Second Hand in Paris

In Paris, the best vintage and second hand store is a little hidden. A few minutes of walk from fancy Rue de Rivoli and the metro station Hôtel de Ville you can find the small boutique Free’P’Star. The name is weird and pointless, maybe some desire to be international, but the store is probably as French as it gets. Small, overfilled, and with that special secondhand smell, Free’P’Star is not unlike the stores you will find in Copenhagen’s charming neighborhood Pisserenden. Only cooler. And cheaper.

The whole place is packed with clothes. For example, some sort of platform/loft has been build to house thousands of bags – you have to crawl up there by a fragile ladder. The basement and what used to be a toilet (I think) as also been drawn in to house wonderful clothing, you can spend weeks, months looking for. It’s here you’re going to find your new, old leatherjacket, dress, pants, jeans, bag, boots or shirt. There are clothing for all types, from Parisian fashionista to underground punk.

The store is owned by two old men, and reportedly they get their goodies from random people dropping off big bags of clothing. They sort a little, but not much – you can also find huge amounts off crap in here. The walls are covered with vintage pornography, movie posters and rip-outs from magazines. While you do your second hand shopping you listen to Quentin Tarantino soundtracks. And there are at all times a bunch of cool Parisian youngsters hanging out.

So if you ever go Paris, please visit this lovely store. It’s located on 8 rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie, 75004 Paris. Take the metro to Rambuteau or Hôtel de Ville …

//Jeppe Ugelvig

www.freepstar.com
Photos from Free’P’Star’s facebook page.

By admin on April 12th, 2010 | Fashion