I Love My Blender (FERMÉ)

You might well expect a former ad man to name his dream shop something catchy and offbeat, though you probably wouldn’t anticipate it being full of dinky keyrings, Penguin Classics mugs and an intelligent selection of literature. But on the fringes of the Marais, ‘I Love My Blender’ is a delightful mish-mash of a few of Christophe Persouyre’s favourite things: board games, treats for kids, avant-garde oil paintings, postcards and assorted knick-knackery, all jostling for space on the narrow little shop’s crowded shelves and tables. Charming as all this is, those in the know will head here for the book selection: fiction, from Tolstoy to the latest Zadie Smith, and some light non-fiction – almost all of it available in the original and in French translation. As you browse, Christophe offers you a friendly ‘Hello’, then takes an unobtrusive seat in an armchair in the window, the better to offer help if needed, and to enjoy the spectacle of his sweetly kitsch domain.