Atlantic.
And for all the latté/capuccino drinkers I have yet to find a place in France where they get as crafty with the foam as our American baristas.
All the beans at Lapeyronie are 100% arabica. The shop offers three different types of coffee:
1) the “grands crus” such as the Ethiopian Moka Sidamo or Harrar, the Jamaican Bleu Mountain or the Kenya A.A
2) the single origins such as the Ebano Verde from the Dominican Republic, the Katchalu from Colombia or the Yrgasheffe from Ethiopia
3) the blends that are a mix of 3 to 5 different beans.
A lot of the coffees are fair trade, with a good selection of organic beans and a chemical-free decaffeinated Colombian beans (Swiss water process.) Lapeyronie sells coffees from small producers and supports sustainable plantations. You can lend a helping hand by purchasing high quality coffee cultivated by a co-op of 2000 small Rwandan producers who’ve been slowly and courageously trying to rebuild their lives since the 1994 genocide. You’ll pay about 4,25€/250g for the Moka Sidamo, or 4,50€/250g for a single origin organic Colombian bean. Located right next to the Beaubourg Museum, Lapeyronie also serves coffee and tea.
Lapeyronie
Quartier de l’Horloge
9 Rue Brantôme
75003 Paris
tel: 01.40.27.97.57
Metro: Rambuteau
M-F: 8.30am-7.30pm
Sat: 10am-7.30pm
Closed on Sunday
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