Jack White's Third Man Records opens a Paris pop-up

This weekend (21-23 February), Third Man Records will open a Paris pop-up store to coincide with concerts on the 21st at La Cigale and on the 22nd and 23rd at the Trianon by label founder, Jack White.

Vinyl will be available to buy along with limited-editions and merchandise usually only sold in the label's three stores in Nashville, Detroit and London. This will include Third Man-branded books, guitar pedals, turntables and more in the brand's signature striking yellow.

The pop-up will also boast daily entertainment, DJs, pedal demos by guest guitarists along with many other surprises.

Third Man has made a name for itself with its wide range of releases : The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather, Jack White solo records as well as artists such as Hotline TNT, Sheer Mag, The Belair Lip Bombs and Natalie Bergman.

Wallpaper* met Third Man's Camille Augarde (Head of UK Operations) and Molly Murray-Ayres (Director of Retail & Events) to hear more about the pop-up and rumours of a special guest...

What prompted the Parisian Third Man pop-up store?

Since getting our feet under the table of our London location, which opened in in 2021, we’ve been experimenting with pop-ups across the UK in Leeds, Liverpool, Brighton, festivals such as Green Man and End of The Road, and at our Christmas indie label market (where we invite fellow labels and artists we love to have stalls and celebrate all things indie). We’re conscious that not everyone is able to travel to London, plus it’s been so much fun spreading the Third Man word to regional fans, that we thought why not go even further afield? Paris made sense because Jack is playing three shows here this weekend so we knew fans would already be in the area, plus France was one of the first countries to really embrace The White Stripes.

What do you have planned in store over the next few days?

We’ve taken over a space right around the corner from La Cigale and Le Trianon, the two venues Jack is playing, where we’ll be selling classic Third Man vinyl, merchandise and guitar pedals, as well as some rare and limited releases. On Saturday at 2pm we will be demonstrating our range of guitar pedals (all designed and used by Jack White). Will there be a special guest guitarist for this? We couldn’t possibly say…

The design of the Third Man stores is so considered. What challenges come with recreating the same cohesive feel in a temporary space?

As a company we work within three sets of colours: yellow and black (Third Man), blue (Jack White/Live) and red and white (The White Stripes). Having this parameter, as well as Jack’s unique design style, actually makes photocopying our look from space to space easier! In this instance we’ve been able to recreate the French flag in the store by having a blue, white (and yellow) and red wall.

What does Third Man bring to the Parisian record store scene?

As well as reissues (including France Gall’s catalogue) and live music recorded direct-to-acetate in our Nashville and Detroit venues (such as Father John Misty, Parquet Courts, Laura Marling), Third Man only sells records by artists signed to our label (from newer ones such as Hotline TNT, Sheer Mag and The Belair Lip Bombs to of course Jack White, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather and The White Stripes). This uniqueness means that we’re not in direct competition with neighbouring stores – there’s no Taylor Swift or Beatles boxsets (although we did have Ringo Starr in recently for a party celebrating his new album.

In Soho, where our London location is, we find that being part of a pocket of record stores – Sister Ray, Sounds of The Universe, Phonica, and now two Rough Trades – is actually helpful sales-wise. Customers tend to do a lap of the shops, rather than just heading to one. We hope to bring the same community spirit to Paris!

Is there an appetite to launch a permanent store in Paris?

Maybe one day!

Third Man has such a clear identity – what have you learnt about building a brand from working with Jack and the team?

To always be led by your gut, original ideas and passion, rather than looking over your shoulder at what others are doing. Everything Third Man does is with fans in mind, and an extension of Jack’s brain and taste – I don’t think we’ve ever been in a marketing meeting and said 'this way will make us money' or 'have you seen what this other company is doing?', it’s always 'this idea would be wild' or 'our fans would dig that'.

Also, the power of colour. Most artist’s and label’s visual brands are built around logos and phrasing; ours is too of course, but having colours synonymous with us (which stems from The White Stripes) feels like an extra level of visibility. I can only think of a few artists, such as Dinosaur Jr. with purple and green, who do this too.

Where will Third Man go next?

As well as continuing to meet new fans around the globe, we’re concentrating on growing the label – we’re so thrilled to have recently welcomed Hotline TNT, Snooper, Sheer Mag and The Belair Lip Bombs to our roster and can’t wait to reveal who’s putting pen to paper next. We’re also continuing to create opportunities for upcoming artists who we believe in at our venue Third Man London ‘The Blue Basement. Our 360 approach – being a shop, record label and music venue – is something we’re very proud of.

Third Man Paris can be found at 35 rue Condorcet, 75009 Paris, open from 9am-5pm each day from 21-23 February 2025.