It never ceases to amaze me how time flies. This applies to personal as well as business experiences. In September 2021, The Frenchman’s Corner will celebrate its 20th
Anniversary.Marc Ast, the boutique’s founder, started The Frenchman’s Corner as a small single counter kiosk space inside the lobby of what is now Grass Rootes at the corner of East Davis and East Streets in Culpeper, VA. The date was September 24, 2001. The United States was still reeling from the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, but Marc had worked hard to get his new venture together and he continued forward with the opening despite the national tragedy.
Larry and I had discovered The Frenchman’s Corner sometime in the first decade of the 2000’s after it had opened in the space that we currently occupy on East Davis St. At that time, Marc was also selling kitchen wares and small kitchen appliances. We became regulars and were invited to the 10 Year Anniversary when Marc and Meg had a private showing of Chocolat at the State Theatre with a party afterward in the Black Box Theatre. It is hard to believe that ten more years have already passed since then.
Marc retired from retail in April 2018. He and Meg, his wife, had become friends with Larry and I and ultimately decided to pass the baton to us. We are very honored to now have the pleasure to own and
operate The Frenchman’s Corner. We have gotten to know more of The Frenchman’s Corner patrons in the last two and half years that we have owned the store and we have made new friends as a result.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our customers for your continued patronage of The Frenchman’s Corner. As we all know, 2020 was not an easy year for anyone. We could not have made it through that year without our devoted patrons and help of local organizations like CRI and the Culpeper Department of Tourism.
Finally, we look forward to the future; continuing our dedication to amazing products and excellent customer service. We look forward to continue nurturing relationships with our community, friends, neighbors and ALL of our established and new patrons.
