Pylones makes the everyday précieux

NEW YORK -- Want to see a bunch of New Yorkers smile? Then get yourself over to one of the city's three Pylones stores (pronounced "pee-loan" and you'll want to add a little French nasal) . The French toy and novelties maker has stores in several international cities, including Paris, Tokyo , and Hong Kong, and recently added its third Manhattan location, in the West Village, in as many years. (The company is looking at adding US locations, and Boston is on the "maybe" list.) The first thing you notice from the sidewalk is splashy, exuberant color -- pinks, yellows, reds, purples, oranges.

Step inside and you find the colors are incorporated in bold designs on the most mundane of household items -- toasters, hairbrushes, dog leashes, kitchen timers, umbrellas, veggie peelers, dustpans -- and much, much more. What you'll hear above the frequent ka-ching from the registers are friends talking to friends, maybe even to strangers, saying , "You have to see this!" And really, you do.

Flagship Pylones store in Soho at 69 Spring St. 212-431-3244 . Other locations at 842 Lexington Ave., 212-317-9822 , and 61 Grove St., 212-727-2655 . Information and purchasing at pylones-usa.com .