Artazart first caught my eye as I walked out of Marcel’s on the Canal Saint-Martin about a year ago. Its friendly graffiti-feel red façade across the water promised an artsy experience - and I am all about the experience - and it was. Seventeen years ago the bookshop started out selling art books only, but later design, photography, architecture, and a très originale children’s section were added to its repertoire. Their appreciation for the avant-garde began to attract alternative publishers, which translates into a trove of some of the most creative content you’ll ever leaf through. While their kids' books are primarily in French, many feature pop-up cut-outs, which make them coveted by parents and grand-parents from all language backgrounds. Artazart’s location on the canal, smack in the middle of many fabuleux places to eat, drink, and hang, will turn a visit to this intimate librairie into an outing.
85 quai de Valmay, 10th Arr; www.artazart.com; Metro: Jacques Bonsergent (Line 5)
More on Paris Bookshops:
Les Bouquinistes, the second hand book sellers that line the River Seine.
Shakespeare & Co, the full story of the crooked 17th century book shop that's a legend!
Artazart