Shopping in Paris

Paris is a shopping paradise. Go first to the famous Haussman boulevard department stores, a condensed of the classical French "savoir-vivre" and have a look at their often splendid architecture. The Galeries Lafayette Haussman store with its  beautiful coupole is one of the meccas of fashion in Paris. They  compete head to head with the Printemps a few blocks away on the Haussman Boulevard.  

Paris also has many small shops selling everything from everywhere in the world. Just walk around the city in almost any district and you will find lots of interesting shops. Some streets are specialized. For example, the trendy rue des Francs-Bourgeois near the Place des Vosges specializes in fashion and decoration. The rue d'Alesia near the Alesia metro station and the rue Saint-Placide near the Montparnasse metro station are meccas of discount fashion. The high-end rue de Seine, rue Jacob and rue du Bac near the Saint-Germain-des-Près church are specialized in art and antiques as is the Carré Rive Gauche near the Orsay museum. The rue de Rome near the Saint-Lazare train station is monopolizing the music instruments trade, both old and new.  
If you are looking for atmosphere, go to one of the old and typical market streets of Paris or to the flea market. Or just walk along the Seine river left banks and shop at the "Bouquinistes". The bouquinistes sell old books and prints on the Seine river banks between the Notre-Dame cathedral and the Louvre museum. And, don't forget the large shopping centers near-by Paris where many of the 10 million Parisians do their weekly shopping.  
LINK : Galeries Lafayette - Printemps