|| 9 September 2021

Where The Soap is Sold

After I posted the French soap Nouvelles a few days ago, I received an email from our Chic & Slim Special Correspondent Kat with information about the store where the soap in the photos is sold. Kat sent along a photo of a card showing the store and the two brothers who own and operate the store. Kat wrote:

Apropos latest Nouvelles, the soap can be found in this shop, which is probably the most fun place in Pont l’Evêque.

It is run by the two brothers pictured, and has been there ever since we bought our Normandy house, which is to say more than 30 years.

It sells a vast potpourri of stuff, from paint (walls or canvasses) paintbrushes (ditto) artisanal soaps of all kinds, wicker baskets , shopping nets, lotions and potions for face and body, wood stains, doormats — of course you can buy most of these these things more cheaply at the supermarket or chez M. Bricolage, but the shop is always packed.

The reason the shop is always packed is that the brothers dispense advice with each and every purchase. I have been known to lurk behind a pile of wicker shopping baskets for as long as 30 minutes, waiting for the customers ahead of me to finish their session with one of the guys.

But it’s always worth the wait: I left with precisely the right shade of wood stain for my newly installed dining room shelves (“Brun Normande, bien sûr”) and a cheery “Bon Courage!” — and in the right frame of mind to tackle the operation.

Merci, Kat, for sharing the photos and shop information.

C’est épatant ! It’s amazing !

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|| 6 September 2021

Savon de Marseille

Such lovely things to buy in French shops. From her recent visit to France our Chic & Slim Special Correspondent Kat sent photos of a display of French soap she spotted in a shop in Pont-l'Evêque. More . . .