Temple of alternative culture, full of underground comics, graphics and literature.

Opened in 2011 by the people at Magnum Photo Agency (their Paris bureau is a few streets away), Le Bal is an institutional exhibition space dedicated to the documentary image. For the most part that means lots of photography exhibits but they like to mix up the shows with videos and especially books. They hold conferences with a great line-up of guest speakers and screen documentaries and other films at the nearby Cinéma de Cinéastes. Be sure to check out the bookshop where you can browse through their connoisseur’s collection of high-end photo books and limited edition zines. Le Bal Café is a great place to meet friends for a quick drink or sit down and taste Anna and Alice’s Anglo-French cuisine. And if you’re wondering why it’s called Le Bal, the space was once a dance hall cum brothel in the roaring ‘20s.

Ofr. is a bookshop and art space in Le Marais. What. A. Place. Stacked full of beautiful magazines, special edition art, design, fashion, photography and architecture books, with a bonus collection of vintage clothing in the back. My perfect shop. 

Le Barn crosses the bucolic charms of a French country home and the design chops of the ever-growing hip boutique hotel scene in Paris, providing a chic and relaxing base for Parisians and visitors, less than an hour out of the city ! So cool.

This bookstore only opened recently in my neighbourhood. I spend a lot of time there looking at the many exhibitions organized in its gallery.