BHV (Bay Ash Vay)

Maybe this posting should have come before the Quincailleries since I'd heard about the BHV basement with all the do-it-yourself items a long time ago. But I had to explain BHV to Fernando so I thought I'd explain it to my blog readers as well. Plus I got a new laptop computer that I have to get used to before the trip. (My, the type is SO small - do I dare change the resolution?)

In any case, BHV stands for the grand magasin (department store) called Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville. It is located next to the Hôtel de Ville, Paris' City Hall, and very near our apartment. It is famous for its basement which contains a hardware store and even a hardware-themed cafe. By the way, it is owned by the Groupe Galeries Lafayette which also owns the Galeries Lafayette department store and the Monoprix supermarkets.

Why would we want to go to a hardware store? Well, supposedly they have key chains with paris street signs on them. And I think they have other signs in French, like Chat Bizarre and beware of dog.

And they have Paris themed playing cards, if you need souvenirs for someone who plays bridge. They have the Cris de Paris, which apparently are cards with backs illustrating the ancient peddlers and hawkers in a Parisian street market who would cry out: "Herring! Pickled herring! Peaches! Turnips! Look at my berries, my fine wild berries!"

I learned about this from
Colleen's Paris: Made in Paris which also mentions a couple other stores we might want to visit (although they are on the left bank). One is La Tuile a Loup, with handicrafts from throughout France, and the other is Artisanat Monastique, with handicrafts from over 250 French monasteries.