After 70 years of reign of the sisters, the historic Café de la Poste is reborn as a bistro

It was like a ritual. Every morning, when the cafe was already open, one of the sisters did her make-up at the corner of the long table placed near the large glass facade of the rue du Pré Botté. This is where every day since 1954, Yvette and Colette spent their day with a breathtaking view of the sides of the Place de la République, in Rennes. Reputed to be coquettish, but with a serious character, the two Bourkels sisters had inherited the Café de la Poste from their mother Madeleine, who had bought it ten years after the liberation of Rennes by the Allies. We were in 1954 and the Breton capital had only 125,000 inhabitants, half of its current contingent. Almost seventy years later, the two sisters decided to sell their establishment to retire at 84 and 87 years old. “That’s where we ended our student trips. When the other bars closed, the Café de la Poste opened, ”recalls a surfer, nostalgic.

Long renowned, the Café de la Poste had lost its luster in recent years. As if frozen in time, it had its share of followers, but struggled to renew them. “It was special, they weren’t always friendly,” says a former regular. In October, the bar had closed in general indifference. The two sisters had just accepted an interview with our colleagues from West France, under the pressure of the promoter, before withdrawing discreetly. Is the Café de la Poste dead? Not quite. Closed for several weeks for renovations, the establishment has come back to life since it has been in the hands of the bubbly Siglinde Guemas. It was she who bought the business which she decided to soberly rename Bistrot de la Poste. “I wanted to make it a real bistro,” she explains. A place of passage, of intergenerational exchange. A warm, no-frills place. »

Old magazines hidden in the seats

The new boss of the place had been looking for a long time to buy a business in Rennes. Not easy when you’re not part of the “Rennes Monopoly” shared by a few much wealthier investors than her. If the place has escaped the usual buyers, it is probably because it did not make them dream. Except Siglinde. “I had spotted this place for a long time, I often walked past it. I liked the location, the stones, the sconces, the bar furniture. These are the only things she wanted to keep from the old café, which had not been renovated for a long time. “I found old numbers of Paris Match and of Current wife in the sofas”, recognizes Siglinde Guemas.

Armed with soap and helped by friends, the Rennaise was able to restore the establishment to her liking by installing a tapestry in pale pink hues with birds. The place is simple, no frills. ” This is my principle. I want to put families back in the bars, for people to come here with their children, for generations to meet. Besides, I would have to launch a snack formula, ”she says spontaneously. Behind the pair of red glasses, ideas abound, even if the beginnings are for the moment quite quiet.

Eyes riveted on the bus stops in the Place de la République, the one who was an apple seller, a pioneer or even a company travel manager is already thinking about tomorrow. On the lunch menu: sausage rougail or Flemish stew. While waiting for the greening of the square promised for 2025, the small bistro remains one of the best spots to observe the tumult of the city which rises, activates or falls asleep, while sipping a coffee or a Breton beer. The years pass but the Bistrot de la Poste remains. With the role of first witness of the transformation of Rennes.

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