A Little Market Brings French Shopping to Your Fingertips

The onset of spring fever is as good a reason as any to get out in the sun-soaked streets and do some shopping in French boutiques. For those of you who won’t be spending this spring in the City of Light, A Little Market (ALM) offers the opportunity to do some window-shopping in Paris from the comfort of your own home.
A Little Market could be described as France’s response to Etsy. The online boutique offers homemade products similar to its international counterpart, but at ALM all the designers are French, and they’re adamant supporters of the “Made in France” movement.

Blouse popeline de coton bleu fleuri, by Louisa Bonheur.

ALM’s slogan, “Buy handmade,” is indicative of the philosophy of the site, which is centered not just on selling merchandise but also on supporting French artisans and their craft. Created with the goal of providing professional and amateur créateurs with the opportunity to have online exposure, the site seeks to celebrate the French artisan tradition by putting the spotlight on regional crafts and products. 

Pochette coton framboise et dentelle de Calais, by Scarabee Paris.

After three years of activity, A Little Market isn’t so little—the site has 180,000 members, 25,000 of which sell over 400,000 products in their various online boutiques. Accessories, jewelry, products for children: there’s a little bit of everything at A Little Market.
The website is organized so that it is easy to navigate depending on your tastes, broken down by category (bags, home decoration, paper products) or theme (geek, vintage, for him). You can even do a search by region if you want to find sellers close to your favorite code postal.

Collier en laiton cuivré, by Lucie Mary.

A Little Market isn’t limited to the Internet, either. Throughout the year, ALM hosts several temporary boutiques, where invited creators set up shop in a central location in order to sell their goods directly to their clients. These boutiques all over France allow sellers to meet their clients and share their creations in person, in a welcoming environment that inspires creative exchanges.

Sac en cuir doublé par un tissus japonais, by Labaita.

The site also sponsors once-a-month workshops that have a different theme every time and propose various genres of craft making, from knitting to scrap-booking, jewelry making and sewing. These workshops, which are led by sellers from the site, are free, but spots are limited, so if you’re planning on being in Paris and want to participate in a coming atelier, visit A Little Atelier to sign up!
Related Links
A Little Market
A Little Atelier
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