ORBIS city intelligence

Buying in Nantes: Three Trades, Three Streets

No two shops here do the same thing. A leather atelier, a coffee roaster and an antiquarian bookshop, all with street addresses and all in the centre. Confirm opening hours before setting out, since two of the three work to appointment.

Atelier Lajosse: maroquinerie, and probably an appointment S1

Maroquinerie is the French term for fine leather goods and it implies a workshop rather than a shop buying in. Bespoke commissions are taken at 19 rue Francis-Leray in La Poudrerie.

Confirm opening before travelling, since ateliers often work to appointment. Ask about lead times if you want something made rather than bought from stock.

Cime: named micro-lots, roasted in the city S2

A micro-lot is a separated parcel from a single farm rather than a regional blend. Ecuador and Peru are the origins roasted at 20 rue des Hauts-Pavés.

Ask for the roast date before choosing. Buy beans rather than ground, because a roaster naming its lots is selling freshness as much as origin.

Librairie Ancienne Richard: they buy as well as sell S3

Antiquarian books and prints are traded at 6 rue de l'Hôtel de Ville, and the house buys as well as sells. That matters if you are carrying something you want valued.

Allow longer than you think if you are bringing something in. Ask about export rules before buying anything old enough to be restricted.