PARISIAN LIFE UPENDED
=>More details at the bottom of the page
=> More details at the bottom of the page
=> More details at the bottom of the page
How did the "French-style" drugstore, as Americans called it, come into being?
It was from a trip to the United States that Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet (1906-1996), the legendary creator of the Publicis agency, brought back the concept of the Drugstore. Across the Atlantic, these stores ventured far beyond their original pharmaceutical purpose: in addition to “drugs,” they sold newspapers, tobacco, records, perfume, toys… One could grab a quick meal there until late at night. To gauge the immediate magnetic power of the Publicis Drugstore, one must remember what Paris was like at the time.
“A city where you couldn’t buy anything after 6 PM. The Champs-Elysées still had no galleries,” recalls Pierre Marcus, an agency veteran, son of one of Bleustein-Blanchet’s right-hand men. “The United States fascinated people, and few went there: we dreamed while watching long-haul flights take off at Orly. Imagine the shock of savoring the first hamburgers or banana splits in France!”
Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet recounts: “Before the war, I was struck by discovering in New York this entirely new style of store where everything was sold. I wanted to be the first in France to try something similar.”
In his Memoirs of a Lion, Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet nevertheless recounts having to roar to impose his idea and redevelop the ground floor of the former Astoria hotel at the top of the Champs-Elysées. The majestic building has housed his advertising agency since 1958; before that, it served as HQ for General Eisenhower, then for NATO. The Minister of Justice, Michel Debré, encouraged him to prefer the term “bazar.” It was a lost cause.”
Summer 1955: MBB had just purchased the Astoria hotel.
In November 1957, the offices were ready. Publicis took possession and left 75 Champs-Elysées.”
But what form, what appearance, what configuration should such a drugstore have? There was no example that could serve as a reference, a model. Everything had to be invented.
Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet entrusted the project to “a Publicis stylist” of whom, he said, he had “sensed great talent”: Slavik. (France-Soir, November 23, 1970, interview upon the release of his book La Rage de convaincre)
There was no question of calling upon the talents, no matter how renowned, of a Claude Parent, a Roger Tallon, or even Charlotte Perriand. There was no question of organizing a competition.
Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet appointed Slavik. Slavik disappeared for a month. When he reappeared before Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet, it was not with a precise plan, nor with drawings, nor even with sketches that would give an idea of what the restaurant, bookstore, or pharmacy space could be, no, it was with a board. “Here’s what I propose for the covering, it’s stained cedar.”
Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet’s comment, “It’s going to look like a cigar box,” was not an objection. Slavik had carte blanche. But Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet demanded decorative objects that Slavik, accompanied by Peter Knapp, would buy at Les Puces (luggage racks, suitcases, rifles…).
April 15, 1958. Drugstore opening. The “Publicis drugstore,” as it would be called, was open from 8 AM to 2 AM, 7 days a week.
In 1964 : “Modern life is a source of loneliness and anxiety,” comments Slavik. “People want to feel secure and not be blinded by neon lights.” One of the reasons so many people felt at home in the Paris Drugstore came from the intrinsic warmth of the materials chosen by Slavik: supple black or brown leather, gleaming brass and copper, and the mental ease provided, he emphasized, by being surrounded by wood. “I used every last plank of Lebanese cedar still available in France,” he admitted. “And it smells good too.”
September 28/29, 1972: Fire at the Publicis building, which was completely destroyed, including the drugstore.
After 1972: Slavik briefly explained in his detached way: “Modern life is a source of loneliness and anxiety; people want to feel secure and not be blinded by neon lights. I designed the first drugstore in 1957, the one that burned down. For Publicis, I based the architecture on datchas. The place was all wood and very comfortable; a crossroads, an emergency service for the non-sick! A place for anti-loneliness, a place you don’t want to leave. Because you tell yourself: ‘I forgot to buy cigarettes, a newspaper, and since I have that and it’s raining outside, I’m tired’; So we would sit down and drink. We offered snacks to people who were having a drink, and then we realized they stayed for lunch or dinner.
Location
133 Av. des Champs-Élysées, 75008 Paris
Press Review
Canadian English newspaper by Monique de Faucon 1964:
“Born Wiatscheslav Vassiliev 44 years ago in Estonia, Slavik is the slender, blond, and handsomely bearded innovator who became known overnight for his ‘spectacular, extraordinary, fantastic Drugstore on the Champs Elysées.”
The first of its kind in France, this complex of restaurants, bars, gift shop, pharmacy, tobacco, and international newspapers is a place where something is always happening, especially if you’re bored or feeling down. Although 5,000 people pass through it every day, there is an atmosphere of friendly intimacy without feeling crowded.”
New York Herald Tribune, Paris, January 21, 1965
Translation:
“According to one of the Publicis executives, the French advertising agency that built the Drugstore (at the Étoile), the latter was intended to “prove that we were capable of reviving a dead part of the Champs-Elysées and to show that we had our own Raymond Loewy.”
Revue Adam 1971:
“The opening of the drugstore is a triumph!
This first drugstore would be a prototype, a laboratory. The basic principle: to create a commercial happening while making customers fall in love with the place to the point of becoming long-term regulars.”
“Politicians also quickly made the drugstore their regular spot,” recalls Maurice Lévy. “Very early on Wednesdays, you’d see them come to buy Le Canard enchaîné and read it while drinking coffee. Sometimes leaving with a dejected look…”
Claude Marcus, Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet’s nephew and future CEO of Publicis, recounted: “For the inauguration, our guests queued up, and they were not the type to queue!”
The Bookstore
In L’enfant du 15 août: memoirs – Robert Laffont – 2013
Régine Desforges “was hired as a bookseller at the opening of the drugstore under the direction of Jeanine R. (Rabureau), ‘mad with happiness to be among books. I learned the trade in a few days.’“
“I enjoyed my work at the drugstore: opening packages, taking out books, registering them, browsing them, displaying them on the table or shelving them. I loved contact with customers, discussions about this or that work, the advice some gave me, relations with sales representatives from whom I learned a lot, meetings with writers who came to ensure their work was well-placed, politicians, journalists. This was the era when an article in Le Monde could launch a book.
This is how I sold stacks of Céline’s Nord, Louis Pauwels’ Matin des Magiciens, Sempé’s Petit Nicolas, and Raymond Abello’s Fosse de Babel. I was disappointed by this last read, having devoured Les yeux d’Ezechiel sont ouverts, his previous novel. Another great success, Alberto Moravia’s Le Mépris. Colette’s books, who had just died, also sold well.
I developed the erotic books section, especially those published in English by Maurice Girodias, in his publishing house, The Olympia Press, where Nabokov’s novel, Lolita, had appeared. The success of this section earned me observations from Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet, the head of Publicis. Despite the support of Slavik, who had built the Drugstore, I was forced to eliminate a large number of them.
In my orders to representatives, I favored Editions de Minuit, François Maspero, Jean-Jacques Pauvert, and Le Terrain vague. It was undoubtedly in this Champs Elysées bookstore that the largest number of copies of Henri Alleg’s La Question, which denounced torture in Algeria, and Paul Nizan’s Aden Arabie were sold. At Editions Pauvert I primarily offered works of erotology and Georges Bataille’s novels. It was a shock for me to discover L’Erotisme, Le Bleu du ciel, and Le Mort.
“On the Champs-Elysées, I had a front-row seat to frequent demonstrations. I would then abandon the bookstore to rush into the street. Left-wing parties chanted:
- Fascism will not pass!
- And those supporting French Algeria yelled:
- – French Algeria! French Algeria!
This led to skirmishes drowned in the tear gas grenades launched by the CRS.”
September 26, 1986: Publicis Alumni Day
Extract from the Publicis text
“September 26, 1986: Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet organized a lunch for eighty people on the seventh floor of his building at the Étoile, to which all Publicis alumni, the prodigal children of the house, were invited.”
“Reunions in the fertile ground of memories, a radiant atmosphere tinged with nostalgia, rejoicing and recalling the journey made, often the success achieved, vitality was in the air, celebrities congratulated each other. The Grimblat-Dumayet-Slavik trio had re-formed, Feldman and Calleux arrived as organized accomplices. A speech from the President that made hearts beat faster, even if it was nothing unexpected for the old hands gathered around the leader, a loyalty that years could not diminish.”
