2023-12-27 15:29:43
LIVRES – He was in teaching, she in the health sector. Marc and Isabelle Gaucherand have turned the page on their careers in Lyon. They took over the emblematic bookstore Cornflowerin Banon (in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), saved on the edge of bankruptcy in 2016.
“We came to spend our holidays in the area, in Forcalquier. We bought our books at Le Bleuet and we didn’t want this legendary place to disappear. So, we tried the adventure!” Passionate about literature and loving challenges, they settled at the foot of the Lure mountain, the country of the great writer Jean Giono.
In the heart of the village, Le Bleuet is immediately identifiable: a yellow house with blue shutters. Since its opening in 1990, the bookstore has expanded by one house, then two, then three, fitted out and linked together. It covers 800 square meters, on four levels and has two gardens. Armchairs, stools, deckchairs outside in summer, invite readers to leaf through small and large masterpieces for as long as they wish.
Le Bleuet supports fourteen people and achieves a turnover of 2.4 million euros. It is the largest bookstore in France in a rural area. A real SME! It is the pride of the inhabitants of Banon, a village of around a thousand souls. As a result, it stole the spotlight from banon, the famous goat’s cheese, a great local specialty.
“Le Bleuet is the size of a town center bookstore in a village, it is totally unusual, disproportionate, and we could no longer recreate such a project today”, points out Marc Gaucherand.
People at the door on 1is January at 10 a.m. sharp
A very essential business! Le Bleuet is the only bookstore in France open 365 days a year… including January 1st! “It’s a good communication argument,” recognize the Gaucherands who made this decision after discovering that there were people at the door the day after New Year’s Eve. At 10 a.m. sharp, reading lovers and lovers of beautiful books (possibly looking for a gift idea) are in front of the shelves.
Le Bleuet is known as the white wolf, well beyond neighboring towns. “We attract people within a 250 kilometer radius,” underlines Isabelle Gaucherand. “They come from Gap, Aix-en-Provence, Nîmes, Avignon, Marseille, Nice… And there are tourists who stop here to see the bookstore and meet us. We can have 50 visitors on some winter days, and up to 800 people in the summer.“
This legendary place is as much a tourist destination as a house of books. We come here as part of an excursion, because Le Bleuet is indicated in the tourist guides. The bookstore attracts curious people from all over the world. It has almost become a place of pilgrimage!
Nearly 200,000 visitors come through the door each year. They come to stroll, discover a varied collection of 120,000 works which contributes to the reputation of the place. Literature dominates, but the Children’s, Mangas, Comics and Personal Development, Esotericism and Spirituality sections are particularly well stocked.
Le Bleuet is something of a UFO in the world of bookstores. Marc and Isabelle Gaucherand received the Bookstore of the Year Prize, in June 2023, created by the specialized magazine Weekly Booksat the end of the fifth edition of the Grand Prix Weekly Books. “Thank you to our teams who helped save the Bleuet and thank you to all the people who bring this completely improbable place to life.” they reacted.
Welcoming, transporting, housing the authors
Le Bleuet has its faithful, its aficionados, its die-hards…
“Our readers prefer to wait a few days rather than buy a book on Amazon,” explains Marc Gaucherand, with a smile on his face. “Otherwise, they place their order with us online and pay higher shipping costs. They are independent bookstore activists!”
Since the takeover, Marc and Isabelle have launched an ambitious program of free cultural events. Sabine, their daughter, left Grenoble to take charge of communications and events at Le Bleuet.
“We couldn’t be content with being simple book sellers. We had to distinguish ourselves with events so as not to be eaten by Amazon, which is our number 1 enemy!” says Marc Gaucherand, a little more lenient for the FNAC.
There are meetings with the authors, at least once a week out of season, four times a week in July and August. Camille Kouchner, Nancy Huston, Alain Damasio, Andreï Kourkov… On December 16, Eric Reinhardt, author of Love and forests(Renaudot prize for high school students, novel adapted for cinema in 2023), presented his latest book: Sarah, Susanne and the writer .
Literary hikes, readings for children, and “donkey rides” delight participants aged 7 to 77. Not to mention the literary naps, the theatrical and musical evenings, the exhibitions whose rhythm peaks in summer. In August, the Literature Festival in Haute-Provence established itself as the highlight of the year.
“All these cultural offers have made us essential and attractive. Our readers cannot have that with Amazon,” says notice Marc Gaucherand.
A family of regulars at Le Bleuet has formed over time. So quite naturally, the Bleuet Cie association was created in 2018 to bring together friends of the bookstore. “These are volunteers who take care of the logistical aspects in particular. They can welcome, transport, house the authors. They prepare the buffets, take care of the refreshment bar in the garden… This creates social bonds between the people of the corner”,rejoices Isabelle Gaucherand.
Like the eponymous flower, Cornflower is as rare as it is wonderful!
*Corine Moriou is an independent journalist and major reporter.
#Bleuet #bookstore #house #books #tourist #curiosity