Sarah Andelman, co-founder and creative director of legendary Parisian concept store Colette (closed in 2017), has returned to the retail world with a new project: an exhibition for the iconic department store Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche. The exhibition will feature book-related items, merchandise from bookstores around the world, and exclusive collaborations, under the title Mise en Page. The exhibition will run from 24 February to 21 April and will take place in four areas of the store as well as in window displays.
The concept behind Mise en Page is not focused on the sale of books, but is, in Andelman’s words, “a complement to Le Bon Marché’s already excellent bookstore.” Merchandise will include tote bags from iconic bookstores such as the Strand in New York and Cow Books in Tokyo. There will also be a section on the first floor for Andelman’s Just an Idea Books, a publishing project that highlights the work of select creatives discovered through Instagram.
“I’ve always loved discovering a bookshop and there’s nothing that makes me happier than walking around Paris and seeing someone in a café reading a book, ” says Andelman. “We’re all so glued to our screens, taking the time to read a book, like going to the theatre or the movies, is almost like an act of rebellion. There’s an intellectual and cultural value [in reading] that we can’t just approve of.”
