It's not just les Americans who know how to do a good deed for the good of the world. The French are giving us a run for their money with the newly opened Parisian concept store Merci that sounds way better than anything we have here in New York now that I think of it.

Says the International Herald Tribune: Located close to the heart of the Marais, at 111 Boulevard Beaumarchais in the 11th arrondissement, Merci looks almost nondescript from the street. A flower shop filled with seasonal blooms and a used bookstore flank the opening to a cobblestone courtyard. The only hint that the two stores are connected is the word "merci" written over both doors.

The store is a light-filled industrial space of 1,500 square meters, or 16,000 square feet, spread over three stories. The open plan venue has been broken up into different areas of interest and luxury goods.

On the ground floor, in addition to the flower shop and used book café, is a perfume bar. There also is a designer corner where a smattering of clothing from the likes of YSL, Stella McCartney, Azzaro, Alexis Mabille and Marni are for sale - all pieces that were created especially for the store. Again, the designers are not taking any profits, so the items are priced at 30 percent to 40 percent less than the clothing in their own shops.

Sounds dreamy. Read the full article here. Doesn't look like the shop has a website, so you're going to have to go to Paris to check it out, which wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, especially now that spring has sprung.

Merci
111 Boulevard Beaumarchais
11th arrondissement
Paris