You'll find everything in the consumer line -
clothes, furniture, sheets, hats, plates - around Grande-Rue, Thiers,
Faidherbe and Nationale. For general shopping, head for the Centre
Commercial Liane, on the corner of boulevards Diderot and Danou, a
downmarket shopping mall on two levels - lots of neon, milling
teenagers, food stalls, a supermarket and a cheap cafeteria. If you
want to hit the serious hypermarkets , catch bus #20 for the
Leclerc or bus #8 for the monstrous Auchan complex, 8km along the N42
towards St-Omer - certainly the most convenient place for large-scale
food and wine shopping.
More fastidious foodies should cross the Pont de l'Entente-Cordiale into Grande-Rue. For charcuterie , try Bourgeois, on the corner of Grande-Rue and Victor-Hugo; for chocolates and other goodies, head for De Marchez, on the corner of Thiers and Faidherbe. Check out the fish selection at Aux Pêcheurs d'Étaples, a large poissonnerie on the Grande-Rue, opposite place Dalton. Next door, the Comtesse du Barry specializes in foie gras and other gastronomic luxuries, and there's a good selection of wine at Les Vins de France on rue Nationale. One other shop that should not be missed is Philippe Olivier's famous fromagerie , just around the corner in rue Thiers, which has a selection of over two hundred cheeses - in various states of maturation.
As far as department stores
go, there's a Nouvelles Galeries on rue Thiers, where you'll also find
plenty of fashion boutiques. For Parisian women's clothes, try Cloë, on
rue Nationale. A wide selection of hats is on sale at Monteil, on the corner of rues Faidherbe and Hugo; and you can choose from over 600 handbags
at Maroquinerie Florence, on rue Faidherbe between rues Thiers and
Victor-Hugo. Roger, at 67 rue Thiers, has a beautiful selection of shoes ; while Seduction, on rue Nationale, sells exquisite French lingerie . At Leclercq, 15 Grande-Rue, you'll find beautiful homeware , including glass, cutlery and plates.
The best bookshop is Le Furet du Nord, 14 Grande-Rue, with a wide selection of maps and an excellent papeterie downstairs. If you're looking to cycle or bike from Boulogne, Cycles Dufour is a motorbike/cycle shop at 207 rue Nationale; it also sells mountain-bike supplies. From place Lorraine and place Charpentier, rue Faidherbe heads uphill (but downmarket) with lots of bargain shops, hi-fi and electronics . And don't miss the Wednesday and Saturday markets on place Dalton.
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