Maison Empereur is a two-storeyed treasure trove of kitchen essentials, hardware, clothing, bathroom fixtures, cleaning supplies and even old-fashioned toys that effortlessly transports shoppers back in time between faint, familiar whiffs of orange oil. Not everything is made in France but it is a good place to start.
The store’s biggest fans could even take a step further and spend the night in a 970 square-foot apartment hidden at the back of the store on the second floor.
Wares are neatly displayed on sometimes-cramped rows of antique wooden shelves, with baskets, pans and sundries hanging from the wood-paneled ceiling. Clothing, hats and footwear are housed in a newer extension just across the street.
Store assistants, each one knowledgeable and helpful, don’t seem to mind if you linger around for ages and do not buy anything.
I’ve asked for a particular serrated knife from Opinel (the store assistant behind the counter knew what I wanted right away), got advice on sizes of tiny frying pans (take the bigger one) and was told there is one last straw hatmaker in France who still makes wide-brimmed hats from the region the traditional way.
The hat I was interested in was out of stock and wouldn’t be restocked in time before I left Marseille. The store assistant immediately scribbled down the name of the hat workshop on the back of a postcard so I could try my luck online.
Each time I’m there, I spend a disproportionate amount of time browsing household goods, particularly in the kitchenware section, scrutinizing everything and its provenance, also careful to steer clear of bulkier items I have no room for in my luggage.