Julien Aurouze and Co.

Dead rats in the window at Julien Aurouze and Co. (Click for larger version.)

8, Rue des Halles, 75001 Paris
Métro: Châtelet - Les Halles
Website

Julien Aurouze and Co. is a pest control shop with an eye-grabbing front window festooned with dead rats and other assorted critters. Now that's what I call advertising! The shop has been open since 1872, and the big slogan above the display of dead rats advertises "destruction of harmful animals." The shop was featured briefly in the Disney/Pixar film Ratatouille in a scene where the lead rat, Remy, is shown the window by his father as a warning to stay away from humans (and if that doesn't work, I dare say nothing will). Anyhow, there's not a whole lot more to say about this place, but since it's right in the center of Paris you can easily stop by and have a quick look for yourself while you're in the neighborhood. It's delightfully out of place in this bustling, relatively modern area, situated right between the Rue de Rivoli and the Forum des Halles.