Local guide
Concept stores in Lausanne: a guide to the shops worth visiting
Lausanne is made for neighbourhood shops: walkable streets, curious customers and a lively community of Swiss makers. Here's how to recognise a real concept store, plus the addresses we recommend to anyone looking for more than a last-minute gift.
What exactly is a concept store?
A concept store isn't defined by a product category but by a point of view. Worlds are deliberately mixed — homeware, jewellery, stationery, skincare, fine food — because the thread running through it isn't the aisle, it's the taste of the people doing the choosing.
In practice that changes three things for you: runs are small, the makers are named, and the advice is real. You don't leave with the month's bestseller, you leave with the object that suits the person you had in mind.
Addresses worth knowing in Lausanne
Ce Qui Nous Lie
Rue Marterey 19, 1005 Lausanne
Our shop, opened by Caroline and Julia a few steps from the city centre. You'll find pieces by European designers and craftspeople — ceramics, jewellery, stationery, textiles, skincare — chosen one by one, with an openly declared preference for brands still rarely stocked in Lausanne. Gift wrapping in store and shipping across Switzerland.
See our selectionLes Gens
Lausanne city centre
A shop and maker studios bringing together some fifty Swiss designers: stationery, ceramics, leather goods, jewellery, fine food. The selection shifts with the seasons and the space also hosts craftspeople who see visitors by appointment.
242 Shop
Avenue de Beaulieu 15, 1004 Lausanne
Devoted to boardsports gear and the streetwear world around it. A good example of a themed concept store: one community, one culture, and a tight selection built around it.
Ateapic
Le Flon and Rue des Terreaux, Lausanne
Two Lausanne second-hand addresses, worth browsing when you're after a vintage piece or a garment with a past life. The natural complement to buying new when you want to consume less but better.
Opening hours and selections change — check with each shop before making the trip.
Where to wander when shopping in Lausanne
Marterey and the Cité district — a rising street lined with independent shops, an easy walk up from Place de la Riponne. That's where we are, at number 19.
Le Flon — converted warehouses, larger names and second-hand addresses.
Les Terreaux and the centre — handy for visiting several shops in an hour, between the station and the old town.
How we'd choose a gift in a concept store
- Start with the person, not the object: an everyday ritual (coffee, the bath, the desk) is a better starting point than a product category.
- Ask about the maker. In a concept store their story is part of the gift — and it's what you'll tell when you hand it over.
- Think material: ceramic, wool, glass and paper age well and get passed on better than plastic.
- Plan the wrapping. Many independent shops, ours included, do it in store.
- If you're torn, our gift quiz asks three questions and suggests a direction.
Come and see us on Marterey
Rue Marterey 19, 1005 Lausanne. And if you'd rather order from home, our online shop delivers across Switzerland.