BHV

I stopped in at BHV yesterday on the way home from Centre Pompidou to see what all the hype is about. O. Mon. Dieu. You could live your entire life only shopping at this store. For example:

Basement: hardware store
Ground level: clothes, jewelery, cosmetics, etc.
1st floor: art supplies, books, stationery, decor
2nd floor: more home decor
3rd floor: organization, closet stuff
4th floor: lighting
5th floor: furniture, electronics
6th floor: more furniture, mattresses

Oh, and there were a couple of cafes thrown in there somewhere, too, so that covers food.  And an entire men's store across the street. It just kept going and going! I managed to restrain myself to only one purchase, a little blue house number from the hardware store to commemorate the new chez moi.

p.s. I found out later that BHV stands for "Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville" since the store is right next to the Paris equivalent of a city hall, or hôtel de ville.