Monday 23 May 2011

Ghost signs (54): St Christophe, Guingamp


This shopfront isn't really a ghost sign as such, but is rather evocative all the same. Although Guingamp is a proper town, and this building is near the market, A St Christophe offered the broad range of products and services I tend to associate with village stores.

You could shop on the premises for 'sport and hunting equipment' as well as 'prams, tricycles, scooters'. (I'm not sure whether I like or worry about the image of buying a shotgun and a baby carriage in the same transaction!) Underneath, the sign offers a third option: auto rental, taxis and coaches.

The shop and rental business are gone; the premises have become a pizzeria. However, the sign remains to tantalise us.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It was actually quite a wide ranging business with three main activities. From the photo it's not clear how large the premises were and you wonder how all those activities were fitted into the available space. Perhaps guns were on one floor and kids' stuff on another.

I am often bemused by the permanence of old-time signs, particularly those relating to prices. Businesses these days usually have only temporary or removable signs and few today feel strong enough to incorporate their name and business type into the very fabric of the building.

In a way, it's sad when a long-running business, perhaps spanning several generations, finally closes down and that rich history disappears except for a few evocative signs.

CarolineLD said...

You're right, it's not a terribly large building. The wide window on the first floor suggests your theory about separate floors of goods may well be correct.