In a nutshell
A pioneering concept store in the Marais, renowned for its inspirational mix of fashion, homeware, and design-led products, all curated with an anthropologist’s eye for contemporary urban lifestyles and shifting consumer attitudes
In their words
"Merci is a store that questions our lifestyles.
A contemporary store that, much like an anthropologist, observes our behaviors and constantly questions how we want to live today when we are urban and modern. What does the evolution of our behaviors mean? What are our habits? Are they different in London or Tokyo? What objects and uses can inspire us there, for here?
Merci is a place that sees itself as a reflection on daily life. We move forward, wander, stroll, and wander to breathe the air of the times. In a perpetual game of comings and goings, the store constantly refines its proposals and identifies directions in accordance with its convictions. And if the ephemeral sometimes rubs shoulders with the essential, it is under the amused gaze of locals, as well as visitors from afar. A catalyst for the times, this place, which looks like a home, unearths and welcomes all sorts of ideas, boldness, and solutions.
Far from being a selector of objects, Merci is a questioner of meaning. Beauty alone has no place here: its function is its raison d'être. In its words, as in its actions, Merci prefers to anticipate and draw inspiration from the profound changes in our society, rather than being guided by the seasonality of its collections. Merci is a vigilant and attentive look at our daily lives that contributes, as best it can, to making each day a little less ordinary.
[Original in French, https://merci-merci.com/pages/nos-magasins]
Merci est un magasin qui questionne nos modes de vie.
Un magasin d’actualité qui, un peu à la manière d’un anthropologue, observe nos comportements et s’interroge sans cesse sur la manière dont on a envie de vivre aujourd’hui quand on est urbain et moderne. Que signifie l’évolution de nos comportements ? Quelles sont nos habitudes ? Diffèrent-elles à Londres ou à Tokyo ? Quels objets et usages peuvent nous inspirer là-bas, pour ici ?
Merci est un lieu qui s’envisage comme une réflexion sur la vie quotidienne. On y avance, chemine, on y flâne et vagabonde pour y respirer l’air du temps. Dans un jeu de va et vient perpétuel, le magasin affine sans cesse ses propositions et en dégage des orientations en accord avec ses convictions. Et si l’éphémère côtoie parfois l’essentiel, c’est sous le regard amusé des gens d’ici, comme des visiteurs venus de loin. Catalyseur de l’époque, ce lieu aux allures de maison, débusque et accueille toutes sortes d’idées, d’audaces et de solutions.
Loin d’être un sélectionneur d’objets, Merci est un questionneur de sens. Le beau seul n’a pas sa place ici : sa fonction est sa raison d’être. Dans ses prises de paroles, comme dans ses actes, Merci préfère anticiper et s’inspirer des changements profonds de notre société, plutôt que se laisser guider par la saisonnalité des collections. Merci est un regard vigilant et attentionné porté sur notre quotidien qui participe, du mieux qu’il le peut, à le rendre chaque jour, un peu moins ordinaire.
Brand Background
Merci was founded in 2009 by Bernard and Marie-France Cohen, the visionary duo behind the luxury children’s label Bonpoint, after they sold their fashion business and sought a new purpose-driven venture for Paris.
Their aim was to create a retail destination that would unite design, fashion, and housewares under one roof in the historic Haut-Marais district, while also supporting social good: all store profits were originally donated to educational and development projects in Madagascar, where the founders had strong ties from Bonpoint’s sourcing and production.
The Cohens brought in creative director Daniel Rozensztroch to establish Merci’s distinct curatorial voice within a renovated 19th-century textile and wallpaper factory, blending contemporary and vintage influences in a constantly evolving, museum-like atmosphere. The brand quickly became a cult destination and, after Bernard Cohen’s passing and a change of ownership to the Gerbi family (founders of Gérard Darel), Merci has sustained its original ethos, supporting charitable causes while serving as a Parisian launchpad for young designers and innovation in retail experience.
Visit Field notes
Merci occupies a renovated 19th-century textile factory at 111 Boulevard Beaumarchais, which exemplifies storytelling and experiential design.
The ground floor's "horse-shoe" entrance and facade offers a cafe, a "used book cafe", a Hello Kity collaboration store and a narrow walkway into a courtyard that then opens into a post-industrial vista of 1,500 square meters across three expansive floors, awash with natural light from lofty ten-meter-high ceilings and skylights, creating an inviting and open atmosphere.
Its entry is marked by a cobbled courtyard and the iconic red Fiat, setting a whimsical tone before shoppers explore the sections inside. The rambling and multi-level layout (accessible throughout by lifts) adds to the idea of discovery.
Each floor is meticulously curated: the ground level welcomes visitors with the bookshops, then the central high-ceilinged area is a regularly changing feature. In September 2025 it had a Breton theme, with products from striped maritime clothing to rustic pottery. Men's fashion is to the left, while stairs take you to a home and furniture department and the basement 'garden floor' hosts kitchen and more clothing.
Display is more like "staging" with creative room sets and quirky visual merchandising.
The basement focuses on garden and outdoor goods, picnic essentials, and seasonal objects, reflecting the brand’s ethos of blending the indoors and outdoors.
Three embedded cafés—including the “Used Book Café” lined with books and a canteen with a garden view—support both discovery and dwell time. At the same time, the overall layout encourages a wandering, serendipitous shopping journey, akin to exploring a beautifully lived-in home.
Note the extensive product collaborations and product labelling, along with the focus on sustainable and upcycled products.
Checkout
- The whimsical Fiat 500 in the entrance courtyard
- "La Civette" (their store on the corner at #113) hosts a succession of collaborations. The current (and 24th) is the Hello Kitty colaboration (https://merci-merci.com/pages/la-civette)
- The other frontage is now a Cafe x Noir - https://merci-merci.com/pages/le-cine-cafe
- Visit the Used Book Cafe - https://merci-merci.com/pages/le-used-book-cafe - tucked between Hello Kitty and the courtyard.
- Merci refitted an apartment and for a while, lucky customers could book a visit and even stay for a night. You can see the appartment here (https://merci-merci.com/pages/lappartement-merci-109) and a review (https://www.remodelista.com/posts/merci-paris-second-residence-apartment-as-style-showroom/) but sadly the booking link hasn't worked for a while...
Other Reading
About the founder, Marie-France Cohen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie-France_Cohen
Review in CN Traveller - https://www.cntraveler.com/shops/merci/merci
Urban Insider: https://www.urbansider.com/shopping/merci-concept-store/
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