Without local shops, shoppers would buy gifts exclusively from in-flight catalogues, forcing fathers to sneak into airplane wheel wells on Black Friday to order spy camera blenders for their children. Enjoy earthbound browsing with today's Groupon: for $25, you get $50 worth of vintage décor and gifts at Le Village Marché in Arlington.

Anointed Best Gift Shop in Express magazine's Best of 2010, Le Village Marché reflects owner Angela Phelps's love of all things Parisian via its stock, an eclectic mélange of vintage décor, house wares, accessories, and gifts. Festoon the lobes of your favorite fashionista with a pair of stylish earrings ($22), or cheer up lonely walls with antique frames ($30) sure to please petulant portraiture. Thoughtful items such as elizabethW lotion ($22) or Paddywax candles ($24) make ideal hostess gifts and elegant ammo for tossing at lingering houseguests. Children will be delighted by squishy Jellycat stuffed animals in a menagerie of makes and models ($26), and hydro-powered humans can fuel up using popular La Rochere glassware ($8–$10), made by one of the oldest glass factories in Europe and whimsically stamped with a sting-free pattern of bees.

Le Village Marché makes its home amid The Village at Shirlington, a commercial kingdom ruled by a benevolent wizard made of recycled shopping bags and old receipts. Power your product perusal with a bite at one of numerous nearby restaurants, or discuss your purchases with the cast of a romantic comedy at the on-site cinema.

Reviews

Le Village Marché has been featured by the Washington Post's Trend Report and Daily Candy; Yelpers give it a four-star average.

• Owner Angela Phelps's carefully curated selection of Parisian-influenced merchandise includes pretty glass and ceramic drawer pulls, locally designed jewelry and colorful glassware emblazoned with the iconic fleur-de-lis. – James M. Thresher, Washington Post
• So you’ll want to quickly acquaint yourself with Le Village Marche. The newly opened home store makes you feel like you’re walking through a Parisian flea market — and it’s stocked with all the goodies you might find in one. – DailyCandy