A COCORICONCEPT STORE
Rue Notre-Dame no longer needs an introduction in Bordeaux. If the leafy facades of Chartrons take the stroller back a few decades on the antique quarter's cobblestones, no artery of the Sleeping Beauty has ever been more in tune with the times.
At number 93, the concept store Do you speak français reveals the finest pieces picked out by Gaëlle and Maxime. In July 2015 the couple decided to open this intimate shop with one ambition: to democratize made in France through their favorites.
Maxime explains how products get onto the shelves. "These are objects we pick out for ourselves as customers. We test them at home, see if we like them, and then contact the brands to stock them in the shop."
At the time, Gaëlle, a Bordeaux native, was finishing her studies, and Maxime, from Aveyron, was a journalist when Do you speak français was born. At opening, they stocked around fifteen brands and creators; now more than a hundred compete for the attention of the made in France aficionados.
Because here, worth pointing out, everything is French: jewelry, cosmetics, decor, fashion, accessories… The couple picks out objects at trade shows and designer incubators (Darwin, the Iboat or the place Camille Julian market), just like, Maxime tells me, private shoppers on the prowl.
"The first goal was to show our own favorites with this particular twist: everything is made in France. We didn't do it backwards like luxury concept stores do, starting from made in France and then picking pieces. We only sell what looks like us, at competitive prices. We wanted to show the affordable side of made in France."
Two euros for the cheapest and 160 euros for the priciest piece, Gaëlle and Maxime have more than won their bet.
Laid out like an apartment open to visitors, the place reveals itself to every kind of customer. A crowd of people who work or live in the neighborhood, made in France lovers or curious passersby: the independent spirit and the products you find nowhere else couldn't better sum up the neighborhood atmosphere.
When I ask him what the concept store's flagship product is, Maxime smiles: "we didn't see it coming, but the way people buy socks!" The Charentaise slippers, now intergenerational since their revival, are sold out several weeks before Christmas. In a very different category, the regional maps are also popular with tourists and locals alike.
For a gift, to fill an empty spot at home, add an accessory to an outfit or simply treat yourself: march, children of the fatherland, to 93 rue Notre-Dame!
DO YOU SPEAK FRANÇAIS?
Address: 93 rue Notre Dame 33000 Bordeaux
Website www.doyouspeakfrancais.fr
Instagram @doyouspeakfrancais
Facebook @doyouspeakfrancais
