He greets me but quickly adds, “I have no time this afternoon. In front of the store, a sign reads, “Ring the bell, I’m fixing upstairs.” I ring and a few moment later, Thierry appears. Pep’s is the last-standing shop in an old tradition In the middle of the 18th century, there were even some umbrella rental stores on each side of Paris’ main squares and bridges, so that people could rent an umbrella just for the time it took to walk across - rather than having to own an umbrella of their own. Prior to then, umbrellas were disregarded by the well-to-do in the city, as carrying one often indicated a lower social status: someone who had to walk and couldn’t afford a horse-carriage. The last of a long list, because umbrella fixers were once a popular trade, back in 19th-century Paris. Thierry is the last of his kind in Europe: the last official umbrella fixer. “Pep’s” it says on the front door, an opened yellow umbrella hanging from the door as the shop’s signature. Nestled along lush, colourful Passage de l’Ancre, one of Paris’ most adorable hidden streets, Therry Millet runs his tiny boutique. India and Africa still count thousands of umbrella fixers, but here, I’m the last.”īy Tim Demeillers, Paris Urban Adventures “I’m a survivor, the last of a long tradition here in Paris.
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