CSome imagined him in danger at the turning point of his life, but the Bousquet hardware store is still there, younger than ever and still with “that special smell” that Marie does not smell, at the helm with “daddy”, Dominique, since 2019 The father-daughter tandem maintains the soul of the historic family store, supported by… Marie, the sister and aunt who, despite her 95 years, still honors customers with her flirtatious presence. Like “Pocky”, the little furry guardian.
Five years have passed since the change in governance of this organized “bazaar” on rue Neuve, but nothing seems to have happened. The hardware store keeps its recipe, its authenticity, still sells cast iron capuchins and its knives like candy. “Always useful, practical, that we keep for life,” specifies Marie Bousquet, last of the first name. “From the factory, a lot of French,” adds her mother, who has “nothing to do with the store,” but knows it inside and out.
“At least 40,000 items” are stored in stores or in dedicated premises owned by the family, estimates Dominique Bousquet, the father. Sizes, dimensions, shapes, colors… Everything is in memory: “Just ask,” smiles Marie. The brain is a super computer. » “There aren’t too many bugs,” jokes Dominique. Fortunately, because the hardware store has “yet to find any valid software.” Since 1987, I have been interested in computers and I have never succeeded. Every time a guy comes with “great software etc.” », we try: ouch, it’s stuck, too many articles. I think AI will get there. »
The good effects of Covid
Regardless of social and technological changes, the Bousquet hardware store remains, like an old dinosaur, in a sparse hardware landscape. “Often, spa guests tell us: ‘ah but back home, there was a shop like yours. It closed.” » And the managers evoke the ancestral Marseille model of resistance and adaptation: “The Empereur house (run by the same family since 1827, Editor’s note), recognized as a living heritage company. »
The facade of the building, created in 1948, is by Albert Pommade.
Isabelle Louvier / SO
Despite a first chapter marked by the health crisis, Marie Bousquet and her store were able to take advantage of the habits born during confinement. “Since Covid, a lot of things have changed,” explains Dominique. Already, people are becoming more and more ecological, it’s not just talk, it’s reflected in purchases. And then, they cook more and come to equip themselves…” “Good equipment,” says her daughter. We see that people are looking for quality. In the long term, the product they buy is largely affordable, they will not have to throw it away after a few months, as with stoves, for example. »
Formerly six, today there are only two of them officiating at Bousquet. The financial balance and the clientele are maintained normally, despite “fewer spa guests”. Growth comes up against a glass ceiling in any case: employees are hard to find and take a long time to train. “It takes one to two years to store everything. It’s not easy,” laments Dominique. But, as long as there are no bugs…
