Treasures of Paris #2. L'Ecritoire

For this second issue of our little guide to hidden treasures of Paris, I'm proud to introduce here L'Ecritoire, a delightful stationery shop close to the Centre Pompidou. This amazing little store is an authentic wonderland for all people who loves (as me) letter sets, pens, papers, paper-toys, ex-libris, bookmarks and stationery in general. But the thing that has caught mainly my attention in this shop is the wax seal art. Indeed, I have found here a wonderful tin seal with which I started to experiment the ravishing world of wax melting... as you can see in the photo above. At the Ecritoire you can find a wide range of seals and one of greatest collection of high quality wax for sealing...

The Ecritoire is born in 1975, when two sisters, Sophie and Laurence, inherited the shop of their grandfather; at that time this district of Paris was deeply different to the actual one: the Centre Pompidou of contemporary arts was not yet opened, and in the place of the near Forum Des Halles there was the older food market of Les Halles, called by Zola "le ventre de Paris" (the Paris' belly). This town is continuously changing, and sometimes new places replace the older ones, but some good things rest: such as the romantic and retro atmosphere that you can breathe at the Ecritoire, where the love of corresponding with a feather pen, vintage papers and, of course, wax seals on envelopes can be still cultivated and even improved, revisiting it with a touch of fun!

You can find L'Ecritoire in Paris, 61 rue Saint Martin 75004, from Mon. to Sat, 11 h. - 19 h.; Website: http://www.ecritoire.fr