#09 / 2019
TF
Shopping
The Petrossyan brand is well
known to connoisseurs of
black caviar, but not every-
one knows that the very first
historic boutique is in Par-
is on Boulevard La Tour-Mau-
bourg. It was founded in 1920
by brothers Moushegh and
Melkum Petrossian, who fled
the genocide in the Caucasus
to France. The current own-
er of the company, Armen
Petrosyan, is from the sec-
ond generation of the family.
He is a flamboyant gentleman
with a Dali-esque handle-
bar moustache. He personal-
ly holds tasting sessions and
speaks very good Russian. Nu-
merous species of beluga and
sturgeon caviar can be tasted,
with a variety of colours from
pearl gray to deep black and
tastes from soft and creamy
to salty and smoked. Lovers of
nostalgia can even try pressed
caviar. The most expensive
Special Reserve caviar costs
1,333 euros per 100 g.
Hermès scarves and
Chanel accessories made to-
day are familiar to everyone,
but these same scarves and
accessories made 70 years
ago make for genuine col-
lectible items! Les Puces de
Saint-Ouen antique market is
the place to buy the vintage
brand. Despite its less than
glamorous name (les puces
means “fleas” in French), this
place is very different from
the traditional flea markets
of Europe, where valuable
items and worthless trash are
often piled together.
Here, everything is sold in
elegant boutiques with large
mirrors, manned by profes-
sional antique dealers. You
can touch and try on any-
thing you like, and official
certificates are issued with
especially valuable items. In
addition to designer clothes
and accessories, the mar-
ket is a paradise for jewel-
ry seekers (18th century gold?
No problem!), and collectors
of antique furniture and in-
terior items. It is best to vis-
it the market with an expert
guide who knows the sellers
personally and can negotiate
a lower price than if you went
alone. Concierges in five-star
hotels can arrange this.
Ac c o m m o d a t i o n
If you are tired of the prim Pa-
risians from the I and II ar-
rondissement, stay on the Left
Bank. This is a large district
where your everyday people
live in Paris. Here you can find
the best shopping for the cre-
ative class and everyone who
keeps up with the times, won-
derful art galleries and in-
door markets, and most im-
portantly, instead of being
just another tourist, you will
feel like a real Parisian. The
most famous hotel in the area
is the historic Lutetia Palace
on Boulevard Raspail, which
opened last year following
major restoration work. The
hotel was founded in 1910 by
the Butico family, which also
owned the Le Bon Marché de-
partment store. It hosted Er-
nest Hemingway, Josephine
Baker and Pablo Picasso, Gen-
eral Charles de Gaulle, who
spent his honeymoon there,
Post Scriptum
When the French lack of com-
plexes is combined with their
notorious concept of the art
of living, you get.. a luxu-
ry public toilet. Point WC is
a network of public boutique
toilets that, far from being
in five-star hotels or glamor-
ous restaurants (that would
be obvious), are located in
popular tourist sites — on the
Champs Elysees, Haussman
Boulevard and in the Carrou-
sel du Louvre shopping mall.
Their creator Eric Salles pro-
fessed the concept of a tra-
ditional French 21st century
boudoir, and the result was
highly-creative, with taste
and a sense of humor. A visit
to these establishments is not
just a necessity but a genuine
pleasure! The toilets boast an
assortment of interesting ac-
cessories such as toilet seat
paper covers and toilet paper
with depictions of the Eiffel
tower and other symbols of
Paris, Parisian Art Deco por-
celain cats, with ruff hiding
in their tail, retro perfumes
with pheromones and even
wine supposedly loved by Em-
press Eugenie Bonaparte.
and the Parisian sculptor Paul
Belmondo, father of the fa-
mous French actor, owned
a small vineyard here.
Art Deco and Art Nou-
veau in one, the Bar Aristide
takes you back to the end of
the Belle Époque, fully re-
sembling an elegant Parisian
apartment. It is well worth
staying on the Left Bank for
at least a few days just to ex-
perience this bar.