The reopening of La Samaritaine is a non event

parisdiaArchitecture, Fashion16 Comments

Since the view is reserved to hotel guests, a video of the Seine is shown on the top floor of the shop: how depressing does this get?

I was not disappointed because I did not expect much. The new La Samaritaine is in a similar way as Le Bon Marché, a luxury store for famous brands with no spirit and no imagination, it is managed by the DFS group, duty free shopping. “Tout ça pour ça” as we say I French after more than 800 millions € spent over a period of sixteen years! There are (ten) eateries on most floors and in every corner and none of them is appealing. The worst, Voyage, populated with ugly customers on the top floor under the original decor, is just depressing. Where is the charm of Le Toupary, the beautiful terraced restaurant with a view over the whole of Paris, which was decorated by the whimsical Hilton McConico and affordable for everyone to try?

A nice touch, armchairs for tired shoppers

The reopening of this mythical department store started under a bad omen. President Macron appeared on the 8 o’clock news cutting the ribbon with its owner. Since when does a President, caught in a world crisis, inaugurate stores? The second negative news was the blackening of the windows by the extremist group Attac, on July 3… to denounce billionaires getting richer over the pandemic. Something about the opening was not done right.

On top of the store, the terrace promises a restaurant with a view reserved to hotel guests

La Samaritaine was once the popular shop where you could find everything: “On trouve tout à la Samaritaine” was its motto and the old façades still publicize, music, cristals, faience, hunting, Amazonia, hats, etc… written on its tiles. Now you will have to get used to the idea that it is a luxury brands-only place with an art book published by Assouline (95€) and a special edition of Connaissance des Arts at the entrance. The shop is treated like a museum which it is not.

A magazine tells the story of the shop which has entirely lost its soul

A whole floor (2) is dedicated to watches and jewelry, on 4 you find only ladies shoes, and two levels on rue de Rivoli are dedicated to sportswear for men. I was very curious to discover the SANAA wing with its glass wave and was so disappointed by it, inside and outside. After their magistral building for the Louvre in Lens, I became fascinated by this Japanese architecture firm. Their talent is not visible here. As Andrew Ayers, Architectural Record’s Paris correspondent, brilliantly relates in his recent article, “the milky, diaphanous, rippling façade like draped silvery gauze” (nicknamed the shower curtain) is not appealing. “It is glassily dull like a dead fish eye”. The two floors on rue de Rivoli are “low ceiling and lackluster… and joyless”.

The retail space on rue de Rivoli is low ceiling and joyless

A corner with Devialet music systems is pretty and armchairs in the main atrium are useful for tired shoppers. The floor I preferred was underground, the perfume and beauty level with a spa, a “make up bar” and a “Kure Bazaar” for hair. It reminded me a little bit of Bloomingdales with lots of attractive saleswomen and many many brands.

A sculptural installation of Ruinart champagne: everything is geared towards marketing

So sadly, this premium spot facing Ile de la Cité and Hotel de La Monnaie will not regain its past popular splendor nor its usefulness. An add in 1971 featured a pink elephant shipped from Africa for a demanding customer! We are far from this sense of humor and personal shoppers will deal with customers from DFS.

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16 Comments on “The reopening of La Samaritaine is a non event”

  1. What a disappointment ! And you sum it up so well. I walked by it for years regretting that Would miss the opening…and clearly I haven’t missed much. IT will probably end up in someone else’s hands before long !

  2. How terribly sad and yet utterly and depressingly predictable.
    Congratulations on this frank and feisty review, you’re absolutely right, Parisians deserve better!

  3. What a disappointment!
    It was either the Louvre or La Samarataine when the rains came and the baby sitter was available when we lived across the River in the 70’s.

  4. Such a beautiful building and then why? these ugly sunscreens. So much money spent and nobody could think of a
    nicer and better solution?
    Thank you for your diary Laure, I really enjoy it.
    When I visit Paris next month ( Christo) I will surely visit some of your recommendations .

  5. Laure

    Do you know the reason Le Toupary is closed? We can see the potted plants a floor up and above the twin glass domes. You’ve captured the tone of the reopening and I’m outraged that only costly boutiques do business here, and same at Le Bon Marche, neither are a good bargain now b

  6. I only just read this item from you – I apologise for the delay – but I must agree with your opinions! One of the greatest pleasures I used to have when I went to Paris ( from Wellington, New Zealand) was to go to the roof -top restaurant – lovely food at an affordable price and the view all around was a dream. Later in life it was such a pleasure to introduce our then 25 year old daughter and her fiancé to this wonderful place.

    What a pity that we have succumbed to the ugly, boring wealth of the mercantile ignoramus’ Still like you, I treasure all my past visits and feel sad for the young people who cannot know how wonderful it once was.

  7. Complètement d’accord avec vous et une mention particulière pour le regretté Toupary (ah son tartare!) qui permettait de profiter d’une vue imprenable sur la rive gauche sans snobisme et sans y laisser un budget “week-end en Europe”.

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