Tea & Tattered Pages, Paris

Where? Paris, France





 [UPDATE: Tea & Tattered Pages is currently closed due to the passing of the owner. It is uncertain whether it will reopen. We will keep you poster.]

Visited: August 2008
(Read more on Tea & Tattered Pages in our Report from Paris)

No one has ever recommended the Parisian bookstore by the name of Tea and Tattered pages to our Guide. While doing our pre-departure online research we stumbled upon a mention of this bookstore. This was especially inquiring since Tea & Tattered pages has been in its place and serving customers since 1990. The quest for Tea & Tattered Pages hasn't been an easy one and it partly made us understand why it is not usually mentioned among the Parisian English language bookstore scene.

The bookstore is located in the 6th Arrondissement, which seems like a completely different universe compared to the center's crowded, noisy streets full of shops. On our way to Tea & Tattered Pages, we've walked for a good half an hour while spotting only occasional passers-by and a few randomly scattered and mostly empty shops. We were really glad when we finally spotted the striking red exterior of the bookstore. We were greeted by the local mascot, a huge green-eyed cat with a little bell around its neck, which was stretching on a pile of books in the open window of the store. Judging by its casual behavior, it probably got used to the attention of the bookstore's visitors.

The whole space of Tea & Tattered Pages is covered with books, mostly paperbacks, and except for a few boxes of books in French, the offer is exclusively English and second-hand. The prices were really reasonable for Paris standards, as it stands stated on the website of the bookstore. However, browsing through the selection of fiction, we couldn't avoid the feeling that this unique bookstore remembers better times. After a chat with the welcoming and friendly owner, we've been directed to the basement of the store. The air down there was a bit stiff, but this room is well worth visiting. The shelves downstairs were mostly occupied by non-fiction books of all categories, and the selection was quite impressive. The basement of the Tea & Tattered Pages surely houses many rare titles you can't find in any other bookstore well beyond Paris.

This bookstore is also one of the pioneers of the bookstore + cafe concept, and the tea room with a special offer of typical British and American snacks still remains a highly valued spots for many expats in Paris. Tea & Tattered Pages is a bookstore from the past, which has succeeded in ignoring the fast pace of life in Paris, and this feature makes it a very special place to visit. This charming bookstore reminded us of a fairytale place, existing in its own, slowed-down time zone.

Tea & Tattered Pages
Address:
24 rue Mayet
Paris 75006











Website: http://www.teaandtatteredpages.com/

Phone and Email:
01 40659435
mail@teaandtatteredpages.com

Working Hours:
Mon-Sat 11-19
Sun 12-18

Back to the list of bookstores in Paris