Les Grands Magasins in Paris, Episode 287

<p>Department stores in Paris aka Grand Magasins are surprising in many ways. Of course you can shop your heart out and find some of the most wonderful items in Paris, but their history is amazing too! And, that was a surprise to both of us, it has a lot to do with the emancipation of women.</p> <p>In today's episode Elyse discusses the 4 that are left today and what not to miss when you visit them.</p> <h2>Department Stores in Paris aka Les Grands Magasins</h2> <p>The history of department stores in Paris has a lot to do with what activities were acceptable for women to do outside the home. But the buildings are also gorgeous and worth a visit all by themselves, even for people who aren't big spenders!</p> <p>Les grands magasins mark a revolution in how people shopped. Custom-made items became too expensive and ready-made goods were now a good alternative. Mass production of textiles became possible in the 1840s due to the industrial revolution.</p> <p>If you were a woman of the upper class in the 1800s there weren't a lot of activities that were acceptable for you. You could go to the theater, you could go shopping only accompanied by a man, you could visit parks accompanied by family. But you were not supposed to go wandering on your own.</p> <h3>Le Bon Marché</h3> <p>Started in 1852 as a Grand Magasin by the Boucicaut family near the métro Sèvres-Babylone. The name "bon marché" means two things in French: good items and inexpensive.</p> <p>Everything they sold was ready-made, prices were good because they sold enough volume, and they could deliver! Something completely new: you could return items you weren't happy with!</p> <p>Women could go shop there and it was acceptable, but the store keepers were mostly men. Eventually Bon Marché started hiring women as sales clerks which was another revolution in the business.</p> <p>Bon Marché advertised a lot and put out catalogs and it was a huge success! So much so that Bon Marché also built a <a href= "https://www.booking.com/hotel/fr/lutetia-paris12.en.html?aid=95