Merci for mercerie

It does seem like it was many moons ago, but looking over my pics I remember what fun I had on my recent trip to Paris, hunting for haberdashery.  The Abbesses area is great for textiles but I was hunting for trims and hardware. Rue de Saintonge in the Haut Marais has a handful of shops for maroquinerie, or leather work.  I walked past these on many occasions, but naturally I made my largest purchases on the day of my departure. Gerard Diffusion is a small  and dusty store near the apartment I was staying in in the Canal Saint Martin area. Not discouraged by Monsieur Gerard's gruff announcements that all items would require a ten piece minimum purchase, I blazed ahead in my best French, asked lots of questions, bought as much heavy metal as I thought I would be able to carry on my cheap flight to Milan the next day. By the time I left said Monsieur had transformed into a charming gentleman, keen to assist should I need to order any items from overseas. A big tick to Gerard Diffusion.