The origins of Claude Berry store are taken from my mother's childhood and faience memories, Ms. Raymonde Raimbault. Originally from Cernoy-en-Berry in France, she has pure Berrichon blood running in her veins although her hearth belongs to Gien. Ms. Raimbault comes to America in 1955 and moves in to province of Québec with her husband Mr. Joseph Zimmermann, a watchmaker. In 1981, her dream comes true when she opens the Claude Berry store on the Côte de la Fabrique street. Claude stands for the first name of her associate at that time and Berry for her native region.
Raymonde in the Claude Berry store.
Since the first day, she is the only one in North America selling the Faïence d'Art de Gien as Pivoine or the Renaissance. As the years pass by, she adds more collections of beautiful objets like the Quimper's faïence, Provence's Santons from Marcel Carbonel, Fouque and Didier, Cristal from the Cristallerie de Haute-Bretagne, boxes made of Limoges porcelain and reproductions of ancient tapestries from Pansu. The store also offers a wide array of Christmas nativity scenes all made by reputable artists like Lépi, Anri, Michel Laude and many more. But the fact remains: most of the store's space is occupied by the faience from Gien and Quimper.
Ms. Raimbault, more than anything else, loved beauty and that can be felt in every square inch of her store. Unfortunately, my mother, a great person, left us on february 16th 2008.
In loving memory of my mother, I have the great honor to pursue her dream and take the head of the Claude Berry store. She left me her dream and her love for faience beauty and nice objects.
Raymonde at Fouque in Provence.
As soon as 1999, I start the www.lasteroide.com site and specialize in the Quimper and Gien faience retail. To this day, www.lasteroide.com site is amongst the biggest faience sellers online and possess one of the largest inventory of Quimper and Gien faiences in North America. It is with great pride that I combine the reputable experience acquired both with lasteroide.com and the Claude Berry store, which I now own, to offer to our customers the new www.caludeberry.com site. Consequently the lasteroide site will be shut down soon but you will still find all the former nice items on the new www.claudeberry.com site thus reviving the old site through the new.
Eric in Claude Berry store.
The store and the Claude Berry site offer a wide array of magnificient items made in Québec and elsewhere and the world. You will be pleased by the regular addition of irresistible new collections. Beauty and refinement reflect the soul and core of the Claude Berry store.
Greetings and thank you for visiting the virtual Claude Berry site (www.claudeberry.com) and if you should come in Québec city it is going to be a real pleasure and honor to welcome you at the Claude Berry store located at 6 Côte de la Fabrique street in the Old City right in front of the Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica.
See you soon,
Éric Zimmermann
