I'm a sucker for stories about people who leave their day jobs to take on an entirely new challenge, especially when their project coincides with their passions and adheres to ethical standards of business. This is why ex-lawyer turned shop owner Pamela Levy's story puts a big smile on my face.

Levy opened her store, Yoga Concept, online at first and has now set up shop in the charming 3rd arrondissement of Paris.

The store is stocked with the highest quality of yoga wear and accessories, with all but a few brands being made in the USA or Canada with recycled or organic cotton and bamboo.

Pamela is dedicated to bringing quality, durable, and stylish sportswear to a city where sneakers and sweats are very much not à la mode. Offering an alternative to your boyfriend's old t-shirts and poor-quality sportswear from chain stores, Yoga Concept showcases clothing that is made to withstand yoga stretches and can also be worn on the street.

While an unwritten social code in Paris seems to prohibit sauntering around town in Spandex, the articles that Levy has hand-picked for her store provide the perfect loophole for anyone wanting to live on the edge and actually walk to the gym- or yoga studio- in their gym clothes.

The recycled cotton t-shirts & tanks are super soft and lush to the touch, and the leggings and pants & top combos are examples of some super serious engineering, cut to fit just right and sewn to last through a million down facing dogs.

If you're looking for a gift for the yogi in your life, Yoga Concept also stocks items that make thoughtful presents for the under-pressure urbanite. Lavender eye pillows, scented candles, and Ayurvedic oils are perfect enablers for a moment of respite in the middle of a busy day.

At Yoga Concept you can also find everything you need for a yoga class, including mats (made from recycled rubber & cotton), bolsters, blocks, and bags-but the biggest treasure you'll find at Yoga Concept is Pamela Levy, a rich resource of all things yoga. With her store she has created a hub & headquarters for yoga-files to learn more about the local yoga scene.

Both an engaged participant in the Parisian yoga culture as well as an impartial observer, Levy can advise both novices and veterans as to where they can find the best studios and teachers for their yoga needs. She is also tapped into the "underground yoga scene" which is probably as cool as it sounds- but you'll have to head to Yoga Concept to find out!


Yoga Concept
123 rue de Turenne
75003 Paris
m° Filles du Calvaire (line 8)

Hours:
Tues-Sat, 10h30-19h

Libellés : 75003, gifts, organic, recycled, yoga

Libellés : 75003, 75011, labels, local, organic

Libellés : 75003, artisanal, gifts, local, Marché of the Month

The Marché des Enfants Rouges may not offer an extensive choice of fresh fruit and vegetables, but I don't think that's the point. In reality, it is unlikely that anything you buy there ever even had a chance of making it past your mouth and into your shopping bag.

The aisles of the intimate marketplace are packed with specialty vendors who provide their shoppers with various seating arrangements. This cosy and inviting arrangement results in the irresistable temptation to sit down and enjoy your recent purchase before it hits your panier.

Cheese, wine, meat, fish and vegetable vendors mix nicely with a selection of “order at the bar” restaurants that represent a vast mélange of international cuisine; Japanese, Lebanese, Italian and Moroccan restaurants complement the French bakery that serves crêpes and sandwiches and the standard selection of baked goods. The line that grew steadily in size when we arrived at around 11h30 confirmed this boulangerie as a neighborhood favorite.

On our Sunday trip to the Marché des Enfants Rouges we wandered around snacking on our chickpea-based Southern specialty socca (2 euro a serving) and found some French nectarines (6.90 euro/kilo), along with a mixture of local salads (18.00 euro/kilo) and a beautiful eggplant (5.90 euro/ kilo)- a long cry from what I rescued a week ago from Carrefour- to take home with us for dinner tonight. While not uniformly local, or even organic, the market's vendors are independent and also friendly, knowledgeable and seem to be genuinely invested in preparing and selling good food, which makes the Marché des Enfants Rouges an undeniably pleasurable and mouth-watering weekend outing.

Marché des Enfant Rouges

39, rue de Bretagne 75003

Libellés : 75003, Marché of the Month