“An avalanche of vegetables on the facade, opulence displayed, like a barricade.“In 1997, this is how Bénabar paid tribute to small neighborhood grocery stores in one of his songs. An ode to these places where you can find everything and at any time: fruits and vegetables, alcohol, yogurts , shampoo or laundry detergent, cigarettes and pâté, candy and charcoal… In the summer, some people even take out their granita machines.
The world has changed a lot since then and if these shops still provide proud services to all those who live nearby, after years of relative tolerance, their activities are today the subject of new attention from the public authorities. . Very recently, at the end of 2024, one of the stores, rue Thiers, in Avignon, was closed for a month. “Failure to respect schedules“, says the manager with a slight grin, visibly no longer too accustomed to having to respect the nightly closing times imposed by the municipality.
Many rules to respect
During the month in which it kept its doors closed, you didn't have to walk far in the streets of the city of the Popes to find other stores open well beyond the 10 p.m. limit, while everyone else had lowered their iron curtains. Grocery stores where they sell you everything you want without blinking an eye.
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