Saturday, March 21, 2009

Wholesaler in Le Sentier


I already mentioned the historical area of Paris called Le Sentier (after the name of one of the major streets that runs through it) which is also the heart of the French clothing wholesale. As I already mentionned, it was originally the Jews who had most of the shmates (clothe in Yiddish) business these, but now, they are more and more replaced by Chinese and Pakistani. Here is a proof! The René Somekh business does not exist anymore, even if its plaque remains...

34 comments:

  1. GOLDEN FINGER!!!!


    Finally!!!

    Hello everyone!!!

    Hello ERIC

    ReplyDelete
  2. Happy congrats on GF, El extrano mundo le Laury Paris. Doesn't it just feel special? It made my day yesterday seem so whimsical!

    This shot is extremely poignant and has emotional depth. I also like the shades of blue.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I like this, Eric. You've shown old signs here before, and there's always such a sweet nostalgia about them. This one, too.

    I think we'll have to get PHX to explain the GF rules, dear Laury Paris! Officially, I believe Lydia has the GF again today. Correct me if I'm wrong folks, but one has to not only be first, but also type two lines about the photo. That's what makes the fingers golden--typing while excited!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love this melancholy shot with its blues and grays. Alas, in these times we are seeing way too many signs for businesses no longer existing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hmmmm.. you know you're getting old when people point to what "used to be" and you remember it clearly even though it was decades ago (sigh).

    I get these pangs of nostalgia when I walk through the Marais as well, which is not very far.

    Don't get me started on the 5th, lol! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Fading beauty. Wistful looking. Lovely, Eric!

    Congrats on being one of the most excited sounding potential GFs I've seen, Laury Paris! I think I heard you from here. I have a feeling Lydia does get the technical points as Petrea suspects {pending phx's official say}, so congrats to Lydia, too.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Boo hoo Laury, to be Golden Finger, it becomes a contest, and Lydia wins the game today. Please try again, as you will find it really makes you sweat!!!! You earn it because you know someone else is typing away about the picture, not just wheeeeeeeeeee as one nameless person did one day (UKlynn)which started the whole contest. Guess who won the first contest????...UKLynn. There is hope!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm sorry now. I didn't mean to burst Laury's bubble! I know the thrill of typing those GF words!

    ReplyDelete
  9. How interesting! The last name Somekh sounds Indian to me, if anything, because it is not a familiar Jewish last name in America. I guess it would be readily identifiable in France as a Jewish last name.
    Gozlan is the last name of a Jewish Parisian friend who told me that the French would recognize it immediately as Jewish name.
    I find it interesting that Yiddish has found its way into French unless you, Eric, are 100% fluent in every aspect of of American English, as not every American knows shmates! Yes, it is referred to as the Shmates Trade on 7th Avenue in NYC. You would also take a shmate (rag) to clean a spill.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Actually, Petrea, if the rule is that there must be two sentences, each about the photo posted.....then YOU are the GF today!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi,

    My name is Fernando Gennaro and I live in Brazil.

    Please contact me. My email is degennaromotors@bol.com.br

    Thank you very much.

    Fernando A. De Gennaro

    ReplyDelete
  12. Plus ca change . . . plus ca change!

    I'm getting a big kick out of Eric using the word shmatte (from the Polish, szmata, btw). You'd make a good New Yorker, Eric—we all speak Yiddish, whether we're Jewish or not! Love the blues & grays in the photo too.

    Laury Paris -- try again, okay? I love your enthusiasm.

    ReplyDelete
  13. You are right Lydia, PETRA WINS! I think you win BEST SPORT!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I was thinking the same thing as Alexa. Eric, I do appreciate the interesting historical note here. And congrats to Laury Paris above for first to comment. Her joyous enthusiasm is much deserving of at least a high five. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  15. I can just picture the colour slowly fading from poor Laury's Goldfinger as each comment came out, with Lydia's finger ever so briefly experiencing the Midas Touch - only for the Coldfinger of Petrea to claim the crown!
    Do you feel gilty Petrea?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Things keep getting curiouser and curiouser ~ Congratulations, Petrea!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hello everyone, glad to read you again - and to see you enjoyed my Yiddish 101 lesson!

    I just arrived in Adelaide where I'm staying with Ian and Andrea Bennet (better known as M. et Mme Benaut here. My trip to Uluru and Kings Canyon was really great, I'll tell you more, one day, when I have more time.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Say hi to the Benauts for me!


    Eric I recently read a book about some of the things that happened in Paris during WWII and now whenever I see something about the Marais area I remember one episode that took place at the
    Velodrome d'Hiver.

    Apparently it's a polemic topic for the french, they don't like to talk about it much. I was wondering if kids learn about it at school?

    Sorry to mention it, it's just that this sign of a jewish shop that no longer exists there made me think of it.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hi Monica and my dear friends.

    Eric has laughed us all out and we will be showing him some of the Great South Land in the days to come.

    Adelaide Daily Photo has resurfaced and the credit goes to the French.

    I will do my best to get back into the swing of blogging and re-joining you all.

    À l'heure actuelle, quatre personnes rient tellement, en français, en anglais, et en Globish ! ! !

    (Globish:- le langage qu'on parle au Château du Loir. Merci mon ami, Philippe.)

    ReplyDelete
  20. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Bonjour Eric et les Benauts! It's a joy to see you all.

    Next time I'll let someone else be Lucy Van Pelt. Laury should have a crown for enthusisasm.

    But I don't understand, Lydia. What's wrong with your two lines? Two lines about the photo: can't one of them be your opinion about it, as in "I also like..."?

    PHX-CDG! Please clarify!

    Drummond, I do feel "gilty" now.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Its so nice to have the time back to check in here again. Another blue urban gem from Eric's Paris. Even the color is nostalgic. The name sounds so Asian to me, too. Many of our immigrant names were changed in the old days by the folks at Ellis Island, that we may have more people in the US who used to be named this than we realize.

    PHX and Lydia - I don't understand what disqualifies Lydia, either. Laury Paris - the next time will feel just as good as this time!

    Eric - its wonderful to hear you're enjoying your vacation so much and its also a treat to hear that you're staying at chez Benaut. May the good times continue to roll.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I have granted Laury Paris an honorable crown of welcome to the Cirque d'PDP. Hey, PHX: is it two LINES or two SENTENCES? It makes difference. You can stretch out the window and two lines become one, and vice versa. (You were a teacher, you know that details count!)

    The histoire de Le Sentier is fascinating. Monica, I think every nation has black episodes and eras. We should remember them, and learn.

    BTW: 42 days before I leave for Europe, and 52 days until Paris.

    ReplyDelete
  24. BTW...Alexa, belated Happy Birthday wishes to you. Just caught it on your blog. If Suzy is around, she needs to check out your blog too, oui...for there's something lurking there that she would certainly shout three times about. LOL Hey, cheers Alexa!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Thanks, Coltrane, mon ami fidele --

    Petrea -- I also wish Phx would come on back and clarify (under the circumstances, you'd think I'd know, but) -- is it two sentences about the photo itself, or can't at least one of them be about what Eric has said about it? I think Laury Paris deserves at least a tiara too!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Not sure how you constantly find this stuff Eric, but it is always interesting! And look who's back! Monsieur Benaut!! Glad to see/read you again - and with Le Roi of all people!

    ReplyDelete
  27. M.Benaut so great to hear from you!!!! What a delight to know that Eric is spending time with you two.
    It's a wonderful thing what this PDP does isn't it!


    Jeff, you are right. Although those things are meant to be remembered so that it won't happen again
    (as written in the Memorial de la Deportation at Ile de la Cité: "n'oublie pas"), when I learned about the Vel d'Hiver I also read that some schools in France don't teach about this episode.

    Guille, perhaps could tells us whether it is true or not.

    ReplyDelete
  28. For those who want clairification on GF: Two full lines(not sentances) on the picture posted. That makes things clear and very simple for all of us. Sa Va?
    And for those who get a little out of sorts, it's a simple fun game...open to those who want to play. It's fun. We like nice around the playground here!!!
    Thank you , Petra, for your help!!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Petrea, sorry for the misspelling!
    And, no good deed goes unpunished.

    ReplyDelete
  30. PHX - Wow! All this is news to me!!

    Maybe I'm wrong, but, I think many poeple have gotten GF with two short but complete sentences about the photo, when each sentence didn't fill a full line of the narrow window.

    Also, as Jeff says - the window opens to two sizes, so now the explanation must include that it is two lines that fill up the narrow window, not the full screen.

    All this seems much more explicit than I ever saw before!! Can we petition for a final ruling?! Merci!! : )

    ReplyDelete
  31. I will take "best sport" as Petrea spoke directly about the photo.

    What I am not doing is leaving a comment about the red statue ....only one minute after Eric posted it. I couldn't handle the angst of possibly being GF again this soon!

    Cheers to everyone on a nice weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  32. You are a good sport, Lydia!! Make sure you get back on that horse ... and have a gorgeous weekend.

    ReplyDelete