Designed to welcome rather than intimidate, Merci is more than a store, it’s a lifestyle space where people come together to enjoy themselves. It’s also a destination store. We don’t just pop in, we make a conscious decision to visit it for its unique atmosphere and because it’s generally a great place to be. We go there for different reasons: to check out what’s new, of course, but also for lunch or a tea, a wander, to flick through the pages of the books in the Used Book Café, find inspiration... A singular concept, a singular place. Merci set up shop in a 19th century building once occupied by a wallpaper and furniture fabrics business. The store is unique in that it occupies the whole building (1,500m2 and 10-metre-high ceilings in places) and resembles a (big) house. Even its windows have been repurposed to house the Used Book Café and Ciné Café. From the garden level (where you will find hardware, practical cookware, La Cantine and its vegetable garden), to the first floor (furniture, lighting, stationery, bathroom accessories and household linen) and the ground floor (women’s fashion, men’s fashion and accessories), it almost feels like home. There are also iconic spaces such as the light- flooded glass entrance dome, where most of the exhibitions are held and, of course, the paved courtyard with its now famous red Fiat 500. Avanti Merci !