This is a new page that will open at the beginning of next year at the cabinetmaking workshop of Mazerulles in Meurthe-et-Moselle. A young companion trained on the spot will take over the business from the Walser family and thus perpetuate a know-how that dates back to 1876.
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It is a saga that began one day in 1876. That year, Georges Meyer opened his cabinetmaking workshop in Nancy. The beginning of a very long adventure in which the Walser family joined in 1947. For several decades, Robert then his son Philippe perpetuated a know-how in the restoration of antique furniture. Over the years, the Walser workshop has gained a reputation both in Lorraine and in France and even abroad. In 2009, when Philippe Walser retired, his daughter Anne-Sophie took over the business at the age of 23. Everything seems to be going for the best, but in a few months the beautiful family story will stop.
Looking for a buyer
“It’s like I’ve been hit with a club on the head.” So Philippe Walser reacts when he learns that his daughter, after ten years of activity, will be forced for health reasons to stop working in the workshop. The young woman begins to cough and can no longer bear to breathe daily wood dust and products such as ammonia, solvents or varnishes. She is forced to throw in the towel definitively in July 2020. In Mazerulles, Philippe Walser then comes out of retirement and temporarily resumes service.
I could not accept to see this workshop close permanently without finding a buyer
“So I looked for a former student who did his training with me. The buyer will not be someone from my blood family but from the big family of the profession. This is in the spirit of companionship. In this environment, we are very close to each other“.
At 26, Pierre Very will have the difficult task of taking over from the Walser family.
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© Pierre Very
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Pierre Very, a 26-year-old takes up the challenge
“Despite my young age“explains Pierre Very,”I already have seven years of experience in wood. I began by touring France in carpentry companionship for four years then three years in cabinetmaking with the Walsers.“The result is 4,800 hours of training in conservation-restoration.”He is a solid, highly motivated, hardworking and very competent companion“Judge Philippe Walser. The young man will also benefit from an exceptional stock of goods. Veneer wood, precious species, different kinds of old glues, screws used in the past, or even furniture locks. So much material that does not necessarily have a market value but which represents a gold mine for a restorer of antique furniture. “Philippe transmitted his knowledge to me, I make sure to reproduce the same gestures as him. I am really excited by this project even if I am a little nervous.“Next January, Pierre Very will be the sole master on board. A relief for the Walser family. The work begun in 1876 will still be able to continue for several years.
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