There are several elements that make a shopping area, or even a street, successful. Its location, its visual appearance and, of course, the shops located there.
500 meters long, Rue de Fersen can easily be cut in two. At the beginning: houses and the eponymous college. Then Maison Fersen – the concept store of local brands which took the place of the dojo -, which announces a series of shops and catering offerings. Among them: four new ones, which opened between June 18 and September 10.
Almost 40 artists and craftsmen gathered in a boutique
At the head, but at the end of the street because it overlooks James-Close: Sandrine, the boss of 1 2 3 Soleil. Its brand replaces Wakey Cosmétiques. In Sandrine’s shop, we no longer know where to turn. Candles, decoration, clothing, accessories, unusual and useful objects, treats to offer, Christmas items… it’s Ali Baba’s cave.
Finally, it is above all her favorites, made by French or regional artists and artisans, that she buys and resells… without a safety net. “I have never been a trader. Everything here is risk-taking”she laughs.
But this store was his dream. She has been developing her project for twenty years, after more than thirty years in tourism. “Now that my daughter is independent, I can open this new chapter in my life”she slips.
To date, she sells the creations of thirty-seven artisans – from postcards to beautiful leather pieces – for between 1 and 1,000 euros. Some items are even unique and created at his request. “Renewal is permanent. I want us all to be able to have a piece of France at home”summarizes Sandrine.
“We have more customers in November than in August”
Going up Rue de Fersen, at Place de Miss Mam – the concept store dedicated to pregnant women, young mothers and their offspring -, we come across the front of Picnic. There you can find vegan and vegetarian cuisine, to eat in or to take away.
At the helm: Nicholas, who also opened the vegan restaurant Koko Green in Nice, and Holly, a former chef and hostess on yachts.
She lived in Antibes, and when Nicholas met her, he fell in love with the old town. “We wanted to do something smaller than my restaurant in Nice, more of a snack. But all the products are fresh and the dishes are cooked the same morning. When there are no more… there are no more”says Nicholas.
They have clearly found the recipe for success because, after having had an intense summer, they are welcoming even more people in November. “This kind of offer was perhaps missing in Antibes”tempts the chef who finds the little street more and more dynamic.
Specialty coffees and related products
Irvin agrees. You might think that his career has made a 180° turn… but not that much, he assures us.
Having left to live in Canada with his wife, they decided to return to their region of origin when their child was born. Before that, Irvin worked in marketing. But, in Canada, he fell in love with specialty coffee.
“The grain is chosen with precision, picked by hand, responsibly and by people who receive a salary. Its price is not indexed to the stock market, it does not depend on supply and demand but relies on its quality”he explains.
During the health crisis, he makes a decision. Instead of teleworking in his neighborhood café, he will go behind the counter.
He trains himself, writes a business plan and, on July 18, Petit Monsieur opens. There you can taste coffees from all over the world – or Torref de Fersen – depending on the extraction method you prefer, taste a homemade cake or focaccia and buy derived products.
“This summer, I welcomed a lot of tourists. They stay for a week, stop by every day for a coffee in the morning, they get another one on the way back from the beach… it creates bonds. When they leave, they like to keep a remember those moments”smiled Irvin.
He therefore created caps and clothes in particular with his neighbor Mektouberie, cups made by his (almost) neighbor Clotilde ceramics… and everything is sold out. No worries: Irvin doesn’t plan to stop there and even plans to – perhaps – open a design studio within Petit Monsieur.
“The only real wine bar in Antibes”
That’s it for the day. Then, when the sun sets, Mark and Fleur take over. He is a former sales engineer, she was a journalist. Both opened Les Vins de la lune on September 10. A bar with hand-picked biodynamic wines from all over the world, to be enjoyed with tapas cooked by them.
Their first victory? Be sent to the regional Gault & Millau, upon proposal from a client. They therefore applied to be part of the national selection and should receive a visit from an investigator in the coming months.
In the meantime, they assure that they are holding “the only real wine bar in town”where customers can step out of their comfort zone by taking advantage of their tasting offer. After training with Riviera sommelier Franck Thomas, they worked on a menu which includes more than 120 references.
“We don’t go through a central office, we buy directly from producers”confirms Fleur. Who hopes that their efforts will be rewarded because, in the evening, Rue de Fersen still struggles to fill up.
