Shopping in Marseille in Maison Empereur France’s Oldest Hardware Store

Did you know Marseille has France’s oldest quincaillerie or hardware shop?

It really is a must-visit if you are interested in traditional Provencal life. Take the magnificent big hand-graters, for instance – just the sort of gadget used in café kitchens many years ago to churn out carrots and cabbage for salads.  Then there are traditional crepe pans for sale and Provencal jugs for the table.

Visitor’s Guide to Marseille

Maison Empereur

Open the door to this rambling 1300m2 (roughly 14,000 sq ft) boutique and enter a fantastical world of hardware, culinary equipment, textiles, and giftware. Regardless of what’s on your shopping list, Maison Empereur, which opened its doors in 1827 as a hardware store (quincaillerie), is a must-visit in Marseille.

Today, the shop is a department store featuring high-quality French and European brands run by the seventh generation of the family. Maison Empereur now occupies a building on Rue des Récolettes with 50,000 items available. The store is part of the notable heritage of the City of Marseille.

The Maison Empereur coat of arms includes three wolves who guard the business and the historical building. An olive branch also represents continuous longevity for the family, and a grapevine symbolizes life and revitalization—finally, a crown for the City of Marseille.

Maison Empereur
4, rue des Récolettes
13001 Marseille
Open Monday to Saturday from 9h to 19h (does not close for lunch)
Tel: +33 (0)4 91 54 02 29

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