La Samaritaine: A Famous Department Store
by Martin Loughlin

Note from the Editor: Unfortunately you will have to wait a few years to visit the lovely Samaritaine department store.
It has been closed in 2005 to remedy security and fire hazards.
The Toupary restaurant will also be closed during the renovation works.

London has Harrods; New York has Bloomingdales – Paris has La Samaritaine. This is one of the city’s oldest and best loved department stores, occupying not only a central site (close to the Marais, the Hotel de Ville and the Pompidou Center), but also a place in the hearts of serious shoppers.

The store was opened in 1869 by Ernest Cognaque and his wife, originally as a small boutique. Its founder used to be a street peddler. Over its 120+ years of existence, La Samaritaine had grown into a large maze of buildings. It took several years of economic hardship to scale it down.

The store was named after an old water pump that stood near the neighboring Pont-Neuf (the New Bridge, see separate article), which was decorated with the Woman of Samaria giving water to Jesus. It counts four separate buildings, and the most well known, an Art Nouveau building that overlooks the River Seine, dates from 1903. La Samaritaine has become almost as famous and as often-photographed as other Parisian landmarks, and the four buildings that make up the store have been classed as historical monuments.

La Samaritaine sits in the first district of Paris, famed for the Louvre museum, its luxury shops, antiques dealers, and high-fashion boutiques. The store was appropriately built on Rue de la Monnaie (Money Street).

The new owners (the LVMH group, owner of such trademarks as luggage maker Louis Vuitton and champagne producer Moet & Chandon) began an extensive renovation program in 2003 which continues on. LVMH vowed to give the store a more upscale image, while keeping the distinctive Art Nouveau decoration and fixtures.

The store’s restaurant on the 5^th floor, Toupary, has established itself as one of the more fashionable Paris eating places.

You used to be able to buy just about anything at the store. In fact, the store’s advertising slogan was for years and years: “You can find everything and anything at La Samaritaine”. Today, it has been largely refocused on clothing, and both the men’s and women’s fashion departments offer a wide array of fashion items.

• For an overview of the store and an idea of its somewhat confusing layout (multiple buildings make it an adventure to visit), take one of the escalators which occupy the middle of each floor. Here is a brief guide to the store layout.
• In the basement are located the customer service desk, the Lost & Found service, and the duty-free shopping department.
• The first two floors are given over to fashions, the perfume counters, toiletries and jewelry.
• On the third floor you can find an excellent children’s toy department as well as the store’s famous 7,000 square foot bedding department – the Maison Deco.
• The fourth and fifth floors have household goods, furniture, lighting and even a hair dressing salon.

And this being Paris, as you would expect, the food court at Samaritaine is tasty – just for the smells alone. There is even a climbing wall inside the store if you get tired of all this shopping!

Yet, one of the best things about the store is the view from the rooftop terrace. There is a café up there, but you don’t have to buy anything – just wander up and enjoy some of the best (free) views in Paris, including a wonderful view of Notre Dame cathedral just across the river. There is even an informative panoramic mural that goes around the entire wall to tell you what you are looking at.

La Samaritaine, Rue de la Monnaie, 1^st district.
Metro stations: Pont-Neuf, Chatelet
More information: www.lasamaritaine.com

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Martin Loughlin is a talented contributor to Paris Eiffel Tower News. Should you like him to write professionally for you, please contact him at  .