La Droguerie
9 et 11 rue du Jour
75001 PARIS
Phone: 01 45 08 93 27
Hours:
Monday: 2pm-6:45pm
Tuesday-Saturday: 10:30am-6:45pm
Sunday: Closed
If any place could be called crafting heaven, the craft shop La Droguerie is just that and more. Nestled in a small little area of the Les Halles area of Paris, I could feel the excitement inside me as I stepped inside and was immediately greeted “hello” by the hanks of candy colored yarn that spanned all along the wall. The store feels like an old apothecary with large wooden cabinets lining the back area which contained tiny drawers filled with buttons. Colorful beads lived in large jars that were lined up and down a large bookcase and seemed almost to call out for someone to “take a scoop home”. Pretty and ornate fake flowers in little glasses decorated the window area. A wall of ribbons and bias tape spanned the back wall. (I now regret not buying some of the cute Liberty of London bias tape. Ah!) Under a glass table, patterned fabric lay neatly organized and color coordinated.

(Photo above from our Travel Crafty Paris article by Tina Barseghian)

La Droguerie has shops all over France. My mother-in-law gave me a few of their books from their Bordeaux shop a few years ago. Stepping inside the shop makes their books come alive. The shop is peppered with example boards of patterns from their various books so you can see up close the beautiful stitching work.

To add to my collection, I picked up two new books, les jolis Mercredis de la droguerie les enfants Tome 2 is a book filled with knitting and sewing patterns for toddlers and kids. It’s filled with the cutest sweaters and dresses for kids. My favorite is the espadrilles with Liberty of London bias tape trim. How cute is that? Now you know why I regret not buying some. The next book was a book on knit accessories called droles et colores mes accessories signes:. My favorite is the pattern for a stylish capelet but I love all the quick things you can knit up like leg warmers, scarves, and hats.

After you shop, head a few steps to the corner to Au Pied de Cochon which translates to the foot of the pig. I actually ate here my first time in Paris back in 1997. It’s famous for their large raw seafood platter filled with crab, shrimp, and oysters – perfect to share with friends on a hot summer day.

Then walk down the small street (Rue du Jour) to window shop the cutest boutiques. I loved Agnes B’s baby store and women’s store which has an art gallery in it as well. There isn’t a lot of car traffic down the street so it makes the area all the more quaint and lovely. It’s pretty amazing that La Droguerie is right across the street from a beautiful old church!

Once you hit the end, cross the street and you’ll see Mokuba, one of the largest ribbon stores! Unfortuantely it was closed for the first two weeks of August (as most French people take vacations then) so I couldn’t check it out. I was of course, drooling through the window.
I hope you enjoyed my little crafty afternoon in Paris. I spent a good three hours or so in that little area just soaking in all the beauty.