SAccording to a survey published by Ipsos-Sopra Steria in October 2023, 73% of French people believe that “it used to be better”. The ageing of the population does not explain everything. This statement is also shared by 70% of those under 35 years of age. Mélanie Racine is 37 years old and the tea room she opened at the beginning of July in Le Mans, called At Paulette’s house, is in line with this trend. What is more, this unique place is the ground floor of a single-family home – his – decorated from floor to ceiling in the style of the 1950s.
The great nostalgic elegance is there: enjoying an Earl Grey in a floral-print cup, amidst an arrangement of porcelain, lace and boutonnieres. Here a Comtoise clock serves as a shelf, there a Mado sideboard repainted pink. Rosettes adorn the ceiling, mouldings adorn the walls. Birds flutter over the tapestry while others snort in the gaps of the earthenware plates turned into clocks. The boss and chief decorator is not to be outdone. Dressed in a state-of-the-art Vichy apron, Mélanie Racine never leaves the bathroom without placing flowers (natural or artificial) in her hair, which she has dyed red since she was 15. “I like vintage, everything that is floral and colorful”confesses the one that her clients naturally call Paulette, and whose piercings only refer to the current era.
Paulette is actually Paule, a great-aunt who became a grandmother after the latter’s death when Mélanie was 6 years old. The relative had been a seamstress in the fine lingerie sector in Paris, before enjoying a quiet retirement in the countryside, between gardening, stories by the fire and the art of poultices. When she died in 2022, her great-niece took her name to name her newly created micro-business, La Mallette de Paulette, specialising in creative arts and sewing.
Social Worker
Since then, making lavender bags, washable paper towels and winter warmers has taken up part of her time. The other part is transforming porcelain dolls into lamps, sugar bowls into sewing boxes and flower pots into pitchers, according to the principle ofrecycling – create something new from something old without deconstructing the raw material. To enjoy this, it is highly recommended to regularly attend flea markets and garage sales.
The idea of a tea room “at home”, which was also a boutique, became a reality two years ago, after major renovations were carried out on her country house in the city centre. At the same time, the desire to diversify professionally had arisen. Because Mélanie Racine has a “real » Profession: social worker in a shelter for people in very precarious situations. The two activities are not as far apart as they seem. “I have the impression that people who come to my house feel at peace, probably because time has stopped there, Slide the entrepreneur with a pin-up look. Here I find the spirit of my great-aunt who cared for others by offering them cakes. I am also very convinced of this. Caring – “care” as we say in English – is my job. »
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