There’s a new rooster in town inviting you into recently opened Française French Goods at 1037 Orange Avenue. The shop is the vision of proprietor Julie Hermann, who moved to Coronado two years ago and explains that Française translates to “French Girl.”
The black and white ambiance entices you to enter, and the serene and inviting space encourages staying a while to browse and peruse the many interesting items. Julie’s sister Lucie, a photographer and stylist who still lives in France, is helping Julie curate a wide range of quality French and related products, including tableware, pillows, plush blankets, furniture, wool poufs, chair pads, curtains, soap, kitchen items, jewelry, wallpaper, unique cloth and wooden kids’ toys, along with eclectic, unexpected things like feather dusters, felt mushrooms, a kid’s car, and decorative metal stars to create celestial designs. Currently most of the products are predominately in black, white, and neutral tones, but Julie says more pops of color are forthcoming for the different seasons, like green in spring and red and orange in autumn.
The sisters gravitate to brands with an interesting backstory and unique products, like the wool felt poufs, chair pads, coasters, and mushrooms from the French Alp Company Muskhane. The company creators got ideas on a mission trip to the Himalayan mountains in Peru, where they returned to set up workshops and create safe and self-sustaining jobs for the women there.
Moroccan creations from Pigmée, whose creator didn’t like the bright colors and definitive roles typical of children’s toys, include a neutral palette “doll” that allows kids to imagine it to be anything they want ~ boy, girl, or stuffed best friend (I kind of thought they resembled penguins).
The darling black and white glasses and spoons, with sayings like “Je t’aime a la folie!,” which translates to “I love you like a fool,” are enduring, and sure to make you smile and crave one for yourself or as a gift.
After leaving France, Julie, along with her husband and two teenage boys, sailed all over the Caribbean for eight months, before moving to Coronado for her husband’s job. The timing of their sail was shortly after Hurricane Irma, and much of the area was wiped out and supplies were depleted. Julie thought to herself, “I wish I could find some of my favorite French things to supply and decorate the sailboat.” Thus, the seed was planted in this interior designer to create a cozy, warm, trendy store with all her favorite French items. After doing research, she found Coronado was the perfect place to make her vision come to life and she signed a lease in July 2020 for the corner location at 1037 Orange Avenue, in the former Sea Shirts space. Her initial goal was to open by mid-October, but permits and construction delays pushed her next target to the holiday season, and her dream store finally came to life this week, when she quietly opened on January 23.
During the pandemic was not the easiest time to open a store, especially with the disruption of supply chains and skyrocketing freight costs. But Julie is happy with her decision to charm customers with her favorite French things. “It has been so heartwarming, with a great first day, and everyone in the community has been very welcoming,” says Julie.
Although she is just starting out, Julie has long term goals of making Française her successful flagship store, and then opening other shops in California and around the U.S. This truly unique store is open every day from 10 am to 6 pm and can be reached by phone at 619-319-5318. The website is coming soon, but you can check out Française Shop on Instagram and Facebook, and pop in to 1037 Orange Ave at the corner of Orange and C.
