The present article considers the development of the vocabulary of commerce in the French language of the 19th century and proposes a case study of the notion ‘shop’. The research is based on the tradition of French lexicology the main ideas of which were formulated by Georges Matoré in the 1950s. The article contains a chronological analysis of the development of the key place of trade in France in the 19th century, as well as a lexicological study of such units as échoppe, boutique, and magasin. As a result, it has been concluded that the 19th century is characterized by a significant evolution of the commerce domain in France, as well as by the development of a new vocabulary of commerce which appears in response to the need of new nomination.