iPhone in hand, New Balance on her feet, Monique Guillemot, 96, does not look her age. In her antique shop in downtown Nantes, she welcomes customers and curious people from Tuesday to Saturday every afternoon. “I would have to get run over in the street to stop me working! says the nonagenarian in a decided tone. She has been working as an antique dealer for more than 50 years and doesn’t intend to stop anytime soon: “As long as I have all my head, I don’t see why I should leave! Between 17th century paintings, antique furniture and bookcases filled with large leather-covered books, Monique feels at home: “When I open the door of my store, I say to myself ‘That’s it, my life begins”.
If the antique dealer can continue to work five days a week at the age of 96, she is aware that she is “privileged” compared to other trades. Push back the legal retirement age? “It’s very good for those who have a very tiring job. But you have to sort out those who get tired and those who sit behind a desk. With a smirk, she quips: “If people who work in banks leave at 64… don’t you think they’ll be bored? »
“My children are delighted that I am still working”
His job would be the secret of his longevity. “I walk an hour every day to get to my store,” she proudly explains. On the social side, his activity also allows him to avoid loneliness: “Human contact is essential to keep his head! Here, my friends come to see me regularly. Monique takes the example of other people her age, who “are bored to death in retirement homes”: she, on the contrary, is constantly “intellectually stimulated”. Between the research on her articles, the expertise on furniture and the daily sales, she always has something to do: “It keeps me in shape. I don’t want to leave! »
Monique confides that her work is also a way of being independent from her five children, living in the four corners of the world. “My children are delighted that I am still working. You know, it’s expensive for an elderly parent! There they have no fillers. She goes on to explain that if she had retired at 62, her pension would be “very small”. The nonagenarian admits all the same that certain tasks tire her: “Yesterday, I spent four hours in an icy castle to appraise furniture. When I came back, I was exhausted”. But weighing the pros and cons, she admits there are more positives than negatives. “If I stopped, we could already hold my place in the cemetery…”
“I sell almost everything on the Internet”
A point of view shared by Gyl, his hairdresser, installed in front of his shop. “She will die in her store, that’s for sure! He’s been styling the shopkeeper for 14 years, describing her as “an unusual character, who doesn’t get tricked, and still very quick-witted for her age.” According to him, Monique’s antique shop is “her reason for living. »
It’s understandable: Monique’s life has been punctuated by her “passion” for antiques. She grew up going to museums with her father, then began studying art at the École du Louvre – which she had to stop when she got married. She then became a saleswoman in a friend’s antique shop in Nantes, Place Viarme, who offered her to become the owner four years later. “My husband didn’t want me to work. I said, “Take it or leave it!” So we separated, because I needed an intellectual occupation. Since then, she has never stopped.
The nonagenarian had to adapt to changes in society, including the digital revolution. “It wasn’t easy, but I got into it! Now I sell practically everything on the Internet,” she explains. Between clients in Japan, Sweden, Norway and Belgium, Monique is forced to correspond online all over the world. This is not a problem for her, who sees great freedom in it: “I know what I want, and I do what I have decided”, concludes the antique dealer with a strong character.