Félix-Potin Boutique, a testament to the prosperity and style of the early 20th century

Félix Potin Store, 51 rue Réaumur, corner address: 95 Bd de Sébastopol, 75002 Paris

Phone: 01 42 33 36 15

THE MAGASIN DU BOULEVARD DE SÉBASTOPOL

Designed by Charles Lemaresquier (1870-1972) in 1910 at the corner of boulevard de Sébastopol and rue Réaumur, this building is emblematic of the Belle Époque’s taste for polychromatic architecture. Nicknamed “La Poivrière” (The Pepper Pot) due to its dome, this post-Haussmannian structure showcases the grandeur of this enterprise. With its neo-Baroque style, it captivates with its polychromatic corner rotunda and its round-boss decorative elements: fruit garlands, caduceus, and attributes of Hermes. Charles Lemaresquier (1870-1972), its architect, completed few buildings, but his works were always ambitious. He is also renowned for teaching at the École des Beaux-Arts, where he trained many Prix de Rome laureates. His other Parisian creations include the Palais Berlitz and the Hôtel de Rochechouart.

At the corner of rue Réaumur and boulevard de Sébastopol, this sumptuous store bears witness to the prosperity of this distributor in the early 20th century, which closed all its outlets in 1996 (it now houses a Monoprix). Built in 1910, its large dome is typical of the bourgeois buildings of the era. The department store also stands out for its colorful façade, adorned with honeycomb motifs, symbols of commerce and abundance.

Polychrome corner rotunda, decorative elements in high relief: garlands of fruit, caduceus, attributes of Hermes. Former headquarters of the Félix Potin chain of stores. Félix Potin opened its first store in Paris in 1844. From then on, it applied four principles that were the key to its success: sale by weight, quality products, low profit margins, and in-store price displays. In 1860, it inaugurated the first two-story supermarket on Boulevard de Sébastopol in Paris. After Félix Potin’s death in 1871, his heirs registered the Félix Potin brand in 1886. The company then took off. A Félix Potin factory was built in La Villette. Expanded in 1864, it included a distillery and a chocolate factory. The store on Boulevard Malesherbes opened in 1864, and a home delivery service was launched in 1870. The Parisian factories employed 1,800 workers in 1906 and 8,000 in 1927. The Félix Potin company then had 70 branches and 10 factories. Its slogan, “Félix Potin, on y revient!” (“Félix Potin, we keep coming back!”), left its mark on a generation. In 1956, the 1,200 stores were converted into small supermarkets and acquired by André Mentzelopoulos (1915–1980) in 1958. Poorly managed, the company declined and was liquidated in 1996. Today, the upper floors are occupied by a Monoprix.