Throughout the second half of the 19th century, to satisfy an audience ever more eager for realism on stage, theatre managers progressively abandoned flat cardboards for three-dimensional authentic objects. Since the 1860s, cabinets, silverware, pouffes, sofas, hangings and curtains were prominently featured on stage. More than scenery, these theatre sets became an immersive environment. The actors, interacting with the objects, imparted them a role in the performance. As these overloaded sets and costumes amounted to an exorbitant expense in the plays production, the collaboration with department stores became a windfall for theatres. Instead of building expensive designs and having to stock them, department stores offered to lend furnitures and costumes for free, in return for a good advertisement in the programmes. Thus it was common practice in the press to mention the shops where the audience could find the objects and costumes as seen on stage. Several academic writings analysed the importance of theatre as a key medium influencing dressing styles and consumption habits. Within their scope, this paper aims to explore the relationship between department stores and the stage through the example of two establishments: Oetzmann and Co in London and the Maison Soubrier in Paris. It will emphasise on their ability to represent the latest trends in crafts on and off stage, and to spread them across the Channel.