Le Bon Marché

Before Printemps, before Galeries Lafayette, before BHV and La Samaritaine, there was Le Bon Marché. The first modern department store, Le Bon Marché revolutionized shopping and middle-class life. Sales, special events, entertainment for children, fixed-price shopping, all were pioneered by Le Bon Marché's founder, Aristide Boucicaut, in the mid-19th century. And the place is still going strong, as classy as ever.

The building complex isn't as flashy as the flagships for Printemps or Galeries Lafayette, but it has its nice touches, especially inside. 

Yeah, they've got fish. But I don't think they're for sale. Anyway, our favorite part of the store is elsewhere - it's La Grande Épicerie, a humongous and remarkably aesthetically pleasing gourmet supermarket.

Any store that arranges dried fruit and nuts, egg cartons (notice how they're not refrigerated?), and jars of olives and spices so carefully is a store we like to shop at. Also, they have a really funny American aisle. Peanut butter, syrup, popcorn, pancake mix, M&Ms, Hershey's chocolate chips, OMG THEY HAVE FLUFF BRB

Fluff makes us miss Somerville. But we have plenty here to be excited about. Not least of which is the fact that Le Bon Marché, a fancy-pantsy luxury department store, welcomes dogs.