Le Mot de la faim

Le Mot de la Faim is an independent café-bookshop (café-librairie) located on the banks of the Mayenne river in Montreuil-Juigné, a commune about fifteen minutes north of Angers in the Maine-et-Loire department of western France. It opened its doors on 4 February 2020, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted retail and cultural life across France. The business is a hybrid concept that combines a general-interest bookshop, a café and tea room, a fine-food grocery corner, and a programme of cultural and well-being events. The bookshop section is described as generalist (généraliste) and carries a choice of more than 8,000 titles across different literary genres. It also includes a small stationery department and sections for second-hand books and English-language books. The café and tea room offer a wide range of hot and cold drinks, including alcoholic and non-alcoholic options, as well as homemade cakes and ice cream. According to the shop's own presentation, all of its products are local and certified organic. Beyond retail, Le Mot de la Faim positions itself as a community and cultural venue. It hosts guest speakers throughout the year for cultural events and well-being activities, and provides board games for customers to enjoy with their snacks. The bookshop organises numerous cultural events, with monthly shows or workshops on varied themes such as storytelling evenings, writing workshops, children's shows, reading sessions and author signings. A tea-room space also displays works by artists — paintings, photographs and drawings — throughout the year. The business is small, independent and privately owned, with no known parent company or group affiliation. Its identity is closely tied to its local area: it presents itself as a unique place in Montreuil-Juigné and emphasises local sourcing and organic certification. Its website serves as its main public face, describing its four pillars: bookshop, café, events, and a welcoming venue for cultural events and author interventions.

Le Mot de la Faim opened on 4 February 2020 on the banks of the Mayenne river in Montreuil-Juigné, a commune roughly fifteen minutes north of Angers in the Maine-et-Loire department of western France. It was conceived as a hybrid café-bookshop rather than a conventional bookshop or café, bringing together a general-interest bookshop, a tea room, a small fine-food grocery offer and a cultural events programme under one roof. From the outset the shop presented itself as a local and responsible business. Its food and drink offer — hot and cold beverages, homemade cakes and ice cream — is described as entirely local and certified organic. The bookshop side was built as a generalist offer of more than 8,000 titles, supplemented by a small stationery section and dedicated shelves for second-hand books and English-language books. The venue also functions as a community space. It hosts guest speakers throughout the year for cultural events and well-being activities, and makes board games available for customers. The bookshop runs monthly shows and workshops on varied themes, including storytelling evenings, writing workshops, children's shows, reading sessions and author signings. The tea-room area is used as a small exhibition space, showing paintings, photographs and drawings by artists throughout the year. The business is independent and privately owned, with no known parent company, group or franchise affiliation. Its public identity is closely tied to its location and to the idea of a unique place in Montreuil-Juigné, as reflected in its own description of itself as 'un lieu unique à Montreuil Juigné'. Its website, lemotdelafaim.fr, is the main channel through which it presents its four activities: bookshop, café, events, and a venue for cultural events and author interventions.

• 2020

  Le Mot de la Faim café-bookshop opens on the banks of the Mayenne in Montreuil-Juigné, near Angers.

Independent neighbourhood café-bookshop combining books, local organic food and cultural events in a single welcoming venue near Angers.

• General-interest bookshop

  More than 8,000 titles across different literary genres, plus a small stationery section and shelves for second-hand and English-language books.

• Café and tea room

  Hot and cold drinks, including alcoholic and non-alcoholic options, homemade cakes and ice cream; products described as local and certified organic.

• Board games

  Board games available for customers to accompany their snacks.

• Cultural events and workshops

  Monthly shows or workshops including storytelling evenings, writing workshops, children's shows, reading sessions and author signings.

• Art exhibitions

  Paintings, photographs and drawings by artists displayed in the tea-room space throughout the year.

1. 1Le Mot de la Faim - Café Librairie à Angerslemotdelafaim.fr
2. 2Le Mot de la faim - Wikidatawikidata.org