It’s a cold shower for lovers of affordable decor, a century-old brand is closing many stores throughout France.
For years, it was one of those shops where you would enter “just to look” before leaving with a cushion cover, tablecloth or new bedding set. In many French city centers, shop windows were almost part of the decor. But the mood will soon change. In Strasbourg, Dieppe and Clermont-Ferrand, several historic stores will close their doors permanently in the coming weeks. For many regulars, it is a decorative institution that is disappearing.
Many came there looking for more than a simple purchase. Some came before the holidays to redo their table, others to find curtains, napkins or a last minute gift idea. The brand had kept this traditional home store feel, where we enjoyed touching the fabrics, comparing the colors and leaving with decorative inspiration. With these closures, this experience will disappear in many cities.
Weakened in recent months, the French brand Bouchara, specializing in household linen and decoration, will significantly reduce its presence in France after its takeover validated by the Paris commercial court. Of the 52 stores that the brand had, only 25 will be kept. Several emblematic boutiques located in the heart of the city will therefore definitively lower the curtain after years of presence.
The new buyer, however, assures that he wants to preserve the Bouchara spirit. Customers will always find the worlds that have made the brand successful: bed linen, curtains, decoration, haberdashery or home accessories. But the brand should evolve with more accessible collections and a strengthened presence on the internet. The objective is to relaunch the brand without losing its image as a warm boutique dedicated to the home.
Not all stores disappear, however. Several cities will keep their Bouchara store: Alençon, Amiens, Bordeaux, Brest-Kergadec, Brive-la-Gaillarde, Caen, Chalon-sur-Saône, Dijon, Épernay, Évreux, La Rochelle, Le Havre, Limoges, Lorient, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Nice, Orléans, Rennes, Rouen, Saint-Étienne, Saint-Nazaire, Tours and Vannes. For other cities, the curtains will definitely close, leaving behind familiar windows that many had become accustomed to seeing on every walk through the city center.
