July 03, 2007

Candy shop


A candy shop I “found” yesterday. I never saw it before, but it seems to be fairly well known. It’s clearly the oldest in Paris and has been there (35, rue du Faubourg Montmartre) since 1761. It’s called “A la Mère de Famille” (no translation needed). It has obviously been “modernised” during the 19th century. They offer candies, chocolates, ice cream (excellent – I tried it)…, whatever you wish which is sweet - and to a large extent it’s “home made”.

One small detail: You can read on a sign that they sell biscuits “Lefèvre Utile”. This is an old French brand of biscuits (established in 1846), later called simply LU, now belonging to Danone (Dannon) and possibly on its way to be sold to Kellogg’s, Kraft Foods…

You can find some of the originals of the photos from the above patchwork on my other blog "Peter - photos".

25 comments:

isa said...

What a sweet post, Candy Man ;-)

(Are you undermining my fitness campaign?)

di.di said...

Nice blog post as if chocolate needed more good press! But if anyone was on the fence about chocolate, this post pushed them on to the right side! woot woot!

p/s: it has been my bestfriend since like forever....

Olivier said...

"a la mère de famille" c'est vraiment un superbe nom pour une boutique, cela donne l'idée que l'on y est bien reçu et que c'est une ambiance familiale. l'endroit, a l'air très sympathique.
Pour répondre à ta question : pourquoi l'inde dans une gare de bus à Evry, aucune raison valable, la seule étant de créer un dépaysement pour les gens qui attendent le Bus, et j'aime bien cette idée.

lyliane six said...

Vraiment un "bon magasin"! A part la glace, tu t'es laissé tenter par les confitures? c'est le bon endroit pour acheter des gâteries pour Paloma et Matias. Je suppose qu'ils ont donné ce nom au magasin, car c'est la mère de famille qui fait des confitures et achète habituellement des sucreries pour la famille.

Ming the Merciless said...

We have LU biscuits/cookies in NYC at most grocery stores. They are delicious.

When I travel to different countries, I find that a lot of the local products are available in NYC. So it is always exciting to find something that is not easily available here.

When I was in Brussels, I fell in love with Dondoy ginger bread cookies. I love it! It's not available here.

Ming the Merciless said...

Oh, another pastry that I found in Paris that I can't find in NYC is caneles. They are sooooo delicious!!!

hpy said...

J'y vais de suite!

Shionge said...

I never ever wanna leave this place if I ever visit one :)

Peter said...

isabella:
To be consumed with moderation!

drama div@:
You are not the only chocolate fan!

olivier:
Oui, on est servi "à l'ancienne". J'ai vu que cette boutique a quelques "enfants" maintenant, y compris dans la rue voisine à la mienne. Tu peux trouver des adresses sur leur site.

lyliane:
Non, j'ai bien resisté à toute autre tentation!

ming:
Better come this way soon then!

hpy:
Tu arrives à quelle heure? On se voit?

shionge:
I'm sure you would; there are so many other temptations in Paris!

Anonymous said...

I love the way this shop looks. So quaint and inside it is filled with things that sparkle and catch my eye. It would be a nice place to visit. And to think that something this old can look this good. Just imagine, if you can, the history that passed through these doors--the people, the clothes, the shoes. Amazing.

Abraham Lincoln
How Flowers Disappear—

Cuckoo said...

You know Peter I have a BIG sweet tooth and was so happy to see this post. So lovely the shop is. I wanted to pick some up. :(

Had I been in Paris, I would have immediately gone there. :)

Thanks.

Zhang Chunhong said...

Ca donne l'eau à la bouche. Hum...

Anonymous said...

My kind of establishment. What caught my eye was the checkout. I guess this is one of the places where there are people who serve you and look after you, and then you take your stuff and pay for it. I don't know if this is "efficient" but to me it has always added something to the shopping experience. Not seen so much nowadays

sonia a. mascaro said...

If I was in Paris, that lovely Candy Shop “A la Mère de Famille” will be my perdition!. (Lol). Love chocolate and candies so much! And the candy shop photos are beautiful!

You make a very interesting, cultural and attractive blog, Peter! Those amazing photos reportage about Paris it's a wonderful way to know your beautiful city!

Chuckeroon said...

Must be a dead cert for everyone of us to enjoy. Have you asked Karl Moritz whether or not he knows about it?

Peter said...

abraham:
Yes, there's a special feeling when you enter this kind of shop!

cuckoo:
Now you know the way!

zhang:
C'est bien ça!

richard:
... especially when the prices remain reasonable!

sonia:
You would be so welcome to Paris! ... and not only sweets can be offered!

chuckeroon:
Let's see which direction Karl takes after Richmond and Oxford!

alice said...

Cette boutique typique a même servi de modèle pour un point de croix (stich crossing) bien connu des passionnées!

alice said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Peter said...

alice:
Il fuadrait que j'essaye!

Kate said...

I don't have any immediate plans to visit Paris (altho I'd like it!), but I'll tuck this information away for a visit. Now, Peter, tell us true--how much time and money did you spend there?

Peter said...

kate:
I spent some time talking to the personnel, but, honestly, I left with only a (rather large) icecream - 2 €!

Cergie said...

WAOW !
Parfois on a la chance qu'on nous offre des chocolats de la mère de famille
DELICIEUX !

Belle boutique en tout cas
J'aime bien les boutiques aux devantures tout simplement peintes

muebles pontevedra said...

It cannot really have success, I suppose so.

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Unknown said...

By looking your article about candy's my mouth started watering. I am very much fond of candy's. Thanks a lot for sharing this article here.

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