If you are interested in buying some clothes in Paris, but don’t have too much money to spend, Free P Star may be a great store to check out. Free’P’Star is a Parisian vintage store that currently has three locations in the Marais. While many vintage clothing shops in Paris have me saying “C’est trop cher”, prices at Free’P’Star begin at just 1€! We happened upon the store on Rue de Rivoli while doing some exploring in the Marais this past Spring and thought we’d share our discovery for those of you searching for some cheap vintage fashion finds in Paris. Our stop here turned out to be a little shopping adventure.
Basic Info on Free’P’Star
Store Locations: All three Paris store locations are in the Marais in the 4th arrondissement so you could actually hit all three in an afternoon if you are ambitious. Addresses: 1) 8 rue Sainte Croix de la Bretonnerie, 2) 20 Rue de Rivoli, and 3) 61 Rue de la Verrerie
How to get here: Check out Free’P’Star website for a good little map of the store locations and nearest metro locations.
Hours: Open daily, with more limited hours on Sundays. Check website for individual store hours and contact information.
Payment: Accepts credit cards but only for payments over 20€, so bring some cash with you.
Website: Official website (in French)
Our Experience at Free’P’Star
First off, I am OK with shoveling through racks and bins of used clothes for good bargains, but this is not everyone’s cup of tea. There is undoubtedly a lot of outdated and worn-out clothing items here (e.g., old fur jackets, torn jeans) so be prepared to actually dig around, and don’t expect to find a nice vintage Chanel jacket here for 20 euros. However, your search can reward you with some good finds if you’re patient. Free’P’Star mainly carries women’s clothing and accessories (some shoes as well), but they did have a few racks of men’s clothing. We were only there for about 20 minutes, but I noticed some silk scarves, leggings, and hats for 1 euro, button-up tops for 1 euro, cute mini-skirts for 5 euros, retro summer dresses for 10 euros, Ralph Lauren sweaters for 20 euros, and lots of leather jackets starting at around 20 euros. I don’t think I noticed anything over 50€. Keep your eyes peeled for employees putting out new merchandise as that is probably the best way to locate some gems in these busy little stores. The store location we were at had a basement where you can find even more bargains if you’re brave enough to take the little spiral staircase downstairs into an even more cramped space. This is where you’ll find the infamous 1 euro bins along with a few more racks of vintage clothing.
The green cotton jacket I took on the trip was getting worn and had a couple of bleach stains, so I decided to use my time at Free’P’Star trying to find a replacement jacket for 5€ or less (what a budget!). Ethan didn’t find anything on the men’s racks, so he joined me in the claustrophobic basement and aided in my cheap jacket search. Having Ethan with me helped give me some much-needed breathing room from all the other women grabbing stuff out of the bins and off the racks around me. Not surprisingly, people were much less likely to try to push Ethan out of the way than little me. Our search yielded three worthy jackets by digging around in the basement’s 1€ bins and 5€ racks, but only one of them actually fit. So in the end, my big purchase was a 1€ green Etam military style jacket. It needed a good washing, but it made a great durable travel jacket and I still wear it all the time.
I was very pleased with my little purchase, but this cool little vintage store is not for the impatient or faint of heart. It’s sort of an adventure as you get real close and personal with the other shoppers as the stores are small, slightly disorganized, crammed with clothing, and generally pretty busy. Be prepared for a bit of pushing, and you need to be a bit aggressive if you want to get around other shoppers and reach certain racks or bins. Also, there did not appear to be a dressing room at the store location on Rue Rivoli (although I didn’t ask to confirm this), and people were trying on clothes in front of the store mirrors. So perhaps dressing so that you can try things on over your clothes (e.g., a dress if you want to try on pants, camisole if you want to try on shirts, easy to slip off shoes, etc.) may be useful if you really want to do some shopping. Despite all the chaos, I would definitely return again as the prices are practically unbeatable and there are some diamonds in the rough to be discovered here. I plan to take more time during my next visit to actually look around.
So if you are in the mood for a little adventure in cheap vintage clothing shopping during your next trip to the City of Lights, plan a stop to Free P Star. Have you been? Do you have other recommendations for inexpensive clothing in Paris? We’d love to hear them.
Also if you happen to know the origins or meaning of the strange store name, we’d love to know!
Sharon Post author
December 7, 2016 at 7:21 pmWow, it is a good idea to drop by on their store someday when I visit Paris. I think I am patient enough in searching for the best clothing. I am skillful at that! It is so good to hear that the clothing products are just sold for 1 – 20 euros…sounds like there can be some great bargains! Maybe there are lots of options for women’s clothing because women are more luxurious on their clothing compared to men. So, much better if I can come with my girlfriends to shop and visit Free P Star store. Thank you for sharing this kind of useful tips for vintage clothing shopping in Paris!
travelcats Post author
December 8, 2016 at 7:05 amHi Sharon, Yes, hope you have fun bargain shopping at Free P Star next time you are in Paris! If you have the time and patience, I am sure you can find some good deals. Best, Jessica
Nina Visaerelli Post author
November 12, 2016 at 10:27 pmI visited 2 of the 3 Free P Start stores in Paris yesterday! I visited the 2 stores on 52 rue de la Verrerie. Paris 4è and 61 rue de la Verrerie. Paris 4è. I’ll visit the one on Rivoli today! Since I’m an avid thrift store shopper and love the adventure, I was in heaven. At first the tiny space can be intimidating and the sheer magnitude of the items packed in such a small space would make you turn and run. However, I was up for th challenge! There is a fitting room at the 61 rue de la Verrerie location in the back of the store. Surprisingly it was free most of the time and I used it twice, primarily for the free uncluttered space. It has a curtain for privacy and you have to fight your way to the back of the store near the cash register. I purchased 3 items 1 blazer, 1 jacket and an evening top from the 1 € bin and 1 item (a shirt ) off the racks for 5€. I also went to the store across the street on rue de la Verrerie and there were higher end bags and clothing and luggage at that location. I only purchase a sweater from the upstairs 1€ bin. The best additional tip I can give you is to go unencumbered! I had on a big down coat, sweater scarf and gloves because it was cold and raining in Paris. I also went on a Saturday during a holiday weekend,so the store was super crowded. However, it was a wonderful adventure for me. I plan to go today to check out the 3rd location! Can’t wait to go. This time I’ll be prepared with a light jacket and no purse, just cash in my pocket!
travelcats Post author
November 13, 2016 at 3:04 amHi Nina, Thanks for writing about your experience thrift shopping in Paris and sharing some additional tips of your own. I hope that my post about shopping at Free ‘P’Start was useful to you and glad that you found some great vintage clothing in Paris! Enjoy the rest of your time in Paris. ~ Jessica
Aanchal Khurana Post author
October 18, 2015 at 3:32 pmThanks for sharing your experience, i m planning to visit these stores and will share my experience soon 😉
travelcats Post author
October 24, 2015 at 6:56 amGlad this article was helpful. Let me know what you think of Free P’Star and any other vintage clothing shops you visit during your time in Paris.
Nick Dean Post author
August 5, 2014 at 12:16 amI am getting ready to go to Paris and I stumbled across this post finding places to visit. I will have to visit the Free P Star and must admit, I will probably only stop at one of the locations. I always love a good bargain but even more then that I love a good adventure. Thanks guys!
travelcats Post author
August 5, 2014 at 6:47 amGreat, glad this was helpful. Have fun in Paris!
suzan Post author
November 1, 2013 at 4:47 amI recently returned from paris and am familiar with these stores. But: when I went to the basement down that spiral staircase as I had last year, there were no bins, just racks [as last year] and when I emerged later with 3 items the clerk then put prices on the items like 5E 10E 5E….. , being timid 🙁 , i didn’t question and left. Last year I had great luck and paid a euro per item.
Wonder what this was about………….
travelcats Post author
November 2, 2013 at 9:56 pmHi Suzan, yes, I believe the items on the racks are not 1 euro. From my memory most of the stuff on the racks was 5 to 10 euros so the clerk probably was ringing the items up correctly, but I am sorry to hear that these were not properly marked when you were there. I hope that Free ‘P’ Star has not done away with their 1 euro bins which were still there when we visited in May.
Melissa Post author
September 25, 2013 at 3:00 amI am learning a lot about what I’ve been missing out on during my trips to Paris! I love thrift shopping and next time I’m in Paris I definitely plan to spend some time at Free’P’Star! Thanks to spread this information (by the way, I love your jacket)!
travelcats Post author
September 25, 2013 at 10:03 amYeah, I would love to know what you think of it. Have you tried vintage clothing shopping in your area of France?
Melissa Post author
September 25, 2013 at 10:41 amI haven’t found anything like Free’P’Star in Bordeaux, but this post has inspired me to check out a few other vintage stores in the area that I haven’t been to yet!
Meghan Post author
September 18, 2013 at 10:13 amI love buying clothes while I’m traveling! Sometimes I intentionally pack to little so I have an excuse to shop…I think clothes make the greatest souvenirs, because they’re useful and each time you wear them, you’ll be reminded of your trip! I’ll have to check this place out next time I’m in Paris. Thanks!
travelcats Post author
September 18, 2013 at 12:43 pmI agree, clothes make fabulous useful souvenirs. Unfortunately, we never have much room in our luggage so generally I just get a scarf or something:)
Sarah Post author
September 14, 2013 at 1:11 pmOh my! I think that I would be in heaven! I love the thrill of the hunt!
travelcats Post author
September 14, 2013 at 1:46 pmYes, me too! In the Midwest, there are these discount fashion stores called Gabriel Brothers and I used to spend hours looking through clothes and trying them on.
Erica Post author
September 13, 2013 at 2:06 amThat’s a great jacket… and I love the price! I’m just too impatient, though I think your bodyguard was very useful!
travelcats Post author
September 13, 2013 at 8:17 amHehe, yes, Ethan made a great bodyguard!