PA R I S I A N WA L K WAY S ❘ R U E C H A R L OT
RUE CHARLOT As much of the Marais succumbs to the onslaught of international chains and brands, Jeffrey T Iverson meets the entrepreneurs of one street that is defying the trend…
ATELIERS DE LUTHERIE VENTS-BOIS 6 rue Charlot Tel. +33 (0)1 42 78 46 30 For many of the great jazz and classical musicians of recent decades, there has only been one man they’d trust to service and restore their instruments. Guy Collin is an expert in the restoration of flutes and other woodwinds and also sells hand-picked modern and vintage saxophones, clarinets and flutes.
MARILYN FELTZ
CARACTÈRE DE COCHON
28 rue Charlot Tel. +33 (0)1 40 26 39 48
42 rue Charlot Tel. +33 (0)1 42 74 79 45
Marilyn and husband Alexis entered the fashion world out of a passion for dressin in colourful clothing to match rich musical ambiences – from Berlin jazz clubs to Belleville guinguettes to tiki bars – and a belief that one could create affordable, luxe read -to-wear without usin dubious forei n factories. Sewn from Calais lace, on sil and Pyrénées mohair, their line is 100% Made in Paris.
f this tin boutique dedicated to the pi is now on many a foodie’s list of favourite Paris addresses, it’s than s to the passion and proficienc of its founder, Solo Ravel. His cave à jambon offers the most exceptional ham and charcuterie from small farms throu hout urope, all of which have been chosen by Ravel for their humane practices, heritage breeds and ancestral savoir-faire.
E
ever since 1962, when the historic Marais district of Paris was saved from destruction by the Malraux heritage preservation laws that protected its streets and buildings and enabled its renaissance, the neighbourhood of the 3rd and 4th arrondissements has earned a reputation as a bastion of creative industry where the city’s art lovers, epicureans and fashionistas could always come to satisfy their appetite for the dernier cri. But the Marais became a victim of its own success when property prices and rents skyrocketed and the neighbourhood became inaccessible to the young creative types who originally fuelled its revival. Today, nevertheless, while multinational brands and hautecouture houses continue to move into the southern Marais, a number of entrepreneurs and artisans in its upper reaches have been working hard to preserve the artisanal traditions and collaborative spirit that have reigned here for centuries. And nowhere is that spirit more palpable than on the ten-metre-wide rue Charlot. “From one end of the street to the other, in every shop on rue Charlot you will find the creations of
La Société des Chaînes du Marais has been selling its range of decorative chains since 1868
artisans; it’s a street that was entirely developed by crafts people, artists, fashion designers and the like,” says Bruno Tessier, who runs the delicatessen Maison Barthouil at 41 rue Charlot. “And without doubt, this narrow little street, despite being so inconvenient for the circulation of cars – or even people sometimes – is on the rise today. Yet people don’t come here just because it’s trendy; they come for the quality of the products they find – and the quality of the welcome they receive. In a busy city like Paris, people need that: to have genuine, human exchanges in their lives.” Perhaps it’s the relaxed market atmosphere spilling onto the street from the colourful Marché des Enfants Rouges, or perhaps it’s the narrowness of the street and its petites boutiques, which creates a kind of natural intimacy, but rue Charlot is a street of shopkeepers with stories to tell, and a clientele that finds the time to slow down and listen. Take Marilyn Feltz and Alexis Gaffuri, who set up shop at 28 rue Charlot. A little over a year ago, this husband and wife team was at a crossroads: the lease at their boutique in the 2nd arrondissement was
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