On the occasion of women's rights day, on March 8, we met three entrepreneurs from Marais, in the field of chocolate, photography and metals.
Meeting with three remarkable women.
♀
After a career in the world of finance, Nathalie Darras took over the company Tartaix Métaux Outillage in 2015. A century-old company specializing in metals, notably steel and brass, and tools sold at retail in a boutique in the rue du Pont-aux-Choux.
• What is your trajectory?
After a career as an auditor and administrative and financial director in a press group, I wanted to take over a business in the craft industry.
My grandfather was a carpenter and cabinetmaker, my parents were handymen, my father had a fittings business.
It took me two years to find a business to take over. It's long.
One day, in 2015, I came across the Tartaix file. I fell in love with this metals and tools company created in 1870 on rue du Pont-aux-Choux.
The store, with 1406 drawers and 8000 references, has a soul. And our clientele is the most eclectic imaginable: there are professionals in carpentry, chandeliers, decoration, restoration, jewelers and artists, fashion stylists, antique dealers, engraving and design schools. A Parisian cabaret or a large aeronautics company are also among our clients.
• How did the buyout go?
I studied the file through an association which connects companies and buyers.
My interlocutor within this association tried to dissuade me from looking at the Tartaix file. I think she thought that a woman in a workshop making metal objects wouldn't work. Perhaps she imagined that it was too masculine a world for me.
• Is being a woman in a men's industry complicated?
Frankly, I had never asked myself the question in these terms. Previously, I did auditing and was a “DAF”: very male-dominated jobs.
I grew up with three siblings and one brother. We were raised the same: absolute equality, independence. I pass this on to my daughters.
But, it’s true, misogyny came back to me like a boomerang.
• That is to say ?
During my research, some potential sellers told me, "I'm not going to sell to a woman."
When I took over Tartaix, the 100% male team accepted me well. I explained to them that my professional expertise was complementary to their know-how and that I was not there to teach them their trade.
But I had clients who reminded me of my femininity. Some took me for the boss's daughter or wife.
Suppliers were asking to speak to my supervisor. For a long time, when I answered the phone, the person on the line asked to speak to a man.
There are plenty of anecdotes like that but, precisely, it remains anecdotal. Besides, there are also women who make these kinds of remarks to me.
Tartaix
13 Rue du Pont aux Choux, 75003 Paris
Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. then from 14 p.m. to 17 p.m.
Closed Saturday and Sunday
Phone: 01 42 72 02 63
Text: Katia Barillot
Photos: ©Anaïs Costet
08.03.20
NEWS, IT'S THIS WAY
Notre-Dame: dismantling of the scaffolding has begun
The gigantic repair project at Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral is coming to an end. The dismantling of the spire scaffolding has begun. It is visible again with, at its top, a rooster which sits in majesty. In ten months, visitors will be able to return to the places whose reopening is planned...
Vote on SUVs: The results in Paris-Centre
Paris voted against SUVs. But only 6% of residents went to the polls. Of the 1 Parisians registered, 374 took part in the ballot. With 532% of votes in favor, the majority expressed their desire to tax these behemoths of the Parisian streets.
For or against SUVs vote on February 4, 2024
In the debate on traffic in Paris, the question of SUVs gives rise to lively discussions. Some advocate a ban because of their environmental impact and their congestion in the city.
NOW ON THE MOOD MARSH
The best tattoo parlors in Marais
Tattooing, an age-old practice, has long been the prerogative of convicts, dock workers, the underworld and sailors. Although it has become democratized, now affecting all profiles and concerning one in five French people, including 16% women compared to 10% men, it still remains taboo due to its definitive and transgressive nature.
Juliette Drouet actress, muse and mistress of Victor Hugo
At 14 rue Sainte-Anastase, from 1836 to 45 and at 12 from 1845 to 48, a few hundred meters from Place des Vosges, lived the muse and lover of Victor Hugo, Juliette Drouet née Julienne Gauvain.
Piccola Mia, the pizzas of the Republic
On the Place de la République, a brasserie with Italian accents has just opened, which quickly made people forget the old Pizza Pino. Welcome to Piccola Mia, the fruit of the joyful encounter between Italian chef Denny Imbroisi, pizza chef Julien Serri and mixologist Matthias Giroud who creates a creative cocktail menu.