Merci

Concept store Merci curates exhibitions from the best of emerging designers and established talents across lifestyle categories fashion and home, with proceeds going to charity. It is like a magazine come to life, a cheery, unpretentious version of that famous cooler-than-thou cousin Colette across town. Merci is gracious and quirky without an edge – thank you very much, merci – to be expected from Marie-France and Bernard Cohen, founders of preppy children’s line Bonpoint.

You find Merci through a courtyard, a cute-as-a-button vintage red car parked out front. She is an active participant of the installations – filled with vegetables, strewn with lights, sheltered under a polkadot umbrella – signaling what awaits indoors. From the cafe on the first floor, you have a nice vantage of the seasonal exhibit. Meander up the stairs of Merci’s airy multi-story space and explore hard-to-find elsewhere housewares, books, collectibles, clothing and accessories. The sales staff is always welcoming and despite its gallery of well-curated, stylish selections, nothing you bring home feels too precious to be lovingly enjoyed.