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The first year or two I lived in Paris, the department store La Samaritaine was still open. It may not have been the most beautiful or designy emporium in town (though owned by luxury group LVMH), but it was the closest to me, which in everyday parlance meant it was the place I usually frequented when d.s. items were needed chez nous. La Samaritaine was also located in a prime spot with a lovely view of the Seine by my favorite bridge, the Pont Neuf. Little things like this matter to one living life in a city or a town. We learn the short cuts, develop store pals, and sooner or later get dragged down into the ruts we dig ourselves into.
But before I had time for that, La Samaritaine shut its doors for good one afternoon out of the blue because of serious safety problems. Hell's bells, as my mother would say. So I had to cut a new path to Galleries Lafayette, which was an agreeable tad more upscale if a bit further away.
While La Samaritaine was shut, fini, terminated, the windows of said store stayed just as they were on closing day--for what seemed like years. So every time I walked by, I was looking into ghost windows. The Day That Paris Stood Still. Finally, someone realized it was time for the haints to go bye-bye and posters of chic Parisians scenes were installed.
So continuing the theme of Parisian store windows, here are some of ghost store La Samaritaine's. Pictures provided. The story is yours to fill in:
P.S. The restaurant, Kong, is right next door to specter-ish La Samaritaine and has a similar view, but the one time husband and I went there--and made a reservation way in advance--they gave us a crummy table and were unclassily snooty. I shall not go back again.
---Beth Arnold in Paris
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