MK2 Concept Store

Taking the entertainment theme a few steps further, the new MK2 concept store in the gigantic riverside MK2 movie-theater complex next to the Bibliothèque Nationale is a bit like an encore. Shopaholic moviegoers needn’t succumb to the post-movie blues when they can shop from 10 am till 10 pm, and until after midnight on weekends, for books, CDs and DVDs, cool computer gear, chic clothes, toys, jewelry, watches and even perfumed bath salts. Grab a pre-movie snack at the épicerie, where you’ll find plenty of American-style foodstuffs otherwise unheard of in Paris: goldfish crackers, Hershey bars, hand-cut potato chips or a €250 bottle of Rubicon Estate Cabernet (that’s F.F. Coppola’s wine label, if you didn’t know). There are also plenty of French delicacies on hand, too, like gourmet sardines from Normandy, canned foie gras, flower-scented sugars and Bollinger Champagne. Everything in this clever shop is as hip as can be—with a slight nod toward edification. Even the stuff for kids includes a superb original-vintage child-sized Eames chair. But maybe the smartest thing about it is catering to an already captive audience.

Concept Store, MK2 Bibliothèque, 128–162 ave de France, 13th, 01.53.61.71.70. website

View Larger Map

Originally published in the March 2011 issue of France Today