Paris is packed with charm, but it’s the storefronts, both classic and quirky, that illustrator Joel Holland zooms in on in his new book, Paris Shopfront: Illustrations of the City’s Best Loved Boutiques, Brasseries, Bars, and More. Teaming up with writer Vivian Song and editor Ali Gitlow, Joel captures over 200 of the city’s most captivating façades, from old-school boulangeries to cutting-edge wine bars.
Hotels Above Par Founder Brandon Berkson caught up with him to chat about sketching cafés on corners, the magic of drawing over photographing, and why a taxidermy shop might just sum up Paris best.
Brandon: Paris is a city that’s been endlessly romanticized, but your illustrations give it a fresh, intimate lens. What drew you specifically to its storefronts, and how did you decide which ones made the cut?
Joel: I’m a visual person. I make sketches to help me remember things. Sometimes it’s literally the restaurant where I had a great meal, but other times it’s the spot where I bought an unknown record on a whim or had a memorable interaction with someone inside. It helps memorialize moments I don’t want to slip away.
The selection of images to include was a team effort, with me and editor Ali Gitlow looking over the amazing Vivian Song’s list of shops. This is my fourth book with Ali, and we presented Vivian with a formula of sorts: about 200 places—some old, some young, some famous, some unknown, some delicious, some weird—all high quality, with stories to tell. I think Vivian did a fantastic job of capturing Paris from so many different angles.
Brandon: Your style blends intricate detail with warmth and charm. How did you balance capturing Paris’s ornate architecture with keeping your signature aesthetic intact?
Joel: I try. I’m constantly trying to be true to the work that has made what I’m to draw—to honor it. To include the details that leave lasting impressions.
I feel the benefit of drawing versus photography is that it leaves room to interpret, to translate. Somewhere in there, the viewer commiserates and transfers their own experiences into what they’re looking at and absorbing.
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Brandon: You’ve illustrated storefronts in cities like New York and London. What surprised you most about working in Paris, either creatively or culturally?
Joel: With New York, I was trying to capture places that mattered to me and others—that was my laser focus. With London, we tried to be a little broader and appeal to more people, while also tightening our ‘formula.’ With Paris, it was a combination of those things.
In Paris, I was impressed, of course, by the beauty and the diversity, but I think I was most surprised by the modernity and ingenuity. It’s not just very old shops and cafés. It’s places that are figuring out new ways—like wine bars that sell ice cream and go viral while maintaining their focus on quality.
I’m impressed by Paris’ understanding of the value of shopfronts being rented by quality businesses for long periods of time. In New York and the rest of the U.S., there are loopholes that allow building owners to profit on their vacant storefronts while the denizens of those neighborhoods suffer. Paris seems to eschew that and allow for an enriched experience.
Brandon: Was there one storefront that completely challenged you—whether because of its design complexity, emotional resonance, or the story behind it?
Joel: Several! I found a lot of the cafés difficult to draw, as they aren’t really on the corner—they’re on more of a point. Drawing the outside seating at those angles was a challenge. However, not as much as the signage on the angles, which must be both legible and accurate.
The way we work on this is, once we have our list, I get to work. I have some of the info Vivian is going to write eventually, but not all of it. That’s the fun part about when the book comes out—I get to read it too! But while I’m working on each, I make an emotional connection via the reference images I use.
One that stuck with me was La Boutique Sans Argent, the shop that takes donations—and everything inside is… free. That’s really interesting to wrap your head around while making a drawing.
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Brandon: What do you hope readers—especially those who’ve never been to Paris—take away from Paris Shopfronts? And if they could only visit one of the spots you illustrated, which would you send them to?
Joel: I hope that readers take in all aspects of each drawing and recognize that someone—a real person—made decisions to create what I’m reproducing in my own way.
After that, if they’re not familiar with the establishment, I hope they consider the version they support in their own lives and appreciate it on a new level, and realize how much they’d miss it if it were gone.
There are many to choose from with this question—however, I’d say Deyrolle, a semi-glamorous taxidermy shop that, in some ways, represents all the contrasting elements of wonderful Paris.
You can buy the book here.
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