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Family shops: discovering the oldest store in France
In Oloron-Sainte-Marie, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, the Souviron family has run a shop for four centuries, they sell souvenirs, it is the oldest store in France.
(France 2)
In Oloron-Sainte-Marie, the Souviron family has run a shop for four centuries. Its members sell souvenirs there.
At the foot of the Pyrenees, we like to say that it is an institution: Maison Souviron is the oldest store in France. For four centuries, they have dressed the inhabitants of the region. Brigitte Souviron puts clients at ease. They quickly become confidants. “If the client wants something classic and his wife wants something younger, we can always manage”explains Brigitte Souviron, who is part of the 13th generation to run the business.
Traders established in 1720
In the privacy of the inhabitants, they have always been since 1720. It was at this time that the Souvirons, farmers, arrived in Oloron and opened a fabric business. Very quickly, they spread throughout all the valleys of the Pyrenees. The guardian of the memory of the place is Edouard Souviron, 76 years old, now retired. “We visited customers at home, on foot, on horseback, by bicycle,” he says. They even had a visit from an illustrious character: the master of impressionism Edouard Manet.
