About Us
Bienvenue! We are a French market-inspired home décor & gift boutique dedicated to curating beauty & spreading kindness, one experience at a time. After a trip to Paris in 2000, founder and owner, Angela Phelps was so inspired that 5 years later, she left her career behind to open Le Village Marché in March 2007 in the Village at Shirlington in Arlington, Va. Phelps wanted to replicate what she found at the famous flea markets of Paris & Provence, blending the old & the new. Carefully curating products for the home, kitchen, and garden such as beaded chandeliers, French tea towels & glassware, faux flowers and artwork, combined with gift items such as savon de Marseilles soap, letterpress notecards, and beautifully packaged candles, the store quickly became a Washington DC area favorite.
The boutique has been featured in the Washington Post, Arlington Magazine, & Northern Virginia Magazine, to name a few, being named one of DC’s best gift shops and the best place to find a unique gift year after year. “Unique” is a word often used by customers to describe Le Village Marché because of Phelps’ keen eye, excellent taste, & attention to detail when selecting products. Customers know they can always find things at Le Village Marché that they can’t find anywhere else. With a goal of bringing something fresh to the relatively boring gift & decor retail landscape, Phelps is proud of the space she's created in the mid-luxury shopping experience. Phelps often says “Whether you want to spend $20 or $200 on a gift, I want our customers to always walk away with a quality product, at a fair price point, that will impress anyone."
Phelps’ entrepreneurial spirit led her to open three additional businesses in 15 years. Le Petit Marché was an off-shoot of Le Village Marché, which was a 6-mo pop-up store that featured vintage items & refinished furniture in 2010. In 2009, Phelps opened Verbena Paper & Gifts in the same Village at Shirlington that offered fine paper goods and custom printed invitations. In 2015, Phelps opened a second location of Le Village Marché at Cathedral Commons, a new development in N.W. Washington DC, just north of Georgetown. The five-year lease ended in 2020 during the pandemic and was closed permanently.
Like many other small businesses, the pandemic brought many challenges, but also many opportunities to innovate. In 2020, Le Village Marché launched its e-commerce website, private shopping experiences, and custom gift box services to meet the needs of clients.
In 2022, after successfully weathering the pandemic, Phelps began thinking about the future of the brand. Since the boutique opened in 2007, customers who visited the boutique from elsewhere have often said, 'I wish there was a Le Village Marché where I live.' After a few inquiries from interested potential franchisees, Phelps decided to expand and grow the store through the franchise model. Le Village Marché Boutique Franchise opportunities are now available! To learn more visit our website: https://www.levillagemarchefranchise.com