The beautiful window of Solidar Meubles in Tarbes

The smiles of the volunteers who keep Solidar Meubles alive speak volumes. “Frankly, the room is fabulous. There’s space. It’s bright. Look at how our furniture is showcased!” In fact, it looks like a trendy decor store… And when you know it’s just reclaimed furniture, it’s a wonder. “All the furniture that we exhibit here is for sale”, specifies Marylène Bernou, the director of this new Le Grenier sales space, now located on rue des Carmes in Tarbes (it was previously at the Sainte-Anne crossroads), “and I am all restored, in their original spirit, or personalized, according to the wishes of the customers or the creativity of our beneficiaries.” And frankly there’s nothing to throw away, there’s something for all tastes, classic, not to say rustic, but also creations, “revisited” furniture with the best taste. Geneviève Isson, president of the association, is very proud to show a superb sideboard, personalized by a Colombian “hosted” by Solidar Meubles. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? He spent hours on it, but it’s very beautiful.”

good job

Yes, it’s beautiful, but the “mission” is even more so. “It’s an integration project, we welcome people who are looking for themselves, to regain self-confidence, working on furniture, it’s concrete. If their salaries are financed by the State and the Department through the integration systems, we have to finance those of our own technical supervisors, it is thanks to the sale of this furniture. Until 2021, we were a “subsidiary” of the Secours Populaire, now we are autonomous , even if we remain very close. the furniture we restore comes from donations made to Secours Populaire.” But that’s not all, Solidar Meubles also provides “tailor-made” services for private individuals. “We are asked to restore a piece of furniture, or to revisit it, we invoice the service.” Useless to say that it costs less than with a cabinetmaker or a carpenter… “You just have to bring us the piece of furniture in question and when it’s not possible, we’ll come to your home if necessary. We recently restored all the cabinetry in one kitchen.”

So, to discover all this furniture and measure the amount of talent that animates Solidar Meubles, go to the Grenier, 9 rue des Carmes (05.62.31.88.47). If you want to have one of your furniture refurbished, call the workshop (05.62.38.16.54) located on avenue des Forges. And finally, to donate a piece of furniture, you can call 06.02.01.81.54. And if you want to give away time, Mobili Solidari is always looking for volunteers…