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1870
The Neal Brothers - two British men - set up a library, a Tea Room and an English bookshop at 248 rue de Rivoli. Even though the relationship between the British and the French was not at its closest, the Parisians adopted the "tea time" with great enthusiasm. For 30 years the business grew considerably, because of and thanks to the wealthy English customers. -
1903 - turning point
1903 was a turning point for the shop; the Neal Brothers sold their business to WHSmith & Son. -
1908 - Tea Room renovation
To mark their mark, in 1908, the WHSmith family decided to renovate the Tea Room in the "Old English" style. The new decoration got a lot of attention and according to the New York Times, it looked a little like Shakespeare's birth city: Stratford-upon-Avon, which was very good avertising for our Tea Room! -
1950 - closure and reopening of the Tea Room
After the closure of the Tea Room due to WWII, it reopened in 1950 and celebrities came to enjoy "the cream tea", like Serge Gainsburg, Woody Allen, Claude Sarraute and many others. -
1980's - One's man loss is another man's gain
The 1980's were as great for the bookshop as there were bad for the Tea Room. The bookshop's sales increased to the extent that the Tea Room had to close down in 1989. Over the same period of time, the press section had its own moment of glory and became known for its widest range of newpapers and magazines. -
2016 - the Revival
In 2016 the Tea Room reopened. A breath of fresh air came in and the British elements were highlighted. Ever since, the bookshop is the largest one of its kind in France, and still has the largest international press section of the country.
