In a black and white photograph, a bus parked in front of the town hall of Montluçon displays an advertisement for the Grande Pharmacie de Paris. “The first in the region,” trumpeted advertising from the first half of the 20th century. Decades have passed, this business on Boulevard de Courtais still has a caduceus for its sign and is characterized as in the past by long displays, coupled with reserves on the first floor.
All our articles on Boulevard de Courtais
One family since 1957
The same family has run the shop since 1957. Coming from Bort-les-Orgues (Corrèze), where the end of the construction of the dam had dried up the activity of his pharmacy, Pierre Johanny had chosen to settle in Montluçon, at a time when business was booming in the industrial city. His daughter Marie-Odile and his son-in-law Patrice Conche joined him in 1972, then his granddaughter Florence Conche took over the business in 2005. The pharmacy has probably existed since the first decade of the 20th century, believe current pharmacists.
A slightly less ideal location today
Located at number 27, it has a prominent place on the boulevard. “It was a privileged location before the creation of supermarkets. Commercially speaking, it is no longer the best place, given the lack of parking spaces,” comments Patrice Conche, who experienced a prosperous period in the 1970s and 1990s when four to five hundred customers passed through every day. At 77, he still lends a hand to the shop, as a salaried pharmacist. “We can’t find a second pharmacist,” he explains. They say there are no more doctors, but there are no more pharmacists either. »
repeat customers
The family is loyal to the boulevard de Courtais, the customers too. “People tell me that they knew my grandfather or that they remember me as a child,” notes Florence Conche, doctor of pharmacy, who represents the third generation.
A medicine slide
In 1999, the family carried out major works to bring the shop up to date. The old ladders, which made it possible to grab medicines at height, have given way to large, more practical sliding drawers. The slide, which allows boxes to be lowered from the reserve, has not moved. Florence has always known him. “There are always children who ask for the medicine to take the slide,” she laughs.
–
Receive our eco newsletter by email and find the latest news from economic players in your region.
–
–
NL {“path”:”mini-inscription/MT_Decideur”,”accessCode”:”14170034″,”allowGCS”:”true”,”bodyClass”:”ripo_generic”,”contextLevel”:”KEEP_ALL”,”filterMotsCles”: “1|13|80|102|1903″,”gabarit”:”generic”,”hasEssentiel”:”true”,”idArticle”:”4170034″,”idArticlesList”:”4170034″,”idDepartement”:”221 “,”idZone”:”6119″,”motsCles”:”1|13|80|102|1903″,”premium”:”true”,”pubs”:”banniere_haute|article”,”site”:”MT “,”sousDomain”:”www”,”tagsArticle”:”#courtais”,”urlTitle”:”the-paris-pharmacy-an-institution-over-a-century-old- the-boulevard-de-courtais-in-montlucon-allier”}
–
The job is no longer the same
Over time, the activity changed. “We no longer do the same job at all,” remarks Florence Conche. Before, we manufactured drugs, today everything goes through industry. We still occasionally manufacture capsules, suppositories or ointments, but this is very rare. »
The family surprisingly does not own the premises. Florence Conche affirms that the idea of moving has already been considered, but without follow-up. “We would lose our identity,” she says.
Guillaume Bellavoine
In the archives of the pharmacy, the Conche family found a diary from 1924 with the logo of the Grande Pharmacie de Paris, an almanac from 1935 also mentioning the trade.
premium The Flicks, a resistance family at the top of Boulevard de Courtais, in Montluçon
–
