Washington’s Wisconsin Avenue may be an ocean away from the Champs-Elysées, but for those dreaming of springtime in the City of Light, the Georgetown French Market could serve as a substantial substitute. Today and Saturday, the market brings Parisian culture to Georgetown, only about half an hour from this campus.
Between P Street and Reservoir Road on Wisconsin Avenue, shoppers will have a chance to stroll up and down the brick sidewalks while browsing through racks of apparel and intaking savory aromas wafting from restaurants’ sidewalk tables. An accordion artist and band will serenade the crowds with French-style music while mimes, unicyclists, a balloon sculpture and a caricature artist entertain festivalgoers.
But the lure of the event is more than experiencing a syndicated French ambiance in one of Washington’s chicest shopping districts. Rather, it is event’s status as the area’s shopping occasion of the season, with more than 30 businesses highlighting the Georgetown neighborhood of Book Hill with sales and promotional events.
For instance, Urban Chic, an upscale woman’s clothing boutique, will line the sidewalk with sale apparel marked up to 50 percent off. But the deals don’t stop on the sidewalk. Inside the shop, customers can get 15 percent off all new merchandise.
In addition to shopping and style, France is also known for its cuisine. With this in mind, Georgetown’s cafés and restaurants will also take to the outdoors, setting up stands on the sidewalks in front of their shops to provide festivalgoers with authentic French street food.
One of the neighborhood’s leaders in providing accurate French fare is Patisserie Poupon, a pastry shop celebrated for its croissants, tarts, cookies and pastries.
Each year, owner Ruth Poupon grills chicken, lamb sausages and steak — a tradition at French markets. Throughout the day customers can indulge in kouign-amann, a buttery cake with caramelized sugar she only serves for special events. Poupon also arranged for French linen importers to set up a stall in front of her café to sell patterned tablecloths, napkins, aprons, bags and more.
Yet, the owners of Patisserie Poupon will bring more to the event than tasty treats and colorful fabrics — they help legitimize the French theme. Joseph Poupon, Ruth Poupon’s husband and the establishment’s pastry chef, is French and the couple visits the country two to four times a year. Ruth Poupon even plans on going to France a few days after the French market.
“The French [linen] imports are for sale because nobody else had them, and I thought it would make it like a real French market,” Poupon said.
According to Nancy Miyahira, the Georgetown Business Improvement District’s marketing director, the inspiration for the market’s French theme is business owners’ memories of a French grocery store in Book Hill that closed about 10 years ago.
After conceiving the spring shopping event, the merchants recalled how the grocery store fit perfectly into the neighborhood’s European aura of historic row buildings, ancient trees and cobblestone sidewalks.
“Book Hill is definitely one of those sections of Georgetown that is sort of found nowhere else in the area because of the independent store, the art galleries and the cafés,” Miyahira said. “The French market is a really great way that this event is dedicated to showing off the really unique section of Georgetown that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the city.”
Since the group became involved in organizing the event seven years ago, the French market has grown from a neighborhood sidewalk sale into a festival that attracts between 3,000 to 4,000 people.
But because the group tries to be inclusive of all shops that want to participate, the French theme is followed loosely.
“They try hard to reflect the theme of France; however, they aren’t limited to it,” Ruth Popuon said. “It’s really a kind of more European feeling.”
As a result, and with the event falling on the same weekend as the royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton, many shops are tailoring their special events to celebrate the wedding.
Poupon plans on serving tea and scones, and Urban Chic’s windows will feature “princess-worthy looks,” champagne and sweet treats.
Since the entire Book Hill neighborhood is involved in the event, shoppers can also benefit from cross-promotional benefits. Urban Chic will offer coupons for people to receive a $45 blow-out at ILO Salon, which in turn will provide customers with coupons for 15 percent off items at Urban Chic, to be used after the Georgetown French Market.
“It makes the event that much better,” said Katherine Nannes, Urban Chic’s public relations and events director. “There’s only so much you can do by yourself as a store, but bringing in a place that does hair and makeup, it works well with what we do.”
The promise of French culture combined with shopping and food creates a unique spring shopping experience on Wisconsin Avenue.
“It’s really a nice kind of little scavenger hunt for people as they’re looking for new spring goods,” Poupon said.
The Georgetown French Market will occur in Washington on Wisconsin Avenue between P Street and Reservoir Road today and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
kbulav@umdbk.com
