In this village in the hinterland of Nice, the only grocery store has lowered the curtain

Located on a rocky peak 10 km from Nice, Falicon could well apply for the prize for the most beautiful village in France, with its 12th century castle, its Baroque church and the walls of its rampart. But the 2,000 habitats that make up this town in the Alpes-Maritimes are today without its only grocery store. Commerce has lowered the curtain.

“The village is a cul-de-sac and many are reluctant to go up to come and do their shopping”, recognizes Anaïs Tosel, the DVD mayor, to explain the difficulties which led to the closure of the Fali’Comptoir, which was also a coffee- restaurant. Delphine Frasse, the manager, evokes another reason: “I suffered from the works, the parties organized at the bottom of the village. I lost 50,000 euros in turnover in three years, ”explains this 39-year-old mother, who has returned to paid employment in the catering industry.

“She did not inform us of her difficulties, we could have called on the solidarity of the Faliconnais”, retorts the mayor, recalling that the premises were made available for a “modest” rent, with in addition rented accommodation 600 euros per month.

For the “social bond”

Falicon, “gone from 2,025 to 2,048 inhabitants” is paradoxically not one of those dying hamlets. The village “attracts young couples who work in Monaco, Menton or Nice”, assures the mayor, according to whom, the works in progress are the demonstration of this vitality. A new school for 170 students, a football field, and above all, a car park with 80 spaces to remedy the village’s major problem, parking, are planned.

But it is also “fundamental to have small businesses that contribute to the local economic fabric, to the dynamism of the village and to the social bond”, recognizes the elected official. So to prevent Falicon from entering the 59% of rural villages deprived of local shops, according to INSEE, the town intends to quickly reopen its grocery store: “We have already been approached by people who have experience in the trade” , she rejoices.

A question remains unanswered: so close to the shopping centers of Nice, is a village grocery store still viable? “I think so, with the impetus that the town hall can give,” replies the former manager. Before her, in the same room, “a couple ran the grocery store for fifteen years, so yes, it’s viable,” says the mayor.

source site