The first French town I ventured to after moving to Germany was Forbach. It was just across the border about 30-45 minutes away. Depending on how fast I was driving on the autobahn that day! I wandered into a second hand shop, I was pretty nervous. I had only been in Europe for a few months and this was my first journey into France. To my relief, the gentleman in the store spoke not only French but German and broken English. I spoke high school French, no German and could barely understand broken English at that time. I butchered telling him my name was Emily...he told me:
"I am Jean...Jean-Claude like the muscle man Jean-Claude Van Damme" While posing like one of those overly tan and greasy looking body builders...except he was wearing jeans and well had a bit of a belly.
I knew instantly that we would be friends. Over the next 3 years I visited Jean-Claude almost weekly. Many weeks multiple times. I found some of my favorite treasures in his store. He loved my "big American Truck" my black Tahoe. He also loved that I appreciated the French antiques the "French people do not respect anymore!" Pretty soon, I introduced my dear friend, Linda to Jean-Claude and we became his best and most loyal customers. For 2 years, Linda and I would make the trek to Forbach to eat strawberry eclairs and see what Jean-Claude had in his shop.
It truly was a magical time. We were so happy chatting on the way there and freaking out about what we had found on the way back! Knowing the entire time how lucky we were to have found Jean-Claude and each other. Trying to ignore that fact that time was fleeting and nothing would last forever.
Sadly, my time to move was upon me. Linda and I made one last trip to Forbach. To tell my first French friend au revoir. My heart was so incredibly heavy as I knew the book was closing. This story was ending...and the magic that it contained would be lost to my memories. Still to this day, I feel the weight of that goodbye...to Jean-Claude, to the treasure hunts, to the strawberry eclairs, to time with my dearest friend, and to my beloved France. Pictures were taken, goodbyes were said and just like that we drove back across the border and the chapter was closed...or so I thought.
A few months later Linda called me after I had moved back to the USA.
I died- tears rolled down my face. For THREE YEARS I called this man Jean-Claude. Introduced him to people as Jean-Claude. When all along his name was simply Jean. Even now, so many years later I'm sitting here chuckling.
And that my friends, is the story of the Frenchman who will always be "Jean-Claude" to me. Until next time au revoir mes amis!
]]>However, I will always keep that piece front and center where I can always see it. Why, you might ask? For one very important reason: it always makes me smile. Here is the fantastically funny story behind this piece (well, in my opinion). Spoiler alert: It involves a wardrobe malfunction and a bursted bubble. Get comfy and I'll tell you all about it!
So picture it: two Americans out treasure hunting in France. As all Americans usually are, we were giddy and overly excited. I always said you could spot Americans a mile away. We are kind of like overly excitable Golden Retrievers and, knowing us, hopped on up on sugar from strawberry eclairs. We had just spent the last hour or so at one of our favorite thrift shops searching for treasures. Even though this was one of our favorite shops, the owner had never really warmed up to us!
It completely stumped us! I mean what was not to like? We were so friendly! Plus it seemed that all of the owners of the other stores we frequented adored us! Not this gentleman though. He never chatted with us or negotiated! On this particular day (well, really every single time I went there ), I had purchased a lot of stuff. I had just finished paying when I realized he had forgotten to ring up the white cachepot.
I was tempted to put it back (paying with a credit card can be such a hassle in Europe) when he looked up at me and SMILED. I mean a BIG smile! This man had NEVER smiled at me! I think I was just too overly excited for him. I probably wouldn't have liked me either, to be honest. Then, to my surprise, he said, "for you, a gift!" You could have knocked me over! I COULD NOT believe this! He never negotiated and here he was smiling AND giving me a gift. My friend and I walked out of that store like we had just pulled off the impossible. I mean this meant we were practically French...right? He liked us! Heck, he adored us! We put away our items in the car while we chatted about this victory and how magnificent our newfound relationship was. I mean, we were practically US ambassadors to France now.
As we settled into the car and I reached for my seatbelt, I felt a breeze. Puzzled, I looked down and to my horror, I realized, my blouse was unbuttoned! The entire previous scene in the store played out before my eyes. After he had packed up all of my items, he was able to clearly see me on the other side of the counter (I'm super short, or should I say, petite). That's when we discovered we'd forgotten the cachepot! That's when he smiled that giant smile!
My bubble was burst. Well, actually, blown to smithereens! All I could do was laugh, leaving my friend puzzled. At this point, I was almost crying as I showed her my unbuttoned shirt. We sat in that parking lot and laughed for five minutes. It was one of the silliest and funniest moments of my life, to go from such a high to such a low and still be able to laugh hysterically.
We still talk about my "French Discount" to this day. I would truly give anything to be with my dear friend for one more adventure in France. Hitting all of our favorite stores, butchering the French language, and eating eclairs...well really anything we could get our hands on.
It truly was the best of times. So that, my friends, is how a silly little cachepot became a prized possession. I hope this little story made you smile or laugh as well. Goodness knows, we could all use a little levity in these uncertain days! Thank you for stopping by! In my next post, I'll introduce you to my absolute favorite French shop owner, Jean Claude. Until next time, au revoir mes amis!
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Bonjour, and welcome to Willow & Pearls! My name is Emily, and I'm a Southern Belle/Francophile who has never met a gold mirror, French chair ( well French anything) that I didn't want to be in a long-term relationship with and I always brake for blue & white!
I have moved a lot (13 times in the last 18 years to be precise), which has exposed me to an incredible array of styles and aesthetics. I tend to gravitate towards items which remind me of happy times - which has created a very eclectic vibe in our home. I grew up "thrifting" with my mom and have always loved the thrill of finding treasures! This passion took a backseat to my career for many years- then after becoming a mom and moving to Europe the flame was reignited...well it actually exploded to be precise. I found myself in a thrifters paradise! After three years of living/buying in Europe I found myself back in the states and looking for a new adventure. Slowly, Willow & Pearls was born.
I'm absolutely thrilled and grateful you're here! I hope you enjoy your visit and maybe find a treasure or two! I take the utmost pride in my little business and am so incredibly thankful for each and everyone of you who has supported my little dream! This picture will always be one of my favorites (I'm incredibly camera shy) I think my husband captured me in my absolute natural environment treasure hunting in France! Merci again ~ Emily
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