One of the newest sensations in Paris this summer has been the very long awaited reopening of Samaritaine. It started as a tiny store on the corner of Rue du Pont Neuf by a couple that spent their entire life in retail.
Marie Louise Ja Ja, born on July 1, 1838 came from a large family and was forced to start working at a very early age to help support the family. In 1853 she moved to Paris with her aunt and got a job at La Nouveau Heloise selling lingerie. It was at her next job working at the candy counter of the Bon Marche that she met Ernest Cognaq.
The two married on January 17, 1872 and opened their own store just off the Pont Neuf. It was located just steps away from the pump house that stood on stilts in the Seine next to the bridge. Built under Henri IV to provide water to the district around the Louvre, the building was topped with a sculpture by Bernard & René Fremin. It depicted Jesus in front of the well of Jacob with a woman known as La Samaritaine. It would stand through the 17th C until Louis XVI had it decommissioned and eventually torn down in 1813. As a young man Ernest set up a small stall under a red umbrella on the bridge selling items. So the name was close to his heart.
Marie and Ernest’s store became so popular that they quickly expanded, eventually taking over the entire block all the way to Rue de Rivoli. It was the height of the Parisian department store and to stand out they created practices that are still used today. Letting customers try on clothes, credit accounts, allowing returns, catalog and mail orders. Closer to Marie’s heart was the nursery and hospital for employees and a fund to assist them and to cover medical expenses.
The couple created a vast art collection that you can visit today in Paris at the Musée Cognacq Jay, including one of the largest collections of British art in Paris. Marie died in 1925 and Ernest shortly after in 1928. Their beloved store passed through the hands of family until the 1970’s when the days of the large department store shopping waned. In 2001 LVMH bought it and 20 years later it has reopened beautifully.
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