A whole load of junk has just arrived in the trendy Sentier arrondissement.
La Ressourcerie is a 'recovery centre', where you can not only recycle your bottles and boxes, but also old clothes, furniture, unwanted Christmas presents etc. And, right next to the recycling centre on the cobbled rue Léopold Bellan, there's a large boutique crammed full of all the bits and pieces that people have given away, on sale for next to nothing. For those of us who have nostalgia for charity shops, this may be a step in the right, second-hand direction...
In the boutique, covering 650m², you'll find shoes, coats, jewellery, books, tables, even kitchen appliances! I have my eye on a pair of leather binoculars I found - only 15 euro, case included. There are also handmade craft objects, like these old LP records, folded into retro bowls.
A Bit About
The recovery centre in Sentier is actually one of 7, financed in part by the City of Paris, and run by the association Maison XXI. Their aim is to reduce the criminally-high number of objects we throw away each year. Enter: 'Recyclage Solidaire' (roughly translated as "United we Recycle"), a concept not only designed to reduce waste, but to change our mentality when it comes to recycling and reusing stuff.
This is why, downstairs at the Ressourcerie, you'll find the repair shop, for every dress, iron, candlestick holder and teapot that can be saved. Upstairs, there's a gallery and teaching space for workshops and exhibitions. They aren't after huge profits - everything the Ressourcerie does has a social objective. And that's nice.
Go there!
Address: 13 rue Léopold Bellan 75002
Metro: Sentier
Recycling centre opening hours: Tues - Sat 12h-8pm
The other 6 addresses are in the 18th, here. There are prêt à porter boutiques, as well as an arts and crafts centre, and a bike repair shop.
Labels: 75002, associations, charity, insolite, Paris, recycling, shopping, Unusual, urban