Audit et conseil en stratégieBon Marché Rive Gauche: safeguarding the oral memory of the Parisian department store
Client
Bon Marché Rive Gauche
Expertise implemented
(Re)constitution of collections
BACKGROUND
Aristide and Marguerite Boucicaut founded Parisâs first department store in 1852. As the Boucicauts transformed an existing novelty shop into a model of commercial innovation, Le Bon MarchĂ© revolutionised the high street. The original building grew to become the epitome of modern retail, offering customers fixed prices, home delivery, sales, and even mail-order shopping. Aristide and Marguerite were also dedicated philanthropists who prioritised the well-being of their employees: the couple created a provident fund and provided free medical care. Today, Le Bon MarchĂ© Rive Gauche is celebrating over 170 years of history.
Challenges
As a specialist in the collection and promotion of oral history, ArkhĂȘnum was commissioned by Le Bon MarchĂ© Rive Gauche to collect oral testimonies. The projectâs aim was to set up and organise Le Bon MarchĂ©âs archive collection and document the creation of its artistic direction. This work resulted in two video interviews, one with FrĂ©dĂ©ric Bodenes, Artistic and Image Director of Le Bon MarchĂ© Rive Gauche and La Grande Ăpicerie de Paris, and the other with Monica Burckhardt, Curator of the Toys Department of the MusĂ©e des Arts DĂ©coratifs, who was behind the initial work on the department storeâs heritage collections.
Preserving the collective memory of an iconic institution
Le Bon MarchĂ© Rive Gauche sought to preserve these two oral testimonies which document an important chapter in its history. With filming complete, ArkhĂȘnum produced chronological, thematic and analytical indexes that allow users to search the videos, either by keywords or time segments. The archived voices of the two employees can also be used in the department storeâs future heritage promotion projects. These recordings supplement the company’s heritage archive collection.
In situ filming
The ArkhĂȘnum team filmed the interviews on site at Le
Bon Marché Rive Gauche. An oral-archives specialist
led the interviews using questionnaires tailored to each participant.
Every page turned is an archived story
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