I have news: Next month, I’m opening a brick and mortar cabinet of curiosities in Paris. It’s only been a few months in the making – a rather spontaneous decision spurred by the lease on our office expiring. But I’ve also been feeling for some time that it was time to take another risk and try something new. For years I’ve tried to make this virtual online clubhouse feel like a space where we can share stories, and now, it’s finally going to become a reality.
I came across the space by chance (or we can call it fate). My children play in the little public garden that faces the shopfront and I’ve always been drawn to its window because it was one of the rare galleries left in Paris where an artist paints and sells his own work. I once took a picture of the sign on the door that said he was “seeking models” and shared it on my Instagram. I later heard that he had been very grateful for the sudden and mysterious influx of volunteers. Not only that, the artist, known for his paintings of Notre Dame by night, is one of the elegantly-dressed locals that I’ve often spotted walking to his atelier and featured in my people watching series (he’s the one wearing the yellow trousers). So when I walked by his gallery one rainy afternoon in March and saw a new sign saying that he was selling his lease, something told me that this particular sign was meant for me.
It’s ironically bitter sweet, because, well you know how nostalgic I am. A big part of me wanted him to stay there forever, surrounded by his beloved oil paints and brushes. But I get the sense he might be ready to spend a little more time playing chess with his buddies in the Luxembourg Gardens too. We’ve made an agreement, however. I’ve offered to keep a selection of his paintings at the shop for sale. He will also be welcoming interested parties to the private gallery at his home nearby for those who want a broader look at his archives (spanning several decades, back to the 1960s), and also have the chance to meet a true Parisian artist.
So that leads us to the now-empty shop, situated on one of the most picturesque and historic streets of the Latin Quarter, a stone’s throw from Notre Dame. After going back and forth with names, I settled on something that makes it easier for friends of the website to find me: “Messy Nessy’s Cabinet.” And the countdown to opening this June, starts now.
My small team and I have been busy behind the scenes curating a trove of inspiring curiosities, books, antique objects, beautiful travel essentials and Parisian nostalgia to fill it with. Of course, the Don’t be a Tourist books will be there too, as well as some very exciting new releases from the Messy Nessy lab, which I can’t wait to share with you – not to mention the opportunity to share them with you in person.
I’ll also be setting up a Concierge desk at the back of the boutique for one-on-one consultations, and down the line, host some intimate pop-up events, apéros, author signings, and other happenings – a veritable Messy Nessy clubhouse in Paris!
It feels so good to finally share this news with you now that I’ve got the keys and will of course, keep you in the loop as we transform a charming little painter’s gallery into our own cabinet of curiosities.
Looking forward to meeting you in Paris at Messy Nessy’s Cabinet! Stay tuned and as always, stay curious,
Nessy
