The ultimate shoe store opens at Galeries Lafayette in Paris

As enlightened souls —or is that soles?—surely know, it’s all about shoes.

So we’ve just got to take note when what’s billed as the the world’s largest footwear emporium opens at the venerable Galeries Lafayette department store on the tres chic Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris.

The 34,500-square-foot shoe Parnassus opened in July. Reached by a gold and white staircase worthy of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, it has chocolate-brown leather sofas for the trying-on ritual, 150 brands of shoes and 12,000 pairs altogether.

Need a few more foot-fetish amenities?

The store , which shows sandals and boots all year round for travelers, has a cobbler on staff and a foot salon specializing in pedicures.

Oh, my God! Gotta go.

— Susan Spano, Los Angeles Times staff writer

Photo credit: Galeries Lafayette

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at 5:58 am by Susan Spano and is filed under Europe, France, Luxury Travel, News, Tips & Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.