THE SPARK OF AN IDEA
Bonjour,
And welcome to this first post, the official christening of Fabriqué!
In search of a French souvenir
Collioure, France
I was first inspired to create this website during a trip to France in September 2015. One day on that trip, I visited postcard-perfect Collioure. The Catalan fishing village is near the Spanish border on the Mediterranean coast and is a tourist destination for foreigners as well as French vacationers.
That day, we tourists rode the petit train that chugged us up to the top of the village, where we enjoyed a panoramic view of the sea. Then I walked around Collioure’s cobblestoned streets for a while.
Before leaving, I went in search of a souvenir of Collioure, or, perhaps, of the Catalan lifestyle the village embraces. Or even just a souvenir of France would have been fine. But I remember I wanted to buy something that was made in France.
I walked into a large tourist shop that sold hundreds upon hundreds of souvenirs. But I couldn’t find anything that said, Fabriqué en France.
Made-in-China “French” souvenirs
So I asked the sales lady behind the checkout counter, “Do you have anything here that’s made in France?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head disappointingly. “All I have is this.” She came from around the counter and walked me over to a spot on a shelf that had refrigerator magnets on it. She showed me some that were carved in wood and shaped like a donkey (the unofficial national symbol of Catalonia).
And that was about it. In this huge tourist shop, the only thing they sold that was made in France was a refrigerator magnet. I still have that magnet somewhere back in the United States, and if I ever find it, I’ll add a photo of it here.
But that got me thinking. I’d had a hard time finding a made-in-France souvenir that day in Collioure (versus, say, a made-in-China “French” souvenir). And if you compound that with the French language barrier that most Americans and other anglophones experience, it can make shopping for genuine French-made items even harder.
Maybe, I thought, I could solve a pain point for people who appreciate and seek out France’s world-renowed quality of craftsmanship. Maybe I could create a bilingual website for both anglophones and francophones to more easily discover and buy genuine French products and creations- -whether it’s a 17th century armoire, a refrigerator magnet, or anything in between.
And what if my website could also help people find ways to visit artisans’ studios around France, and attend made-in-France events, and sign up for workshops to make their own made-in-France souvenirs under the guidance of French artisans?
But what about the artisans?
My professional background is in journalism, where my happiest times were the years I spent at The Times of Acadiana in Lafayette, Louisiana. Back then in the mid-1980s and ‘90s, the progressive, locally-owned alternative newsmagazine was one of the top publications in the state. (The name Acadiana comes from the Acadians, the French-speaking exiles who settled in South Louisiana after being expelled from Nova Scotia, Canada beginning in 1755. They’re now called Cajuns.)
My first job title at The Times was Arts & Entertainment Editor. There are so many amazing Cajun and Creole musicians and artists in the twenty- two-parish region of Acadiana that it’s an embarassement of riches. I wrote long-form stories about many of them for over a decade, first as a staff writer and editor, then after I left the paper to become a freelance writer, as a contributor, until the owner and publisher sold his award- winning paper to Gannet Company in 1998.
So walking around Collioure that day, the wheels started turning. What if I created a website and online magazine that went further than just helping people find and buy made-in-France products? What if I put my journalism hat back on again and also wrote engaging, in-depth stories about the French artisans and craftspeople who create these arts and crafts, just like I once wrote about the Acadiana artists and musicians who create art and music?
A made-in-France revival
My idea was good timing, because in the last decade or so there’s been a made-in-France revival. What began as a trend is now a national ethos in full force all around the country.
A vendor selling table linens at the MIF Expo ‘24
Photo by Katrinna Chérie
Crowds at the MIF Expo ‘24
Photo by Katrinna Chérie
Photo by Katrinna Chérie
For example, the Made in France Trade Show, held each November in Paris, is in its thirteenth year in 2025. Better known as the MIF Expo, it’s the largest annual event dedicated to French manufacturing ( www.mifexpo.fr)
I attended last’s year MIF Expo, just two days after my chocolate lab, Johnny Cash, and I landed in Paris from the United States to begin our new life in France. The four-day event anually boasts 1,000 exhibitors and 100,000 visitors. The turnout was so massive that at times I barely had enough room to walk down the trade show’s aisles.
Since I arrived in France with just two small suitcases and my dog, I bought a pair of house slippers at the Expo. I also needed a pillow.
And since moving to France, I’ve been surprised to constantly come across everyday household items that are made in France. Many wind up in my grocery cart without my even consciously trying to buy them. I’m talking everything from printer paper to laundry detergent to toothpaste.
Let’s do this
So here I am, finally living the dream. The first time I came to France I was twenty-one years old. It was September 1978, and I was over the moon because I’d received a scholarship from CODIFIL (Council for the Development of French in Louisiana) to study French for an academic year at Paul Valéry University in Montpellier. I fell hard for France that year, and I’ve been yearning to make my way back here to live ever since.
And here I am, ten years ago this month, finally realizing the idea I had back in that tourist shop in Collioure in September 2015 to create this website.
I hope you’ll come along with me as I embark on this French adventure. I promise you, it won’t be boring. And even when in Paris, we’ll go local and stay far from the maddening crowds and insane tourist lines (except maybe for made- in-France icons like the Eiffel Tower, Versailles, and the Louvre Museum, that are so worth the lines).
I’ll introduce you to artisans and craftspeople all around France, but especially in Provence, where I live, and in Paris, which is the center of the universe. I’ll tell you about MIF DIY workshops you may want to take. And I’ll tell you stories about how French farmers make their cheese and French perfumers create their scents.
Along the way, you may discover things that your heart desires. If you do, this website is here to help you learn more about them and their creators, and where and how to purchase the products or items.