Prêt-à-Promener: Pierre Hardy Takes Us for a Walk in His Paris Inline
Photo: Courtesy of Pierre Hardy1/14Go figure, bookstores are called librairies in French. This one, Comme un Roman, is closest to Hardy’s apartment and the owner was his former neighbor.
Photo: Courtesy of Pierre Hardy2/14Empreintes is an ambitious new arrival to the North Marais that has caught Hardy’s eye. The retail concept showcases a diverse array of handcrafted work by French artisans as mini shop-in-shops, spread throughout an airy four-story space that would be more common in Nolita or Shoreditch than Paris. Conceived by the leading national syndicate of artisans and artists, the shop also features a library and a café run by Seasons, a nearby healthy-minded restaurant.
Photo: Courtesy of Pierre Hardy3/14Anyone walking along the Rue de Bretagne can’t miss—and perhaps can’t resist—Fromagerie Jouannault with its impressive variety of cheese. Consider it Hardy-approved.
Photo: Courtesy of Pierre Hardy4/14It would be easy enough to pass by this retail gallery, obliquely named P4-LMD (Parts of Four + LMD/Studio Gallery), without feeling drawn in. But Hardy stops to point out the Rick Owens furniture in addition to a compelling aesthetic he describes as “dark, slightly tribal, Brutalist.”
Photo: Courtesy of Pierre Hardy5/14After marveling at this 17th-century building, which backs onto Hardy’s street, we note how most construction in the area is intended to keep things looking old, just freshened up. Etablissements Richard is the main manufacturer of the tarps that cover the outdoor markets and more upscale fabric canopies.
Photo: Courtesy of Pierre Hardy6/14You may not be able to leave with anything from Société des Chaînes Verny, a historic chain atelier and wholesaler, but you should consider stopping in, as we do, to be transported back in time. Between the floorboards, trapped bits of metal shine through.
Photo: Courtesy of Pierre Hardy7/14The store dates back to 1868; the cat, assures the woman in charge, isn’t quite that old. “Usually, in these types of boutiques, you’ll find a cat,” she says.
Photo: Courtesy of Pierre Hardy8/14The business continues to fabricate chains for lighting fixtures in an atelier at the back of the courtyard, while keeping up with the times by wholesaling costume jewelry chains that can be further plated or customized.
Photo: Courtesy of Pierre Hardy9/14Anyone need a used clarinet? We peer into the window of this closed shop and wonder how many disheartened musicians came here to off-load their dreams. Or more positively, to sell and trade up. Most important, what’s the price of the Lisa Simpson figurine?
Photo: Courtesy of Amy Verner10/14This best-kept secret garden behind the National Archives seems as charming a backdrop as any to snap a photo of the designer.
Photo: Courtesy of Pierre Hardy11/14We linger here for a prolonged moment, as if the scene and the silence deserve extra respect.
Photo: Courtesy of Pierre Hardy12/14Hardy makes a point of stopping in front of this original medieval facade, also part of the National Archives property. “There’s something almost kitschy, but it’s real,” he declares.
Photo: Courtesy of Pierre Hardy13/14The Yvon Lambert bookshop marks a bittersweet stop; the acclaimed Paris gallerist of the same name closed his famous space two years ago, reorienting his collectsion to his property in Avignon. Here, admirers can still find prints and small works by the likes of Nigel Peake, David Shrigley, and Cy Twombly, as well as a stellar selection of magazines and art tomes.
Photo: Courtesy of Pierre Hardy14/14Hardy regularly stops into the Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, a fixture in the Marais where recent exhibitions have showcased the works of Robert Longo and Alex Katz, and currently, Robert Rauschenberg and Marcel Duchamp. The gallery’s staircase, in his view, remains a stunning example of contemporary design.
