Paris in 5 Shops: discounted Yves Saint Laurent blouses, vintage silk scarves and embroidered souvenirs

In our 5 Shops series, we’ll point you in the direction of our favorite independent shops across some of the world's best cities. From food markets and bookshops to vintage and homegrown design stores, we’ve found a diverse and exciting mix of local retailers where you can pick up one-of-a-kind pieces.

The French term for window shopping, faire du lèche-vitrine, literally translates to “licking windows.'' It’s an amusing but not entirely inaccurate descriptor for Paris, where irresistible window displays and charming shopfronts often stop you in your tracks, and pastel-colored macaron medallions or an exquisitely bound rare book has you sidling up to the glass to get a closer look.

More than 13 years of living in the city has done nothing to diminish my love of flânering (aimlessly wandering) the streets and stumbling upon old favorites that offer a sense of history and familiarity – or discovering new shops that beckon me with intriguing and beautiful things.

While the French capital may be well-known as the birthplace of haute couture, luxury fashion brands, and high-end department stores, it’s arguably the small, independent shops and boutiques that lend Paris so much of its characteristic charm.

Just remember, that after you do push open the doors, it’s customary to greet the shopkeeper with a quick “Bonjour,” or risk coming off as ill-bred. That, or a tourist.

Here are my favorite indie shops in Paris for finding some of the best examples of French savoir-faire and Parisian good taste.

Best place to buy a souvenir: Le Bijou Parisien

For a souvenir that holds a little more meaning and a longer shelf life than a light-up Eiffel Tower or macaron keychain, head to Le Bijou Parisien in the Marais. Started by Parisians Aurélien Pfeifer and Philippe Madar, the shop sells quality Paris and metro-themed souvenirs designed and embroidered in their Paris workshop. The store also serves as a love letter to Paris’s distinct neighborhoods.

Premium quality, organic cotton sweatshirts are embroidered with some of the city’s major metro stops and neighborhoods, including Montmartre, Bastille, Republique and Pigalle, in the blue, white, green and tan typeface used in the metro. If you stay in Montmartre throughout your visit, for example, snap up a sweatshirt, baseball cap, T-shirt, or tote bag to summon fond memories of your Parisian base. Sweatshirts are priced at €139. For smaller budgets, opt for a tote bag that is made from recycled materials at €29, an embroidered baseball cap for €35 or a pouch for €19.

Best for local design: L’Appartement Français

What makes L’Appartement Français in the Marais particularly special is that the owners can tell you the story behind every brand they sell. A one-stop, made-in-France shop, the shelves here are stocked with indie French designers and brands that showcase what the country’s artisans and craftspeople are best known for: the French savoir-faire.

Some of the more eye-catching designs include a pair of Italian leather high-tops made in the Pays de la Loire that bear the delicate profile of Marie-Antoinette from luxury sneaker brand Baron Papillon (€395), plus hand-painted, eco-friendly silk scarves by Ours Blanche (€50-175) created in Angers. The “Charmante Française” (€80) and “Gentleman Français” (€45) by La Gentle Factory come from Roubaix. The candles, cups, and candies in the small homeware section are locally-made too. The most feel-good buy, though, is the €20 Bonpied socks. For every pair purchased, the company donates a free pair to the homeless.

Best for vintage/thrift: Kiliwatch

There are dozens of great thrift stores in Paris but Kiliwatch stands outs thanks to the shopping experience itself. Unlike other second-hand shops where you have to walk sideways through narrow aisles and get your rummage on, this concept store is spacious and shopper-friendly. Its items are organized thematically and aesthetically across a whopping 6500-square-foot store.

Some of its clothes are by big-name designers like Isabel Marant, Paul Smith, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Christian Lacroix. The shop is stocked with a thoughtfully edited collection of vintage finds, along with items from new and emerging indie designers, and range from high to low-end price points. A quick scan of the racks may yield a vintage ivory Yves Saint Laurent blouse for €120. Display cases also hold second-hand Louis Vuitton monogrammed bags. There are cheaper items towards the back of the store like pre-loved scarves for €10-35. There’s also a huge men’s section. Don’t miss their selection of indie magazines and vinyl before you leave.

Best for food: Huguette et Henri

Bastille favorite Huguette et Henri is a gourmet food store where the owners greet customers by name and with a cheek-to-cheek bisous (kiss). It specializes in delicacies from the respective regions of the owners: Brittany; southwest France; and Paris.

The shelves are stacked with jars of duck confit (€22), foie gras and terrines from the southwest, plus buckwheat chips, salted caramels and butter cookies from Brittany. Other assorted items like teas, spices, chocolates and bonbons make for good souvenirs. If you’re feeling peckish, the shop also sells sandwiches to-go (€7). Along with packaged goods, the shop has an interesting wine cellar (one owner is a former sommelier) and an extensive cheese and charcuterie section that focuses on farmhouse and AOP cheeses, products produced exclusively in their region. However, their standout product is the dry-cured jambon Ibaïama from the Basque region.

Best for books: The Abbey Bookshop

You may have expected to see the fabled English-language bookstore Shakespeare and Company here but a few streets over, on a quiet, unremarkable side street, The Abbey Bookshop is its wonderfully chaotic contemporary.

Opened in 1989 by Canadian Brian Spence, it beckons passers-by inside with a friendly red-and-white maple leaf flag. Through the door, the bookshop is the stuff of bibliophile dreams: floor-to-ceiling shelves groan with books stuffed horizontally and vertically, and towers of titles piled high that make visitors weave carefully through the aisles. Writer Ernest Hemingway gets a place of honor here. Multiple copies of A Moveable Feast (€33, hardcover) line the shelves, alongside English translations of Les Misérables, French cookbooks and Paris travel guides. If you time it right, you may also be able to catch a book signing from local and international authors.