Rue des Vinaigriers: Following Jeffrey T Iverson’s Paris Tips

It’s about atmosphere. Canal St Martin is well known as an active, working-class neighborhood that I have explored before. But I have never walked Rue des Vinaigriers, a street that angles off the canal, and is bursting with local atmosphere. With information about the street provided by Jeffrey T Iverson in the Bonjour Paris Live webinar series, I could now walk the street as an educated explorer.

I was rewarded with a lively street full of locals taking a pause dej (quick lunch break) or enjoying a sit-down meal. There were also parents walking with their kids, clients purchasing goods in modern and ancient stores and buildings, walls with street art and tags along with gates leading to ancient courtyard full of spring greenery. I also met Rouel, a yellow tabby calmly sitting in a box, in charge of his owner’s store. The street is truly, as Iverson said, one whose character reflects the old and new Paris.

The street begins at the intersection of the Quai de Valmy and Rue de Lancry that crosses the canal. There is a canal lock just north of Rue de Lancry and that is where the stairs down to Rue des Vinaigriers begin. It’s worth stopping at the top of the stair fence covered in green plants and looking down the street to get a feeling of its activity. Below the street sign is an Invader worth 30 points. A great start to the street visit.

The history of the street and why it’s called Vinegar Makers Street – Rue des Vinaigriers – is vague. Just a path originally, it was next to a field called Vinaigriers. Since vinegar is made from sour wine, perhaps the field was grapes that were used for making vinegar? Early Paris maps gave the path other names but by 1780 its current name stuck. By around 1813, buildings began to be built along the path and it was entirely lined with structures by 1847.

Many of the street’s buildings are old Paris style that have kept the exposed beams, metal work around windows, arched entryways, tile flooring, antique mirrors and marble counters. The restaurant Les Vinaigriers (42 rue des Vinaigriers) is a perfect example. Ancient beams provide support for the building and a wooden spiral staircase leads upstairs. But the buildings next to the restaurant are newer with hidden structural beams and style. The blend of Paris old and new is found in the restaurant’s menu too. All dishes are made with fresh, seasonal ingredients, have no additives or preservatives and change daily. Vegan plates are available along with mocktails. The food selection is very modern while located in an ancient building. Plus, there’s another Invader next door worth 50 points.

Other modern food places include Sol Semilla, a restaurant  at number 23, that offers seasonal, organic and gluten-free vegetable foods along with a store that sells their “superfoods” that can be added to any meal to boost performance from sport to immunity and more. For those who want a quick meal for a pause dej sitting along the canal, there are several places to get a quick meal. Plan D – Dwitch & Glace at number 22 offers sandwiches, burgers, fries and other comfort and vegan foods and had a long line of people wearing stylish backpacks from the order window along the street.

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There are also bakeries and grocery stores. Liberté at number 39 prepares all artisan breads and pâtisseries by hand. That work can be seen through the windows in the entire back area that is full of marble counters, racks, equipment and ovens for making bread. It would be interesting to come early in the morning to watch the chefs at work. The front counters are full of croissants, breads and sweets. Coffee is available too, encouraging grabbing a quick snack and sitting at one of the tables along the sidewalk in front of the store. There is also a Carrefour City that had many shoppers including those grabbing salads and sandwiches also for a pause dej.

The old and new Paris is evident in the old and new stores along the street too. One of the oldest workshops in Paris is S. Poursin. It opened at number 35 in 1830 and offered equipment for horse riders and carriages. Today it offers shoes, jewelry, handles and décor for cabinets, along with original-styled buckles, halters, snap hooks and other metal works for saddlery and harness needs. Enter the store and enjoy the products and imagine how they would fit into a modern touch.

Another old Paris shop found at number 49 is the manufacturer Daudé which produces snap fasteners, rivets, eyelets and the machines and tools to install them in bags, clothing and other leather goods, along with the new technologies of security, medical, aeronautics, industry and even the military. A look at the old machines and the eyelets that match the ones on Louis Vuitton handbags is an amazing touch with old technology that is still used for current haute couture.

If you love embroidery, which is a sewing technique that is returning in popularity, check out Tête de Linotte at 49 rue des Vinaigriers. The shop and factory have been on this street since 1923 and is owned by the third generation of the family. There are many embroidery designs available to buy to add to your clothes, backpack, purse or shoes. Thread, embroidery tools and patterns are also available.

Philippe le Libraire at number 32 is a French comic bookstore that provides the ultimate books everywhere image. Books are piled on shelves, wooden chairs and under the chairs, on the floor, under the desk, on top of the desk. Everywhere. And all the walls and ceiling are covered with posters about books. It’s mindboggling, yet so fun to enter and explore. Asterix would love it.

There are a variety of modern clothes and shoe stores along the street. Small and low key, the various stores offer the modern designs for summer (lace, long shorts, linen fabric, waist ties) in specialty shops. What better way to feel – and shop – Parisian. 

One shop that Iverson talked about interested me because it was a unique product for France – piñatas. I stopped by La Piñata to check out the boutique and found Rouel, a cream tabby who was obviously in charge of the shop. He sat upright in a blue box and watched all the customers.  The shop sells a variety of piñatas for all occasions from Noël to parties and can be animals (oui, a black cat), super heros, flowers, and many more. The owner, Elena Farah, is from Columbia and was speaking Spanish with a customer when I came in the store to buy a small green plaster frog to put on my apartment’s stone wall. Rouel greeted me and helped me patiently wait my turn as I petted him.

Thank you, Jeffrey, for introducing me to Rue des Vinaigriers and making me an educated explorer. It’s a street I never would have explored yet I found treasures from historic workshops and stores to new food and fashion styles. Plus a very friendly cat. À bientôt, Rouel.