When it was announced that the legendary bookshop Le Pont Traversé would definitely close down on the 31st of December in Paris, many French TV stations put in phone calls and tried to convince Josée Comte-Béalu to do a filmed interview. She refused every single one of them.
https://lithub.com/the-quiet-death-of-a-legendary-parisian-bookstore/
From the article:
“TVs suddenly show an interest in interviewing me because the bookshop is closing, but I think that we should rather talk about those who are just getting started,” added Josée, who, like her boutique, turned 70 this year.
Situated at the edge of the Luxembourg gardens on the Left bank, Le Pont Traversé is now forced out of business because of rising rents. This is not unprecedented in the world of independent bookstores—the same forces brought down the 70-year-old bookshop La Hune on Saint Germain-de-Près, not far from Le Pont Traversé, four years ago.
The sixth arrondissement is often crowned as the most expensive Parisian district, and after years of struggling, Comte-Béalu hasn’t managed to find anyone to carry on the business launched by her late husband. Locals are bitter about seeing these cultural institutions disappear and be replaced by luxury fashion stores, which have been encroaching on Paris’s literary district.
Emphasis added.
