Repose Archive is a creative direction journal documenting processes and projects across art, design, architecture, and hospitality. As designers, we interview creative minds and explore purposeful creation.

This time we visited Trésors Publics: a shop located in Old Nice, dedicated to French manufacturing, traditional craftsmanship, and domestic heritage. Since 2017.

Repose: What led you to start this project?

Nicolas: It was born out of a desire to change careers, to do something different in life. Antoine, my husband, came up with the idea of creating this shop about ten years ago. After a trip to Lisbon, Portugal, we discovered a shop that revalued the quality of Portuguese manufactured goods. So, in 2017, he opened the shop and I joined him after a career change. Then the project grew, it worked well, so we both stayed and continued to work together. The idea was also to create a souvenir shop, that would appeal to everyone, but with genuine products made in France, focused on heritage and historic brands. We’ve always loved beautiful things, beautiful products. And everything was built up little by little, over time.

Repose: What challenges did you face when starting the project?

Nicolas: As with any business, and even more so when you’re a couple, you have to learn to work together. The main difficulty is sourcing: finding the right products and the right manufacturers takes a lot of time. Every year, we spend a month traveling around France to meet with artisans. Today, we have about 1,000 items in our store and nearly 350 suppliers. The difficulty is juggling all of this: following up with partners, placing orders, tracking deliveries, not to mention the products developed exclusively for us, which require even more time.

Repose: Do you feel that the public understands the concept/value behind it?

Nicolas: Yes, absolutely. We have two types of customers: local and French customers, and international tourists. We work with both all year round. Tourists are very sensitive to products made in France. They want to bring back authentic gifts that are genuinely made in the country. As for local customers, they are sensitive to French manufacturing, of course, but also to the heritage and nostalgic aspect. These are objects they grew up with, which bring back memories, a smell, a texture, a time.

Repose: Now that your project is real and up and running, do you think it still embodies the essence of the original idea?

Nicolas: Yes, it has evolved because it has grown, but we make it a point of honor not to deviate from the initial specifications: everything we sell is made in France. That’s probably why it continues to work; we don’t make fun of people. We know our suppliers, we visit their workshops, we talk to them directly. We take the time to select them carefully.

Repose: What would you tell the person you were when you started this project?

Nicolas: That’s a good question. I would tell him to be prepared to work hard. We don’t count the hours, but since it’s a personal project, we enjoy doing it. We were very surprised by the welcome we received, even at the very beginning, in our little street where the shop wasn’t very visible.
I believe this project grew because we approach everything with passion and consistency. Our main motivation isn’t profit, but the meaning behind what we do.

Repose: Do you have any plans for the future?

Nicolas: We have a project for the upper floor of the store: within a year, we’d like to create a showroom there. It will be furnished like a room and everything will be made entirely in France, from the bed linen to the light switches. This showroom will be private, accessible by appointment only, and will allow us to showcase unique pieces, furniture, and artists’ works. We haven’t found a name for it yet!

Repose: Do you have any advice for someone embarking on a creative project?

Nicolas: Don’t count your hours. You have to devote yourself fully to it. And it’s good to have someone else with you, whether it’s your partner or a friend, so you can challenge and support each other. When one of you is tired, the other can take over. That’s what keeps you going.

Repose Archive is a creative direction journal documenting processes and projects across art, design, architecture, and hospitality. As designers, we interview creative minds and explore purposeful creation.