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This month French Heritage Features:

 Lloyd's French Shop in Somerville, NJ
  

We had the pleasure of speaking with Jeff Silverman, President of Lloyd's French Shop in Somerville, NJ.  Lloyd's has been a faithful partner with French Heritage, and we will be celebrating our 10th anniversary this month.

FH:  Tell me a bit about your background and how you got involved in this business.

JS:  My mother and father, Lloyd, started the business 60 years ago.  After college, I decided to become part of the family business.  We have reinvented ourselves many times over.

FH:  What changes have you made to reinvent yourselves, especially with the volatility of the industry and economy?

JS:  Well, we consider ourselves to be a "concept store".  Everything has a theme and concept, which is what led to the allure of the French Heritage Shop.  My wife, Ghislaine, is from Nice, France, so I couldn't think of a better person to run the French Shop.  Ghislaine does all of the buying, staging, store set-up and design work.  Over time, everything became extremely European looking and authentic.  We travel to France for accessories, the shows such as Maison Objet, to really give the store the French authenticity it exudes.  Because of this, we have won many awards over the years including most recently "Most Beautifully Displayed Store".

FH:  How did you meet your wife, Ghislaine?

JS:  We met through French Heritage and she was so perfect for the position that I had available in my store that it couldn't have been a better match.  And the rest is pretty much history.

FH:  Sounds like the perfect union!  Going back to your father, Lloyd, I heard it was his 90th birthday this past weekend!  That's exciting!

JS:  Yes, he just had his 90th birthday and we had a huge surprise party for him here in the store.  People flew in from France and all parts of the country.  It was fantastic.  He's such a special, talented man and he still comes into work every day! 

FH:  That's amazing!  Well if there is one thing that you'd like to add or say, what would it be?

JS:  I'd like to say that French Heritage is an absolute pleasure to do business with.  Thanks to Jacques and Henessy, this has turned into a true French Connection.