25 March 2010

breathe, drink, read and shop




Here's another store that has become my favorite place to go to: Botanic in Villuerbanne.

As the name indicates, it is a garden shop. But it also provides much more.

In addition to plants and gardening supplies, the store sells organic food, and it has a large selection of home decoration merchandise, mainly tabletop things. I love hanging around in the corner that has soaps and candles.

There is an animalerie, where my son loved watching the neon-colored tropical fish swim. Upstairs, where you can be sure to find me, is the bookshop and cafe.

This store, its location being outside of center-city Lyon perhaps, has a lower price range on pretty much everything it sells. The home decoration products, especially, are all as chic as those you'd see in a posh store on Rue de la République, but are surprisingly inexpensive.

It is a chain store, and there are other locations all around France, two of the closest being in Ecully and in Bron, near the airport. Just a note: I don't think the one by the airport has a cafe. I don't remember seeing a book section there, either.

There is no scientific proof to this, but I'm convinced that one of the reasons why I feel uplifted when I go there is that the store has a lot of oxygen in it. And because the plants are always being watered, there is much moisture in the air inside. I somehow feel that my skin is happy because of it.

I should note that this store does not offer bags for your purchases. So, BYOB. You don't get tissue paper to protect the breakables you buy, either, but there is a pile of cardboard boxes near the cashiers that customers are welcome to use. I didn't know quite how to use them for the cups I purchased, but I always carry a few hankies in my purse, so I improvised with those.

The last time I went there, I wasn't looking to buy any plants (I have a brown thumb), but a small pot of dainty, lace-like ferns caught my eye. It came home with me, and I knew exactly where to put it. Now my dining room has a bit more oxygen in it, too.

A small bit of information: the French use the word "bio" (from "biologique"), pronounced beeo, for "organic." Now when I'm talking or writing in English I keep wanting to say "bionic" instead of "organic". Can you imagine a bionic broccoli? It should make us really, really strong.

4 comments:

Senegal Daily said...

I love Botanic. It just feels good to breathe their air.

cocopuff1212 said...

We're going there today to pick up some plants. We need green!

Anonymous said...

I love it as well, I happen to work closeby and go for lunch there or take it away with me. They do some lovely sandwiches, salads and deserts and are always so kind and helpful.

cocopuff1212 said...

Yes, the employees there are all very kind and helpful. The store reminds me of Whole Foods stores in the U.S.