Basic French

Specialties

The thing I love most about France is the style of living. Somehow, it just seems right — drinking good strong coffee in the morning with a croissant or pain au chocolat, eating a long lunch en plein air and really savoring good fresh food, drinking delicious, inexpensive wine or a cardinale as an apéritif before a late dinner, and being in a place so incredibly beautiful that each time you turn a corner you are in awe. I’m thinking first of Paris, though as I sit looking out the window here in Montbrey, or remember Audrey’s house (the former rectory of a nearby church) near Annecy, I am in love with the french countryside. And the language — I love the French language.

For me, the beauty of France, it’s uniqueness, it’s culture is most readily found in the small things and their basicness, basic French products — soap, linens, stationery, toothpaste, sponges, clothes, shampoo, flowers. It’s found in things used in day-​to-​day life (la vie quotidienne). And, basically, that’s why I started Basic French — to bring what I love about France into my life and ultimately into yours.

So, enjoy the simple french things in life and let me know what you love about France, whether it be lifestyle products, a particular region, even the way the light falls, and the colors it creates. I’d love to hear from you.

Please come and visit our store at 15 W. Market Street Red Hook, NY 12 571, Friday to Sunday, 12 to 5pm.