LIBRAIRIE GRANGIER, DIJON

 

‘Livresse: the blissful feeling caused by prolonged reading.’ 

By taking over the Grangier bookstore – a former porn cinema spanning 1,300-square-meters – the fearless Simone Hisler saved the shop from permanent closure. She breathed new life into the store, advertised it across the city with the slogan ‘Livresse: the blissful feeling caused by prolonged reading.’ 

Hisler unexpectedly found herself in the book industry. Four years after her husband Daniel Hisler bought Librairie Even, he died, leaving Simone to manage the business without preparation, all while caring for their five children. Under her leadership, the business thrived, expanding to locations in Metz, Tionville and Strasbourg. Today, Librairie Grangier stands as the largest bookstore in Burgundy. In recognition of her valuable work, and promotion of books as ‘objects of pleasure and desire’. Hisler received the legion d’Honneur in 2015. Her proudest achievement, as admitted during the ceremony, was her children; her three daughters, and a son all worked alongside her in the shop, while her other son, opened his own bookstore in Paris.