As Valletta gears up to become the capital of culture next year, the city is going through major changes, with new shops opening up – while others which have been open for decades are packing up.
Among them is the iconic Camilleri Paris Mode store on Merchants Street, which first opened up in 1890.
Two new shops and five generations later, the family business is still up and running but to many people’s disappointment, the tiny store in Valletta will be closed in the coming weeks to make way for the museum as part of the St John's co-Cathedral renovations.
“The shop was opened by my great-great grandfather and his brother in 1890. They started off selling luxury household goods and textiles, which at the time was a first in Malta,” Hannah Camilleri, manager at the Valletta store, told the Times of Malta.
While Ms Camilleri is today also responsible for the company’s marketing strategies, she first started off working part-time at the Valletta store. She admits that growing up, she was always interested in the family business, attributing the company’s success over the years to the passion her whole family has when it comes to running the business.
A visit to Valletta was not complete without a stop at the store
While the flagship store in Rabat is spread over a number of levels and offers customers a unique shopping experience, Ms Camilleri insisted that it is the small Valletta store that customers enjoy visiting most. Many, she went on, have been regular customers for decades and were shocked when they heard the news that the store was closing.
“We have people coming in telling us they used to visit the shop with their mothers and grandmothers. For many people, a visit to Valletta was not complete without a stop at the store,” Ms Camilleri said.
On why she believed many were so attached to the shop, Ms Camilleri pondered that it was possibly the family element that made people want to return over and over again. This, she went on, was a rarity in Malta as businesses tended to change and grow over time, changing their clientele regularly.
The shop’s design was also a pull factor, drawing people to the store even just to look around, Ms Camilleri said, pointing out that it had been designed by renowned architect Richard England. And while sales were a crucial aspect of good business, Ms Camilleri said that having people appreciate aesthetics was also important to the Camilleri family.
While an official closing date has yet to be determined as the company is still waiting for instructions from the government, Ms Camilleri said the family was planning a small event with long-time customers to mark the end of an era.