La Petite Parfumerie

Like Cole Porter and so many other shameless romantics, we just love Paris in the springtime. There’s something about April that makes us want to sit at an outdoor café, stroll in the Tuileries gardens, and indulge our passion for beauty at one of the many parfumeries Paris is famous for.

Imagine our delight, then, when spring arrived early bringing a little bit of Paris to Excelsior. In February, Wayzata’s Chérie Boutique Française moved across Lake Minnetonka to a très charmant new location on Excelsior’s Water Street, reopening as La Petite Parfumerie. For Francophiles and romantics, the new storefront (which is anything but petite) is a perfect accompaniment to Patisserie Margo, the French bakery just across the street. And La Petite Parfumerie’s opening comes at a good time, as shoppers revamp their wardrobes for the coming warm months. Any stylish woman knows that no outfit is complete without the perfect lipstick and a spritz of eau de toilette.

Owners Diane Wissink and daughters Sally Clayburn and Jennifer Carpenter travel frequently to Paris, and the resulting mix of perfumes, skincare, home fragrance, and accessories from France, Italy, London, and New York is as irresistible as one of Margo’s luscious fruit tarts. Find perfumes by Bond No. 9, L’Artisan, Serge Lutens, and Creed; skincare by cult labels such as Fresh, Caudalie, and Kiehls; home fragrances by Ralph Lauren, Nest, and Diptyque; laundry care by The Laundress; handbags by Kate Moss favorite Longchamp; and hyper-girly jewelry by Tarina Tarantino.

So take a trip to Excelsior, pick up one of Margo’s perfectly crisp croissants and a cup of steaming black coffee, and grab a lakeside seat as you double-check your list du shopping. Because once inside the Parfumerie, a girl could just go wild. 287 Water St., Excelsior, 952-475-2212, lapetiteparfumerie.com