Mercerie, La Rochelle

What could be more normal than a ghost sign for a shop that specialised in haberdashery in Haberdashers' Street?

Mercerie
[Haberdasher's]
A very simple sign written in a dark red tone often used in the late 19th century.


This business competed directly with the one of E. Marthe a couple of hundred meters away.

Location: Rue des merciers, La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime / Picture taken on: 18/08/2011

R.I.P. Ingersoll, Aldwych

Ever since I first noticed it, I always have a look at the Ingersoll ghost sign when I make my way from the City Lit to the bus stops on Aldwych. That was the case last Thursday, when I even wondered if the man smoking by the door had ever paid any attention to what was written just above him. Little did I know then that it would be the last time I would see it. Earlier today I noticed the ground and first floors have been completely repainted and in the process the ghost sign disappeared, certainly for good.
For those who missed it, here is a picture again, slightly larger this time. For more information about the Ingersoll Watch Company, go to the original post.

Ingersoll Watch Co Ltd
Goods Entrance
4 Kean Street
Location: Kean Street / Picture taken on: 08/10/2008

Au chic parisien, La Rochelle

Au chic parisien: it's all in the name! Just when I was taking my pictures, a man stopped to tell me his mother used to come here to buy her lingerie and clothes. Indeed for decades this shop supplied the wealthy inhabitants of La Rochelle, and especially the ladies, with all the latest and best in fashion.

Au
Chic	parisien

This ghost sign was written twice. The original dark letters were replaced by much more visible red ones with an ocre shadow.


This ghost sign is slowly disappearing as the paint cracks more and more.


Location: Rue des merciers, La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime / Pictures taken on: 18/08/2011

Bussonière, La Rochelle

Since the old harbour and the bassins of the Marans to La Rochelle canal are not too far from the Rue des merciers, it is not that surprising to find among its shops one that specialized in cordages. Bussonnière also sold strings, which other shopkeepers in the street might have purchased in order to wrap their parcels.

Bussonnière
Cordages Ficelles [Cordages Strings]
Location: Rue des merciers, La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime / Picture taken on: 18/08/2011

Au bon accueil, La Rochelle

'Au bon accueil' (literally "At the good welcome") is a name usually associated throughout France with restaurants or hotels but in La Rochelle it seems to have been chosen by a clothes shop for men and children. Unless, of course, the two parts of this ghost sign referred to two different businesses.

Au bon accueil
Confection pour hommes et enfants [Clothing for Men and Children]
Note that 'Au' was written vertically at a slightly higher level. Doing so left the whole space under the windows for 'Bon accueil' but when the sign was still colourful, it might have looked a little bit imbalanced. With regards to the second part of this sign, the writer made good use of the arch.

Location: Rue des merciers, La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime / Picture taken on: 18/08/2011

Chaussures Richard, La Rochelle

Rue des merciers, or Haberdashers' Street, is one of the most typical streets of La Rochelle: timber-framed medieval houses, with their wooden parts protected by slate, and Renaissance buildings, with elaborate gargoyles, alternate with the more sober façades of houses built in the 17th and 18th centuries. Originally laid c. 1100 when Guillaume X, Duke of Aquitaine, fortified the city, it was then known simply as the Grande rue. In 1286 a charter granted tax exemptions to the cloth merchants who traded along its course. As a result their numbers increased and the street became rapidly known as Rue des merciers. In the 17th century this was changed to Rue des drapiers, or Drapers' Street, before its two first names were combined in the early 19th century into Grande rue des merciers. A few decades later 'Grande' was dropped from the name but the street remained as popular as ever with the inhabitants of La Rochelle and the surrounding area, who continued to buy their clothes and, increasingly, other goods in its shops.
Walking in a northward direction towards the covered market, it doesn't take long to spot the first ghost sign, or rather ghost signs as there are at least three layers on this façade.

Two signs can be read without much difficulty. The difference in style seems to indicate they advertised two different businesses.

Maison
de
Confiance
------
Chaussures Richard
The sign for the shoe shop Richard was painted twice. For the second version, the sign painter used smaller letters.


A close look at the sign written on the first floor between the two windows reveals something was written before Maison de confiance (Trustworthy Shop) was painted.

The words that can still be deciphered are:
...
F...es
Ancienne maison [Formerly]
...n
Pellereau
I haven't found what business was Pellereau in. Maybe this was one of the fashion shops found along the Rue des merciers?

Location: Rue des merciers, La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime / Pictures taken on: 18/08/2011

Miroiterie Langevin, La Rochelle

Documents reveal that the Langevin mirror workshop was already trading in 1898. This is the only information I found about this particular business, which targeted especially car owners.

Miroiterie [Mirror Workshop]
Langevin
5 rue du palais
Glaces pour autos [Rear-view Mirrors for Cars]
The different letterings, the pastel-like background and the old-style street light really take us to another era.

Over the past couple of years I posted a few ghost signs from La Rochelle. The city is actually full of them and over the next days I will introduce some seen along one particular street.

Location: Cour du Temple, La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime / Pictures taken on: 18/08/2011