the miroiterie, in the menilmontant area, is a colourful housing complex which is squatted legally by artists. the miroiterie features an unusual shop: at ‘magasin gratuit’ everything is free. customers bring clothes, books or cds and exchange it for other stuff on offer. the magasin is jammed with trash. sometimes it is hard to find anything that's worthwhile taking home. next door is the gallery of miroiterie, exhibiting mainly street-art. prices for the pictures are to be negotiated with the artists themselves and are generally very affordable. the artists can be watched at work in the backyard. the opening times for the gallery and the ‘magasin gratuit’ vary according to the mood of the artist.