The owner has created a museum of old shops and a cabinet of curiosities in a former hardware store.
Rather like a curiosity shop, the numerous eclectic collections here find a home in every nook and cranny of the shop and home. In the midst of this charming jumble, three elegantly furnished and decorated bedrooms invite you to extend this deliciously nostalgic journey. So you'll be coming here not just to feast your eyes and for the wonder of discovery, but also for the chance to bargain here and elsewhere in the village, where many antique dealers have set up shop. And of course, don't forget to explore the Loir valley and visit the famous chateaux that dot the region: Le Lude, Villandry, Chenonceau, Chambord.
We lived and worked in Tours for many years, where we were, among other things, antique dealers. We then wanted to leave the city for the countryside and open the unusual place that had been growing in our minds for some time, but which required us to find a large enough space to realise our dream. At the same time, we fell in love with this region of the Loir Valley and even more so with this village, which had known its hours of glory in the past. Running through the south of the Sarthe department, on the borders of Anjou and Touraine, the Loir valley is full of charm, with its green banks, numerous mills, wash-houses and welcoming villages. It was in La Chartre-sur-le-Loir that we found not only the ideal location for our project, which has taken root and developed over the years, but also an astonishingly dynamic local community.
La Chartre-sur-le-Loir used to be a large, lively market town at the centre of a major shopping area. Many of these old shops and trades can still be found in the streets of the village. And it is one of them that we have chosen to revive. Located in the main street, right in the heart of the village, it is a building dedicated to trade as it was conceived and developed in the 19th century. There is a shop on the ground floor, private flats on the first floor and sheds at the back for storing goods. We have now set up guest rooms, a traditional hardware store that has retained its wooden shop windows and facades, a museum of old shops and a cabinet of curiosities.
The shop has always sold hardware. It has been the same business since 1820. We took over the business a few years ago, keeping it alive but also keeping up with the times. So it has become a shop that is also dedicated to tableware, interior decoration, textiles and clothing.
Firstly, there is the quiet charm of a large country town gently crossed by the River Loir, with its Hôtel de France, whose terrace still brings life to the main square. Then, you plunge back in time and history to the 1900s, with the decorative style and unusual objects chosen for the guest rooms. The history of the old shops is brought back to life in the museum; not just through the merchandise on display, but also through the families who looked after it, all of which is on display. It is an astonishing reconstruction.
Our favourite restaurants: "l'Hôtel de France" at La Chartre-sur-le-Loir, a typical example of the provincial restaurants of the 1970s, still frequented by fans of the Le Mans 24-hour motor race. The decor has changed very little, service is impeccable and the cuisine is perfectly classic. "O'Saule" in Thoiré-sur-Dinan offers a more unusual experience with the menu proposed by its "self-taught tastemaker". "Le Silex", in Chahaignes is very refined, with a varied vegetarian menu. In another style, "Le Prieuré de Vauboin" in Beaumont-sur-Dême with its boxwood gardens. Stéphanie de Malherbe's studio and exhibitions in La Chartre-sur-le-Loir and the Maison de Ronsard in Couture-sur-Loir. Last but not least, La Chartre-sur-le-Loir is a village full of antique dealers and a paradise for bargain hunters!
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