Rochefort museum savors the 'every days' of yore

At the beginning of the 20th century, one could find all kinds of
products at their local grocers. This shop is on display at
Musée des Commerces d'Autrefois in Rochefort.

Growing up, I collected postage stamps, a hobby my dad started for me. I also had a doll collection, which Santa, the Easter Bunny, and my mom cultivated. I still have a bowl of polished stones that rocked my world when I was about 11. In my teens, I amassed shelves full of children's books. Nowadays, I prefer to collect memories.

A recreation of a local bar is on display
at Musée des Commerces d'Autrefois in Rochefort.

Sometimes a collection can turn into an accumulation, and then, perhaps, become a passion. This is what happened with Christine and Jean-François Bourbigot, the founders of the charming Musée des Commerces d'Autrefois (Old Trade Museum) in Rochefort. Visiting this museum with my sister is the perfect respite from a horrifying news week. During our visit, we check out thousands of objects and faithfully recreated rooms and shops from the early 1900s. 

Shoes gained popularity over clogs at the dawn of the 20th century. A cobbler's
workshop is on display at Musée des Commerces d'Autrefois in Rochefort.

A tea shop from the early 1900s is on display at
Musée des Commerces d'Autrefois in Rochefort.

Christine and Jean-François started collecting items related to trade and crafts in the early 1980s. By 1988 their collection had expanded so much that they began looking for a space in which to create a museum to showcase their vast collection. Soon they found the perfect location: a 1,000-square-meter hardware warehouse full of Eiffel-style architectural touches located in the center of Rochefort. 

Musée des Commerces d'Autrefois is located in an Eiffel-style
former hardware warehouse in the center of Rochefort.

Photography was a rapidly expanding profession at the beginning
of the 20th century. This studio is located at Musée des Commerces
d'Autrefois in Rochefort.

Today, visitors can wander at leisure through the museum, admiring thousands of advertising mementos including enamel plaques posters, and tchotchkes. Best of all, Christine and Jean-François recreated more than a dozen life-size rooms, shops, and artisan workshops, filled to the brim with original items of all kinds. 

Coffee gained popularity in the early 1900s. Café Freddy can
be found at Musée des Commerces d'Autrefois in Rochefort. 

One can imagine a rowdy game of foosball at
Musée des Commerces d'Autrefois in Rochefort.

This sad fellow is one of thousands of advertising mementos
at Musée des Commerces d'Autrefois in Rochefort.

Our visit starts in a school classroom complete with desks, posters, books, and pens and ink, with which guests can try their hands at writing the way students used to do. On the upper three floors, we find an array of shops including haberdashery, dry cleaning workshop, chemist, photography studio, cobbler, general store, grocery, seed shop, hairdresser, café, and newsstand, each chockfull of details. Signs in French and in English are displayed by each shop. 

At the beginning of the 20th century, people of all ages wouldn't go out
without their hats. This haberdashery is on display at Musée des Commerces
d'Autrefois in Rochefort.

A century ago, customers would have their clothes dyed as well as
dry-cleaned in workshops such as this one found at Musée des
Commerces d'Autrefois in Rochefort.

In the early 1900s, hairdressers would offer manicures, massages,
perfume, wigs, and accessories in addition to shaves and haircuts. This
shop is on display at Musée des Commerces d'Autrefois in Rochefort.

The day of our visit is as gray as our moods, and although the city isn't particularly stunning, Rochefort offers a variety of sites that could provide a full day or two of museum-hopping. To know more about Musée des Commerces d'Autrefois, visit museedescommerces.com. 

This is one of many unusual marketing objects found at
Musée des Commerces d'Autrefois in Rochefort.