Latest on Paris scene..
Paris entrepreneur's plan is too rich for some tastes .
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One recent sunny morning , Cedric Naudon , a wealthy
entrepreneur with a taste for fine food , walked down a quiet
street in a neighborhood of Paris known as the Haut Marais
and gestured towards a phalanx of shuttered storefronts
as the sound of power drills pierced the air .
" This is where the butcher's shop will go " , said mr. Naudon ,
peering inside a half-finished space where sawdust coated
the floor . " It's going to be totally designed , with a library so
people can think about the meat " , he added .
" Over there will be the cheesemonger , where the cheese
will be hidden in designer drawers and taken out and explained" .
He pointed to other outlets destined for an organic bakery , an oyster bar
, a fishmonger , ethnic restaurants and a coterie of neighborhood mainstays
.
" It's empty now " , mr. Naudon said , looking around the block,
which seemed to be entirely under renovation .
" But when all this opens , it will be completely unique " .
As a wave of gentrification sweeps through Paris , Mr. Naudon has taken the
phenomenon to a new level .
An enigmatic man who says he made a fortune in real estate
and finance in New York and Paris , he has snapped up about
half a neighborhood north of the Marais , one of the city's
trendiest districts , with plans to restyle it into a sleek
epicurean village called La Jeune Rue , or YoungStreet ,
dedicated to farm-fresh gastronomy and the culture of chic .
An international team of designers , including Tom Dixon and
Maud Bury , is styling 36 storefronts around the rue du Vertbois
home of Chez L'Ami Louis , a celebrated restaurant and two
adjacent streets .
Unlike the Marais or St Germain des Pres , where an invasion
of chain clothing stores has nearly stamped out French
artisanal life , here fashionably dressed butchers , bakers and
restaurateurs will work in an upscale collective dominated by
the principle of zero waste , selling high-concept foods from
mod spaces using organic products provided only by French farmers . The
project is expected to animate an area of mixed
classes and ethnicities that is now something of a dead zone
for culture and nightlife . Situated between the Place de la
Republique and the Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers ,
the area has long been home to numerous Chinese clothing
wholesalers and small shops that have resisted previous
efforts at development .
While a smattering of wealthy young urbanites has recently
moved in , a number of low to middle income residents
remain , along with several public housing units .
Many Parisians are eager to see new life breathed into the area. But the
redevelopment has also touched a nerve among
residents who worry that Mr. Naudon , with his deep pockets
and taste for high design , will turn the area into the latest in a string
of bohemian bourgeois enclaves that have sprung up
around Paris , driving the working and middle classes ever
farther out .
Somebody in the area commented : " You have a monopolist
who wants to create his own street , but it's not for those who live here .
" This area has ethnic and class diversity , but with the arrival of la jeune
rue , those people will be left apart " .
Mr.Naudon , 42 , sprang onto the scene out of nowhere this
year and has sought to maintain an air of mystery .
He also declined to divulge the cost of the project .
French authorities have embraced his vision , which they say
could create more than 200 jobs .
According to some locals , the question is whether average people will be
able to afford a baguette .
Somebody else , wondered " whether a single person should decide how parts
of the city evolve , and if the citizens
affected can have any say in it " .
Mr.Naudon rebuffs his critics . At a time many French
entrepreneurs are leaving the country for opportunities
elsewhere , he insists to invest in his country .
He also quoted that at least his concept supports farmers and creates jobs
.
" Let's be clear " he added : I'm going to make a lot of money
with my concept . I'm sorry I have a good project. But what is
better ? Doing nothing ?
On an a typical afternoon Mr.Naudon huddled with a dozen
collaborators , including chefs and designers , are putting the
finishing touches on blueprints for his shops and restaurants .
Several are scheduled for a fall opening , with the rest coming
over in the next year .
By cutting out middlemen he said , all shops will sell their
products at competitive prices .
Mr.Naudon is also installing a mill to grid a very old strain of
wheat that he had sown from a 250 acre plot , in southern France . " For
the last two years , I 've put my money and soul
into going all over France to find the best products ever " , he
said , lighting up .
" Finally , we are going to have the ideal street in Paris " !
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