Felix Potin, was THE Paris grocer, with the slogan, "Félix Potin, on y revient!”
(“Félix Potin, your go-to store!”)
The favourite of the Parisian Bourgoisie from the mid 1800s in much in the same way that wealthy English people would buy from the Queen's choice; Fortnum and Mason.
Read on for a potted history of Felix Potin and the sought after Potin collectibles .
So beautifully designed ... They transport us back to a bygone Parisian age of elegance!
Today Felix Potin advertising memorabilia is highly sought after and collectible, not just in his native France, but across the world. There is such a huge vatiety, but his ironstone crocks, in all their shades of patination, are the most widely collected.
I always get a flutter of joy when I find perhaps a Felix Potin biscuit tin or maybe purfume bottle at a Paris fleamarket, this ironstone confiture crock, below, however was extra special. Found at dawn by torchlight at one of my favourite Paris flea markets, it is not only polychromatic, and a rare design, but it still has part of the original sticker, you can still read the words 'Felix Potin'.
Felix Potin was born in 1820 on the Île de France (the area surrounding central Paris) and opened his eponymous first store in Paris in 1844, when he was just 24, swiftly followed by more branches as his company branded products became very popular.
In 1860 he moved firmly into the forefront of the Parisian large store luxury food and homeware sector, opening a two floor store on the Boulevard de Sebastopol, at the time one of the grandest and most exclusive Haussemann boulevards in Paris.
His name is still over the door although it is now a Monoprix, and the ornate interior is covered by modern shop fittings. See the Sebastopol store below, taken late 2023.
There remains, as a landmark to his memory, probably the most beautiful store in Paris, below, with its fairytale turret, illuminated name, Art Nouveau sinuous lines and mosaic friezes.
Located in an upmarket area of Paris 6ème, just round the corner from me on Rue de Rennes, opened in 1904 it is now a Zara, but its architecture is so delightful I make sure I pass it often to pay my respects!
After Felix's early death, his wife Josephine and later their children, took over and grew the business. Maintining the luxury Paris stores, (addresses at the end if you want to visit them), by 1927 the company employed 8000 people and had 70 branches as well as extensive wine caves.
They set up franchises through the Paris suburbs and across the main French towns, and started home delivery services in smart branded vans, initially horse drawn. The franchises were often run by former employees which ensured the integrity of the brand was maintained.
Back in the mid 1800s, the company started off as a small enterprise, buying products in and rebranding them in their grocery stores, but soon opened their own factories to manufacture their own products, all with their own in house branding. They expanded to toiletries and food related homeware such as flatware and bottle openers, very much like a modern Parisian supermarket of which it was a forerunner.
The business grew and continued in this way until the family sold it in 1958.
Why is Felix Potin Paris advertising so collectible?
I think because they are so beautifully designed, the branding that made his business so successful has endured. They transport us back to a bygone Parisian age of elegance! If only grocery stores packaged their products so attractively today!
Here is a small selection of the Felix Potin collectibles that are in and have passed through my online brocante over the years. The gold plated spoons and cake forks gave people a touch of Potin luxury and magic in their own homes, just as they can for you today.
Want to visit the buildings that housed the flagship Felix Potin stores in Paris?
97 to 103 Boulevard de Sébastopol
140 Rue de Rennes
45 & 47 Boulevard Malesherbes
99 Faubourg Saint-Antoine
To view the collection of Felix Potin collectibles on my website, click the button