Store in Paris?

It started as a form of side income while I was still a street artist making pastel reproductions of Rubans et Boucher in front of Printemps, Boulevard Haussmann, in 1991. I was making my first juggling balls from bodruche balloons and millet seeds, and I sold them for 50 francs a set of three.

I quickly found myself at the Clignancourt Market where this little box of balls turned into a sales stand for other "made in England" juggling balls, and diabolos that I found at a wholesaler in the south of Paris.

After a year or two, I took the leap and opened the first of three stores that I eventually occupied in rue Hermel, in the 18th arrondissement. It grew from 35 to 70 square meters, then to more than 300 square meters, with a team of 12 people at the time.

These diabolos which I had originally bought from a wholesaler in Paris, turned out to come from a small factory near Milan in Italy. I worked closely with the owner's son, Davide, to build a juggling range which was at the time marketed under the PassePasse brand. Davide ended up turning his father's business into the pure juggling factory he runs today.

Managing PassePasse allowed me to travel to the four corners of the world where I met very interesting and friendly people, most of whom are friends whom I am happy to consider as such even today.

My two daughters, born in Paris, are now adults. One is working in the humanitarian field after finishing her studies at McGill in Canada, and the other is about to equip herself with a motorhome and travel as I have done all these years.

My youngest son will now help me prepare and ship orders from our warehouse in Bordeaux, where we have been based for 6 years.

I will miss Paris, but the memories will stay with me. In truth, the way we shop today has changed, and more small businesses will continue to close as long as Amazon and other tax-evading businesses are allowed to reign free.

Please continue to support my business and others by shopping through our platforms directly. And finally, thank you very much to all those who have chosen and continued to buy from PassePasse all these years.

Sincerely yours,

Chris.