Let’s talk shop! H


ave you ever seen the film Chocolat in which a nomadic mother breezes into


a conservative French village and opens a chocolate shop there? She awakens appetites, ruffles feathers, challenges traditions and brings people together before shutting up shop and moving on. The film was a big


commercial success, but the heroine’s business didn’t last too long at all. It’s food for thought: if


you ran a shop in France, where would it be, what would you sell and how would you make yourself indispensable to the community? Take this lovely commercial


and residential property in the department of Deux-Sèvres for inspiration. The location has a lot going for it. It’s in Chef- Boutonne, a small but thriving commune of around 2,400


inhabitants, roughly an hour from Poitiers and Angoulème. The town is some 15 minutes’


drive from the bigger town of Melle but far enough away to have a decent mix of amenities and independent businesses. Families are served by two primary schools, a collège and lycée. And the town is also popular with British expats, who no doubt appreciate the relaxed pace of life as well as community attractions such as the cinema, château and outdoor pool. The property sits in prime


position in a parade of shops overlooking the market square. It’s a three-bedroom townhouse offering 135m2 of habitable space over three levels. Connected to mains drainage, it was renovated 10 years ago to fit double-glazing and install new electrics, plumbing and insulation. A tenant is already in place


20 FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: November/December 2023


Ruth Wood dreams of setting up shop in a rural market town popular with British expats in southwest France


but can leave if necessary before the contract ends in October 2024. Currently a gift shop, the


ground floor is a spacious room of 44m2


with a large shop


window. A French door leads to a small courtyard and a light- filled kitchenette with access to the cellar below. On the first floor, the


lounge-kitchen has French doors opening onto a balcony overlooking the square. There’s also a toilet on this level, plus a bedroom that is currently used as an office. Above are two large bedrooms served by a shower room, and an electric heater. So, any ideas of how you


would use this handsome property? Would you rent it out or live and work there yourself? Sell chocolate or champagne? Books or bikes? Tuition or tax returns? First, some paperwork. To move to France as a UK citizen


Business of the month


and run a business, you will need a long-stay visa that gives you the right to stay and work as a business owner. This is most likely to be the ‘visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour’ (VLS-TS) with ‘entrepreneur/profession libérale’ status. Expect to be asked to


demonstrate the viability of your project and prove you have sufficient financial resources to support yourself while you get it off the ground. If you decide to stick around


instead of breezing off to somewhere new like Juliette Binoche’s character in Chocolat, remember you’ll need to renew your long-stay visa every year. After five years, you may be eligible to apply for dual UK/ French citizenship. ■


On the market for €92,900 with Berland Bennett agence-berland-bennett.com


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