1700 books destroyed in the Page et Plume bookstore

The famous Page et Plume bookstore in Limoges, renovated two years ago, is off to a bad start in 2025. Several hundred books will go into the trash after a flood in the premises.

In the space below where the crates are located, everything is plunged into darkness and wet books pile up in boxes and trash bags. Sébastien Lavy, the owner, flips through a few soggy pages. The conclusion is there: impossible to sell these books, they will be destroyed. But not right away. You have to wait for the insurance experts to come by.

The Page et Plume bookstore, an institution in Limoges, the second largest bookseller in New Aquitaine, is starting the year with a reduced sales space and a hole in the ceiling of the second floor. The cause was a flood. During the night of December 30 to 31, a copper pipe, affected by frost, split.

“Hundreds of liters of water spilled over the two floors of the bookstore. We did the accounts, we paged the books to get a list for insurance. We are at around 1700 books which represents 20 000 euros. We can't leave them on the shelves. The goal was also to move the books to be able to reopen. There is also the furniture that will have to be changed and the paintings and the ceilings. Lots of little jobs to plan for.”

No luck for the bookseller which had been renovated two years ago for an investment of 650,000 euros. In his misfortune, the boss still considers himself fortunate that the incident happened during the night, without harming customer safety. And also that it didn't happen before Christmas. There remains, despite everything, the sword of Damocles that constitutes the other pipes of this venerable building from the end of the 19th century, which are not all well insulated.

We now have to wait for the experts to come to restore everything. Despite everything, the establishment is indeed open and functional.

Tags Limoges France