Marmande: Toupinerie Street mourns a new beginning

The city center's pedestrian thoroughfare is facing another closure at the end of July. And empty premises are struggling to find tenants.

Bad luck for this place on rue Toupinerie, formerly the headquarters of Biotilus, a cafe owner, which had experienced setbacks with the neighborhood of the artery . It had closed in June 2024. Only a few months later, in September 2024, the Lagrima café opened its doors. Less than a year later, it closed in turn, this Sunday, July 27. It was the establishment itself that announced it on its Facebook page, while organizing a party on Saturday, July 26, with a DJ.

At the opening, manager David Castel had stars in his eyes and high hopes of bringing Toupinerie Street to life with his establishment. "It's the first street that tourists see when they park at La Filhole. It has to live. So, the more restaurant choices there are, the more people will want to go out," he enthused, in the second half of 2024.

It won't be. Is this a cursed place? For the cafe owner, it's just a goodbye to his customers. "It's not a failure, I met some wonderful people, and the owner of the premises was a great help. I still believe in Marmande's potential," says the man, who already has another project in mind. While the municipality deplores this new departure, there are questions about the management of the premises. "It's a shame because the restaurant side only lasted two months, and with two dishes on offer, we don't see how it could have worked," says a source at the town hall.

Despite the recent opening of a home decor boutique and a candy store on Rue Toupinerie, many commercial premises remain vacant. The idea of a fashion store replacing Jennyfer has also been abandoned. The city hopes that the new Local Urban Plan will improve the situation on the pedestrian street, which is expected to undergo new renovations in 2027. On Route de Bordeaux, restaurants are also looking grim: Solendo and the Cave à Manger, a local institution, were liquidated this summer.