A karaoke evening to celebrate a handover in Ahuillé, near Laval: since 2016, residents have mobilized to maintain a bar in the town of 1,900 inhabitants, while waiting for a buyer for the bar-restaurant. The associative bar of La Poste opened its doors five years ago with permanence three times a week, provided by several inhabitants. The project, which was to be ephemeral until a buyer was found, finally lasted. The new bar-restaurant in Ahuillé, Le Bistrot du Parvis, will open its doors on May 12, so to celebrate the arrival of the managers, the inhabitants organized this Friday April 22 a festive moment to mark the end of a project and the start of another.
– Julien Provoyeur
“It’s an adventure that will be remembered for a long time!”
Residents of Ahuillé made the somewhat crazy bet five years ago to set up an associative bar in the town, which was doomed to disappear the day the town hall found a buyer for its bar-restaurant. In turn, they took turns in the premises of the former postal agency: they ensured permanence every Friday, Saturday and Sunday for five years. Only the Covid-19 and the health crisis led them to close their communal bar. Several residents have been trained to be able to use the operating license (license IV), purchased by the town hall and therefore be able to serve alcohol. Some volunteers, like Gérard, then learned to become a waiter on the job. “Sometimes, I was asked for a Monaco, I wondered what we put in it“, smiles this retiree from Ahuillé. And to add: “It is an adventure that will be remembered for a long time!“
The karaoke evening brought together all the players in this adventure around an associative bar. A mixture of joy and nostalgia reigned this Friday evening, place of the Church in Ahuillé. The inhabitants are delighted at the idea of finding a bar-restaurant, managed by professionals, but they will miss these festive moments at the associative bar La Poste. “For some people, it will be complicated! There are grandmothers who are there every Sunday morning, we will see each other much less“, worries a little Valéry Portais, president of the associative bar La Poste in Ahuillé. This employee, who works in a metallurgy company, was not afraid when embarking on this adventure: he has long was president of Alerte d’Ahuillé, the town’s football club, and knows the community sector well.
“It’s the end of a great adventure, which has made it possible to maintain the link between two bars: a bar that has closed and a bar-restaurant that will open soon.“, emphasizes Sébastien Destais, the mayor of Ahuillé. “Fortunately, we had courageous volunteers because having the idea is good, but setting it up is something else and making it last for five years is even more complicated.“, he underlines.
A good bet for the inhabitants of Ahuillé: “We did not think that we would have such enthusiasm at the start, that we would have so many people“, recounts Karine Moisson, one of the founders of the La Poste bar. She adds a little moved: “extremely strong ties were created, we knew how to be there for each other“.
– Julien Provoyeur
The new managers of the bar-restaurant Le Bistrot du Parvis were also present during the karaoke evening this Friday evening. “We are that we are supported“, rejoices Betty Duret, co-manager with her husband. The couple saw an announcement this summer and decided to embark on the opening of this establishment in Ahuillé. “It’s still scary, because the inhabitants have a lot of expectations so we hope that we will fill them, but we can’t wait for it to start”, recognizes the new manager. See you on Thursday May 12th for the opening of the Bistrot du Parvis in Ahuillé!