What if you ran a bar, restaurant, grocery store, gite, bed and breakfast on the Ardèche mountain? This is the proposal of the mayor of Cros-de-Géorand Sébastien Pradier who became first magistrate in May 2020. And this is the project of his mandate in this small village of 170 permanent inhabitants.
A renovated house in the heart of the village
– Pierre-Jean Pluvy
In the heart of the village, the municipality is renovating, fitting out and expanding the old bakery. It will be transformed into a grocery store with bread and gas, bar, restaurant, gîte and guest rooms. It must be said that there is only one business left in the village and it is a butcher. To buy the bread, he has to travel 20 kilometers round trip.
I go buy my bread once a week and freeze it. Cécile, a resident of Cros-de-Géorand.
With this project Cécile will be able to buy her bread and more generally do her shopping near her home.
Opening before summer
The mayor wants to open this multi-service business before the summer. Work is progressing. It remains to find a manager and rather a couple to manage all these services together. Sébastien Pradier has launched a call for applications. The file is to be withdrawn until March 25 in town hall or on the town hall website.
And there are already many files that have been withdrawn: 45 to March 2. These are people from all over France and even from abroad.
– Pierre-Jean Pluvy
A business that should support a couple
The town hall of Cros-de-Géorand requested a market study from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ardèche which showed that with an overall rent of 850 € including the shop and a company accommodation on the top floor the managers could take out two salaries.
The manager will be chosen in mid-April.