Maison Empereur: Marseille, the oldest home improvement store in France

People come to Marseille to see “Notre Dame de la Garde”, the basilica that dominates the city, “Couscar Méditerranée”, a reconstructed prehistoric cave in the museum on the Place de la Musée, and… “MAISON EMPEREUR”, a historic store.

“Maison Emperre” is known to all Marseille residents but is still a secret to outsiders. This article will reveal the wonders of this unique place. Those who open its door, enter as if into another world, an organized bouquet, where an orderly jumble of ordinary and everyday objects versus different and rare, from floor to ceiling, attracts the eye. The products cover the walls, crowd on shelves, fill display cases, squeeze into niches, hang from the ceiling and slide down to the floor. A flea market where everything is new. This is the oldest home improvement store in France. 

The history of the store

At the end of the 18th century, the first and second generations of the Empereur family were artisans. The first generation made nails in his workshop on the Place de la Bourse, and the second generation made knives and sharp objects. In 1827, François Empereur, the third generation, bought the first shop on the Place de la Bourse, next to the workshop of his artisan ancestors. This is how the family moved into commerce. In 1831, François Empereur rented the current shop in the Noailles neighborhood, a neighborhood known as the “belly of Marseille” due to its daily market. Since then, the shop has continued to grow and expand.

Those were other days. The goods arrived in horse-drawn carriages. But the past is preserved in the store's frame: the floor is old and worn, the stone walls are visible, the ceilings are arched. The store, with its abundance of spaces, which now spans 1,400 square meters, transports those who enter its labyrinths back in time.

Store manager, Laurence Renault Amperer, develops and maintains

The current store manager is Laurence Renaux Empereur, a seventh-generation representative of the family and the first woman to head the factory. With the passing of Laurence's father, more than twenty years ago, in 2003, she, 35, took the reins and since then the active entrepreneur has enjoyed expressing herself in the field and hopes to continue for a long time before passing the baton to the next generation. Let's wait.

Upon her appointment as director, Lawrence rushed to purchase the premises, which had been rented until then, to ensure that she would never be evicted. At the same time, she harmoniously renovated the facades, reorganized the departments, expanded, and enlarged, but without betraying the heritage.

“We were 12 employees on 600 square meters when I took over, today we are 34 on 1400 square meters,” concludes Lawrence, a woman who has succeeded beyond measure not only in her professional life but also in her family life. Lawrence is the mother of three children and the eldest, Martin, is already learning the secrets of the place from a veteran who is about to retire. His little sister, Lily, is waiting for the moment when she too will continue writing the family story. Tom, the middle son, is also expressing interest.

Luck is playing in Lawrence’s favor. An overseas agent came to the store and offered to market the “Emperor” brand to his country. The younger generation, then, intends to conquer America, but “in the spirit of the existing store,” emphasizes Lawrence’s mother. “They will open the existing one, enlarge and expand it, but if they want to cause a revolution, they will have to open their own store.” Things are like a rocket.

The Emperor Family's Life Philosophy

Lawrence was not spoiled by her family. She began working in the store at the age of 16. After school hours, she would arrange goods, drawers, check bills, and stick labels. At that time, she did not like the masculine world of the dusty store under the rule of previous generations whose perspective was different from hers. The girl shed many tears at the strict treatment she received from her father and aunt, who demanded more of her, the patron's daughter, than from the employees. 

Things are different today. Lawrence is free to do as she pleases, but recognizes family values ​​and therefore preserves the soul of the place, even expressing gratitude for the harsh discipline of her youth. From her father, she inherited a sense of entrepreneurship and from her mother, the talent for creating relationships with customers. A family with a philosophy of life whose starting point is hard work, diligence and activity. 

And all of this succeeds, thrives, passes from generation to generation and bears fruit. Each generation has left its mark and planted its world. “The ancient walls, which have existed here since time immemorial, speak to me, support me, carry me. I feel good among them,” says Lawrence.

The veteran employee, who introduces Lawrence's eldest son to the secrets of the trading house, is retiring after forty-two years. He entered the business when he was sixteen and has since worked his way up the ranks. Lawrence heads a team of thirty people, each of whom has been at the store, his second home, for ten, twenty, thirty years (very few leave after a short time). 

This is not a store like all stores, the family complex makes you want to stay there. Between Lawrence and the staff – a story of friendship and even more. “I love everyone,” she says, “each of them was chosen from the heart.” Each department has its own manager, who knows how to advise customers and is welcoming. On my penultimate visit to the store, I heard several of them speak fluent English with tourists from abroad.

I must note, however, that I recently came across (after reading Lawrence's words), to my great astonishment and deep disappointment, an article on the Le Ravi website (dedicated to the region, ceased operations a few years ago), which lays bare complaints by local workers about deplorable working conditions and extremely low wages. Since I do not know the truth, who is right here, Lawrence Renault Gas for the Emperor House or the complaining workers, I will leave the issue open.

A temple of the arts of the past and the arts of the present

Items from the past and contemporary items, the store on all its floors has more than fifty thousand products. No new product that enters the store eliminates another. They all stay and that is why the place expanded and grew. In 2012, Lawrence bought the dance halls on the first floor of the building and converted them to their new purpose. Each space and its function. People come to buy a useful object or find a rare gift.

The professional equipment, knives, pots, pans, on the ground floor, the delicate and fragile objects such as plates and other utensils, tablecloths, fabrics and toys (new but recreating the style of the past, Victorian houses, a 1923 tram, a fire truck, a mechanical dog, a pirate princess suit) on the floors. A dozen departments, a dozen worlds. Each generation contributed its contribution, one the garden department, another the weapons department (Lawrence's parents), Lawrence herself planted the art of living department, tablecloths, utensils, lamps, design.

The variety is impressive: Do you want work pants made of durable cotton fabric that will flex over time, according to the best French tradition? Genuine leather boots from Margaux? A light and warm mohair wool blend scarf from a Spanish workshop? A traditional, wide-brimmed Provençal straw hat that will protect you from the sun and won't blow away in the wind thanks to the tying ribbons it is equipped with? A poker set in a walnut suitcase? A leather sewing set for travel? An aluminum resting board with a wooden handle for the iron? A crepe pan with a non-stick coating? A retro-futuristic stainless steel oil bottle with a perfect pouring spout and a comfortable grip handle, available in four sizes? A glass carafe for hot drinks? A sugar bowl? A sauce bowl? A caviar bowl? A luxurious champagne bottle opener? A stainless steel mango cutter? A small and sturdy manual sausage slicer, with a base that attaches to four vents for complete stability when cutting? A boxwood mustard spoon? A device for making mashed potatoes? A silicone mold for making chocolate sardines? An isothermal ice bucket? A bag for safely storing onions and garlic? Wooden clips for attaching a plant to a support? A bird feeder in the garden where you can, for example, stick an apple? A whip for chasing away flies or, perhaps, for intimate use? A natural feather brush, especially soft, for dusting delicate objects? A sky-blue boxwood bead curtain, a protection against heat, insects and prying eyes, made in the Jura Mountains, for hanging on doors? 

A boxwood bead curtain, a rot-resistant wood whose components are connected by stainless metal rings. Source: “Emperor Food” website

Want a woven tea towel, in raw colors, vintage style, made in northern France? An enamel teapot? Adhesive labels for jam jars, reminiscent of the four-course meal of childhood? Refreshing cologne with lavender blossoms? Eau de toilette Macmarg, chestnut, a symbol of generosity, strength and simplicity, values ​​that the Emperor family has served for two hundred years? Eau de toilette, more exotic, “Russian Leather”? A stylish nail brush made of acetate and wild boar bristles? A light laundry spray with a delicate lemon scent, which will refresh clothes and fabrics, “Water for the Modest,” named for it, specially prepared for “Emperor Food” as a memorial to family values? Rare or banal items, there is a good chance that you will find what you are looking for.

The spray bottle, “Water for the Humble,” is packaged in a cotton envelope with the store’s logo embossed on it. Source: “Emperor Food” website

This beautiful move of loyalty to the past, not pushing the old ahead of the new, allows “Emperor Food” to continue to faithfully serve professional customers while reaching out to new audiences. This opens up space for traditional clothing and accessories, such as, for example, a shepherd’s coat made of pure sheep’s wool, a shepherd’s bag made on the Larzac plateau, famous for its cheeses and goats’ milk, a horse seller’s robe, a striped shirt from Brittany, padded slippers… a hymn to tradition and expertise.

Historic manufacturing houses

Laurence has commercial relations with two hundred historic factories, mainly in France but also abroad. Every day she spends hours searching for authentic products. For example, she travels to Salon de Provence to check an order at a family factory where the daughters, fifth generation, make Marseille soaps in the same way their ancestors did in the 19th century. The daughters are delighted that their soaps are sold at the “Maison d’Empereur”, a great honor and recognition of quality. 

The soaps are made in the family factory, Rampal Latour, from pure ingredients, according to the traditional method that has undergone rigorous and invested improvement over three years to meet today's ecological needs. At the heart of the soap is preserved three percent glycerin, as in moisturizer, produced naturally during the production process.

Marseille soap contains only six ingredients, at most. Beware of a “long” list, the factory heads give a tip for identifying fakes, be sure to read the following list: vegetable oils (olive, coconut, palm) – at least 72 percent, water, soda, salt.

Marseille soap based on olive oil. Source: “Rumpel Latour” website

The factory opens its doors for a free tour, all year round, in a friendly and warm atmosphere at its two sites, the historic site established in 1907 and the modern site built in 2016. You will discover, under the guidance of family representatives, the wisdom of production that began there in 1828, you will be exposed to the secrets of the soapmaking profession over the years, and you will enter the unique world, which exudes authenticity in respecting people and nature. 

Smell the scents of lavender, rose, verbena, fig, peach, grapefruit, orange blossom, almond, honey, and delicate patchouli. Learn about the production and drying of pure laundry soap flakes, friendly to the fibers of the garment and the wearer's skin. The historical saponification boilers, always in use, the mythical black soap, shower gel, liquid soap, shampoo - an extraordinary world, combining traditions and innovations, timeless. 

Invitations In this link Or by phone 93 60 71 70 09.

Another example of a historic factory whose excellent products, for example, can be found on the shelves of “Emperor Food” is Peugeot. Even before it manufactured cars, it launched grain, coffee, salt and pepper grinders made of porcelain, metal, Bakelite, and wood, starting in 1810.

The Peugeot brothers embarked on a path of high-quality and innovative developments that led to the creation of a unique mechanism for grinding spices, coffee, sugar, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and oats, with a lifetime warranty. While until now they used to crush the coffee beans or heat them, the new Peugeot grinder finely chopped them to preserve all the aroma.

Piezo coffee grinder, Brazil. Source: “Emperor Food” website

The culture of excellence, precision, technology, design, and diversity (a selection of materials, colors, sizes, shapes) is evident in the kitchens of great chefs, all equipped with Peugeot mills. The connection between the past and the present is illustrated by the modern re-production of the first pepper mill model introduced by the Peugeot brothers in 1874. The silver-plated masterpiece, which adorned the most prestigious banquet tables of the time, is now offered for sale for the enjoyment of history and fine goods enthusiasts.

Peugeot pepper grinder, 1874, model z. Source: “Emperor Food” website

Have you been craving original jewelry? How about this bracelet, made of gilded copper, decorated with delicately chiseled floral motifs framing a majestic peacock? The peacock embodies the poetry of nature. A symbol of immortality, beauty and renewal, the graceful bird is an allegory rich in meaning. The open and adjustable design of the bracelet gracefully embraces the wrist. Made in France by a historic manufacturer, this exceptional piece of jewelry draws inspiration from a collection of two-hundred-year-old prints that embody a unique art.

Wide bracelet, golden peacock. Source: “Emperor Food” website

On the top floor you will also find the typical Marseille chain, the Marseille chain. the Marseille necklaceIts interesting story began in the 18th century when market vendors adorned themselves with necklaces of gold beads. The length of the necklace and the size of the beads were an indicator of their financial success. These were the wives of fishermen who sold the fish their husbands caught in the market in the old port. The husbands would return with the catch, go clean the boat, and have fun. The women would open a market stall with scales to sell the fish.

Each time the women bought a bead, depending on the success of the fisherman. This prevented the husband from spending all the money on drinking wine, gambling and who knows what else. And most importantly, they opened a kind of savings account, not in a bank but on a cotton ribbon. The gold beads also provided a kind of life insurance. A woman who was widowed by her fisherman husband was in danger of being evicted from her home by her husband's family if she had no children. With the help of the gold beads, she would find another place to live. Indeed, a savings account, the woman bought beads when she had money and sold them in times of need.

The cotton ribbon was replaced by a flexible gold cord, and the uniqueness of this necklace is that the beads are not fixed to it, but are mobile, and can be moved. Starting in the 19th century, the idea and custom also spread to the bourgeois class. With each birth of a daughter, the family opened a “list” at the jewelry store, and beads were added year after year. At each event, the grandfather, grandmother, godfather, godmother, uncle, aunt bought another bead for the happy daughter. When she turned 16, she received the necklace, a sign of her entry into adulthood. Here, the necklace was not a “savings bank” but a sign of the family’s wealth and also a symbol of identity, “I am from Marseille.” A typical Marseille necklace. It is important that the beads move, otherwise it is not a Marseille necklace. The beads are hollow. The necklace is part of the typical Marseille costume.

The necklace also evolved into bracelets and earrings, but the traditional piece of jewelry remained in the form of a chain. On the top floor you will also find bracelets, rings and earrings with the “Cross of Camargue” motif. the cross of Camargue, embodying the spirit of this region and its Christian faith.

A Provençal bench called a radassier hangs on the wall. Redesia, made of three straw chairs connected together. In the shop the bench hangs on the wall so that people don’t sit on it, but in the Provence living rooms it stars next to the fireplace. Provence, France and abroad. Everything is there, in this wonderful shop.

Because “Emperor Food” represents not only French expertise but also foreign excellence. What do you think of this elegant goblet, decorated with blue leaves, a glass vessel for storing and serving sweets, blown in a two-hundred-year-old workshop in Portugal?

Glassware for storing and serving candy. Source: “Emperor Food” website

Most of the products come from France and its various regions, but the glassware for storing and serving sweets, as we have seen, as well as the flat earthenware plates in a raw, brown or green hue – from Portugal, the pandoro mold, the sweet yeast bread originating from Verona, a tin-plated tin – from Italy, the porcelain serving board, ideal for tapas – from Spain, the spring-loaded nut-almond cracker made of matte black cast iron – from England, the wooden clogs – from Sweden, the colorful paper bookmarks for children (Napoleon, clown, peasant woman…) – from Germany. 

Paper bookmarks for children. Source: “Emperor Food” website

And do you feel like covering yourself with a clean, fine, and cozy wool vest or cardigan made in a century-old Scottish manufacturing house, originally for fishermen? 153 euros for the vest, 189 for the cardigan, but the quality and softness are exceptional.

Scottish fisherman's vests. Source: “Emperor Food” website

Fair trade, friendly attitude, pedagogical explanations, fulfillment of wishes 

Laurence is proud of her warm-hearted trading house, which is known and known to all the residents of Marseille. Some have been visiting it since childhood and into old age, bringing their grandchildren as their grandparents brought them. On the ground floor, as in other places in the store, there is a chair, one of the symbols of the house, which connects the staff to the customers. Laurence takes the time to sit down next to the customer, talks, explains, advises. She knows how to do, knows how to be. How important is the homely atmosphere in which everyone, every buyer, is welcomed, regardless of their age or financial capabilities, in which the customer's wishes are ascertained and respected.

Customers wander through the mazes of the place, fascinated, discovering products from their childhood that cannot be seen in other stores. Adults wander through the eyes of children, traveling back several decades, while the children gaze in amazement, excited, not only at the toys but also at exhibits they have never seen before.

Lawrence wants to continue to grant the wishes of adults and children, as much as possible. In the small museum above the cafe, you can see the “wishing table” on which cards with requests, impressions, opinions are pasted. Even today, as then, customers tell the waiters what object (from the word “to want”) they desire, and the latter write down the things and bring them to the management.

The museum complex is also Lawrence's contribution, in which she seeks to convey to customers the "value of things." The two hundred French manufacturing houses (we mentioned two of them here, "Rempel Latour" and "Piejo"), whose products are sold in the store, are invited to display their works in the complex. And visitors to the store are invited to sit and leaf through books and brochures.

Lawrence consults a book, always within reach, on her desk, the “store bible,” in which her father and grandfather wrote down all the products. Everything that customers need to know is written in the book that Lawrence always saw on her father and grandfather’s desk.

Another historical file is the journal in which the store's blazon is imprinted: three wolves, guarding it from every angle, a crown, the symbol of Marseille, and an olive branch, a symbol of abundance, prosperity, and longevity.

And why not make the historical files, once and for all, accessible in the form of a book that anyone can purchase? The store's Bible and the journal are single copies and not everyone can leaf through them, but a book that reproduces their contents and more, printed in many copies, according to demand, would be an excellent idea. 

The first book of “Emperor Food”

Another Lawrence project that was honored to come to fruition and came to an end on September 2, 2023. A special Saturday where the book was launched in the presence of today's team, the team from the past and of course, the family, sixth, seventh, eighth generation. Everyone came and was present all day to talk, reminisce, laugh, tell stories, answer questions and write dedications to the book's buyers.

Lawrence and her three children surround the grandmother and mother. Below you can see the wolf, the family symbol. Source: “Emperor Food” website

The first book of “Emperor Food”, 258 pages, bound, tells the history of the store, of the family that runs it, of the manufacturing plants that supply it with the goods, and of the tens of thousands of objects and products offered within its walls. An entire archive of documents and manuscripts was dug out of boxes and drawers to document the book and enrich it with thousands of anecdotes.

Texts and images in the first book of the esteemed family. Source: “Emperor Food” website

The idea for the book was born in anticipation of the store's three hundredth birthday. A family story, Provençal, human, that has lasted for so many years... Laurence wanted to celebrate the rare longevity and thank the clientele with a written testimony, commemorating and passing on the traditions, expertise, and heritage. Learn from the lessons of the ancestors!

The family members opened drawers, rummaged through boxes, perused manuscripts, and published a rich book with as many anecdotes as the products on the shelves. Because the book is like a store, a cheerful and surprising maze, studded with stories and archival documents like the objects that fill it from floor to ceiling and the framed antique photographs hanging on its walls. Advice and tips like how to avoid a cold or muscle cramps, and for lovers of gastronomy – recipes like various soups and stuffed vegetables in the purest tradition of the region.

Through the eight generations of the Amperer family, through the dozen worlds and departments that make up the store, the reader will discover the love for the manufacturing houses, the historic suppliers, the people who operate them, and the products that come out of their hands.

A book for the people of Marseille, for the inspired, for the knowledgeable, for the curious, for the novice... A love story between generations, Provençal and French. And now also international.

A virtual store, yes, but in second place

In 2012, Lawrence contacted Google's Digital Workshop to set up a website for the store. The connection between the store staff and the young computer experts is very successful. Every year, new customers join thanks to the store's website, including from as far away as Australia and Japan.

This is how tourists who come to the store while visiting Marseille stay in touch. But the virtual store will never replace the customer base, who determine the items they buy based on their own desires and preferences. Without customers, “who pull us up and scold us kindly when necessary,” says Lawrence, “the store wouldn’t exist.”

Lawrence's words are surprising in the contemporary context: "The further back I go, the better I feel. Modernism demands performance and what I know how to do is make customers happy, while in many other stores they manipulate them for the sake of profit. I am interested in customers. We are a house of truth here, not of business."

A night out of time

In 2018, Lawrence bought a 90-square-meter apartment on the second floor of the old building where the store is located and turned it into a guest apartment-museum, dedicated to the family's history. Another magical place the likes of which you won't find anywhere else in the world.

An apartment for two invites its tenants to live among seven generations and immerse themselves in their world. The store's magazine is available to read the family's fascinating stories. 

An apartment furnished in a 19th-century style but quite comfortable, displaying on the dark walls photos of the store from previous years, portraits of the family ancestors, and decorations of iron and wooden utensils. A quiet and calm journey through time in the heart of vibrant and bubbling Marseille. 

Lawrence bought furniture, objects and accessories at the flea market, but a large part is family property, such as, for example, her grandfather's toolbox, the anvil that is one of the symbols of the store, and other tools that she always saw in her ancestors' workroom. These family objects remind us, on the one hand, that the store supplied the needs of the city's builders and, on the other, correspond with the pictures on the wall. The stuffed pheasant in the kitchen, a symbol of hunting (Lawrence's parents established the weapons department in the store), looks, for example, like a picture against the brown wall. 

The main thing, Lawrence emphasizes, is not the design for the sake of design, but the stories. Archives and albums were moved from Lawrence’s study to the apartment, so you can also immerse yourself in reading without forgetting the magazine “Emperor Food” that is available to tenants.

The apartment shelf on the “Emperor Food” website Or from her page On Airbnb, or from the bottom of the page I brought here, you can look at the pictures and book a stay, if your soul desires rare hospitality, out of this world. Most opinions emphasize the magical uniqueness of the spacious apartment, without television and without internet, with oil lamps, the fragrant linen sheets, the original design found nowhere else in the world, the kindness and dedication of the hosts. 

However, be aware that the apartment is on the second floor without an elevator, you can't cook in the kitchen, and the zinc and wood bathtub requires a certain agility to get into. The cost per night is about 200 euros, one night for two people, including breakfast on the terrace covered in green plants. You can also stay more than one night. For exact prices, contact the store or the booking website.

In this interesting video, at the end, there is a tour of the apartment. I highly recommend watching it all.

Visiting the store in itself is a journey through time.

Let's go back to the beginning of the article to finish. Authenticity, admiration and enchantment grip those who cross the front door of this special store, which supplied equipment to the builders of Marseille, reflecting the popular city for the past two hundred years. Cheerful and joyful like a market in Provence, deep like a family memory.

Every product, every object was lovingly chosen by Laurence because it touches her, evokes emotions in her, tells a story. It seems that the soul of Provence is stored in the floors of the complex, its traditional art of living. Clothes, hats, bedding, typical jewelry, soaps, perfumes, santons (traditional dolls from the nativity scene of Jesus in a manger), old-fashioned toys, gifts, serving and kitchen utensils but also ordinary objects, knives, handles, locks, cleaning and pesticide products.

Objects, an object, something that the soul desires, yearns for. And Laurence longs to please her guests, as we have already seen, to make them happy. That is why she does not hesitate to place here and there on the shelves outdated products that are not coveted by many, what are called in French slang “rossignols” – rossignols.

Just as the nightingale sings high in the treetops, so too do these rare objects, from another era, stand on a high shelf, to reach them one must climb a stool. But in the eyes of some of the visitors, these unattractive nightingales ignite a spark, arousing a nostalgic memory or a hidden association. It is for this spark in the customer's eye that Lawrence brings them into the store. 

And in her language: “Do you know what a nightingale is? And I’m not talking about a bird. A nightingale in commercial parlance is an object that’s out of fashion, that’s hard to sell, that gathers dust at the back of a shelf.

But we are proud of our nightingales, we value them, we seek them out! Why, you might wonder? Because who cares if the object lingers, unsold, if it ignites a spark of joy and enthusiasm in the eyes of a visitor who never thought he would ever see it. No, the object has not disappeared!

Our two-hundred-year-old home allows itself the luxury and space for that gaze that lights up, and it doesn't matter if one product sells out after a day while another lingers for three months. Nothing stands against the magic of Zamir!” 

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