[Philip]

The flagship store of the Printemps chain of shops. Originally situated on the corner of Boulevard Haussemann and Rue du Havre (not very close to central Paris but the land was cheap) it first opened in1865, and over time gradually expanded to fill the whole block. Eventually even this was found constraining and so the architect Paul Binet was commissioned to design the "Nouveaux Magasin" across the road in the Rue Caumartin. The older "Havre" building is the subject of this L'Instant Durable kit. The store was always up to date with current developments in retailing such as browsing with no obligation, prices displayed on goods, an exchange/refund policy and a narrower margin/higher turnover model. It once boasted a magnificent staircase and very large entrance halls, but these have disappeared because of the need for ever more space. Shame.

The kit is in 1/250 scale and has 80 pieces. Base measures 23 x 37 cm. My copy was an early, die-cut version; I believe later editions did away with the die-cutting and became regular cut-out kits, which is probably a good thing.

I built it long ago and time had not been kind to it. I was able to repair all the broken bits and clear away (almost) all of the accumulated dust and debris. The varnish used has darkened over the years and is something I couldn't do anything about. Never mind though.