We decided to create this blog after visiting a handful of record stores on a trip to Paris. We only spent two days there, and didn’t come up with our idea for Vinyl Discovery until we were on our way home, hence why there is a lack of photos of our finds. But we decided to feature them on here anyway, just to give you a small idea of what’s to come. We’ve added the photos we managed to take, as well as a few others from our trip – the store’s websites can all be found at the bottom of the post, so be sure to take a look at them if you’re planning your own visit there.

As previously mentioned, we hadn’t intended on looking out for vinyl whilst in Paris. As we both love taking photos, we wanted to spend our time there people watching, eating cheese and drinking a lot of wine. That said, we did find some wonderful places when we weren’t really looking, one of those being Librairie Boulinier on Saint Michel. Having spent the majority of the day drinking and taking pictures of unsuspecting people, that in our inebriated state we thought were revolutionary images of the Parisian public (upon reflection the next day we realised they were just blurry photos of people looking at us funny), we were pretty drunk and hungry, so we didn’t spend as much time as we wanted to there. However, it is a truly remarkable place, specialising in secondhand books, CDs, DVDs and vinyl. Their ethos is “to propose cultural goods at prices accessible to all, where one comes for pleasure and where one wants to come back without having to worry about prices.” Since 1845, Librairie Boulinier has been run by the Boulinier family, but regrettably, we weren’t able to meet the 5th generation currently in charge, (they probably wouldn’t have wanted to meet us after the three bottles of red wine we’d had either). Despite this, we do remember that they had a really great selection, ranging from classic European, British and American hits, to more obscure French Beat and Psych, all at very decent prices. It’s open until late and always full, so if you’re ever in the area, be sure to check it out. Unfortunately, we didn’t get any pictures of it, but we’ve added the link to their website at the bottom of this post if you wanted to dig deeper.

The next day we needed to be out of our Airbnb flat quite early. As we were already North of the river and our train wasn’t until the afternoon, we decided to walk to Montmartre and see if we could get some more photos. After grabbing some lunch, we stumbled across The Factory Sound Walks on Avenue Trudaine, a very cool, quirky store quite literally bursting with old and new vinyl, retro clothes and little nicknacks made by Chicamancha (link at the bottom) which were placed around the shop, in tiny cupboards, suitcases and on wonky shelves. The decor and interior alone was something to be marvelled at, as it was clear that this wasn’t just a store, but a space for artists of all professions to congregate, a place for people to spend time browsing, looking and listening. There was a real, homely atmosphere of freedom there. Vinyl can be listened to before it’s purchased, and some prices are even judged by the roll of a dice. Howard managed to find The Cutting Edge by Sonny Rollins, featuring Stanley Cowell on the piano, for two euros (the price was already on there – there was no dice.) It’s a very trendy place, reminiscent of Hackney and Shoreditch, with a great vibe and easygoing staff. There’s many a photo opportunity there as well, so if you want to visit somewhere more eccentric, it’s the place to go.

Outside The Factory Sound Walks, Montmartre

Inside The Factory Sound Walks, Montmarte

Sonny Rollins The Cutting Edge

After spending quite a while in The Factory Sound Walks, we continued our tour of Montmartre. We took some more photos, visited The Museum of Romantic Life, and sat in the sun for an hour or so, until we decided to make our way to the Gare du Nord. It was then that we came across Lucky Records on rue de la Verrerie, a truly impressive store specialising in Madonna, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga and Kylie Minogue. For a small shop, it was jam packed with vinyl, tapes and memorabilia, including many collectors items such as signed items and posters. Records were stuffed into the racks, scattered around the shop and in various orders that we’re sure only the owner knows. Though we didn’t get to catch his name, he was a really nice guy, and was incredibly enthusiastic to show us what he had. He gave us a mini store-tour, asked us what we were looking for and happily pulled records out of hidden shelves and racks for us. There was an entire island dedicated to Madonna, and despite there not really being anything there that we were personally interested in, we were very grateful to have been able to take a look in there. For fans of Pop and Rock, a quiet browse or a friendly chat, it’s a tiny treasure of Paris.

Howard crate digging in Lucky Records

Lucky Records

On the way to Gare du Nord, we talked about both stores, and said how great it would’ve been to have filmed them, and had proper interviews with the owners. The differences between the two were so striking and memorable, we kicked ourselves for having not spent more time exploring the vinyl scene of Paris. But hey, there’s always next time! We’ve since decided to make these two places a priority to film when we get a chance to go back, but if you’re heading there anytime soon, we highly recommend stopping by.

Howard in the Jardin du Luxembourg

On the way to Montmartre

On the way to Montmarte

rue Chappe

Exploring Montmartre

Librairie Boulinier: http://www.boulinier.com/index.php/fr/

The Factory Sound Walks: http://www.baladessonores.com/

Chicamancha: https://www.chicamancha.com/

The Cutting Edge – Sonny Rollins: https://www.discogs.com/Sonny-Rollins-The-Cutting-Edge/release/4247762

Lucky Records: http://www.lucky-records.com/index.cfm