Aude: “Éphémère Concept”, a new shop for craftsmen

It has already been 1 month since the “Ephemeral Concept” store opened its doors, 3 Route Minervoise. A novelty on the initiative of two from Carcassonne, Michèle Azzopardi and Louisa Ortega. The main desire was to create a place of sharing, Michèle took the initiative: “The idea was to cross everything. I bought this place to bring together the different entities that we can find. After work, we asked ourselves the question : what to do with this empty place? We soon realized that by ourselves we are nothing, so we decided to make this place available to the artisans and their know-how. Our agency shares the premises with the ‘exhibitors’, everything is shared”.

A way of doing that works, but above all that gives an opportunity to small local designers, but also to have visibility: “We find artisans who don’t necessarily have the means to pay the rent, a shop, or to have a website We ask for an amount to be exposed for a minimum of 1 month, but which remains well below the rents we can find”, continues Michèle Azzopardi.

“With us, it’s hassle-free”

Louisa Ortega, for her part, was in charge of research and propaganda. A large part of the project which is very important: “In the beginning I did a lot with people I knew, but also with word of mouth. Now thanks to social networks, but also since the opening, I have few people who contact me directly. So obviously we make a selection, we want to keep the soul and style of this place, but we find a bit of everything in the shop. There are 12 craftsmen who work with us, we are waiting for 2 more. For the moment, we see that the project is liked and it attracts people, so we keep going,” reveals Louisa. “Éphémère Concept” defines itself as a real meeting place. If the shop itself brings together different skills: jewelry, through clothing, but also decorations or basketry. Her style is no less authentic: “We keep this somewhat ‘chic’ side, but we revolve a lot around sharing between artisans. Everyone encounters it. With us, there is no confusion,” closes Louisa Ortega.

In the future, the shop intends to create events, “one a month ideally”, reveals Michèle Azzopardi. The goal is to make the exhibitors known, but also to bring animation along this street, “to allow people to see our products”, continues Michèle. Pending a response from the town hall, the “Ephemeral Concept” shop remains open to all customers.