L'Echoppe de l'Ours, the live action role-playing!

Marc-Antoine is the Bear (l'Ours) who designs the outfits of future knights and even peasants... who dare to fight duels and dramatise medieval encounters.

Let's plunge into the year 1000 in the company of a passionate and fascinating inventor.

MEETING

Welcome Marc-Antoine,

We gave our readers a brief introduction to your Echoppe (stall) in our article on Adie A business plan thanks to French association Adie, leading to a second chance on the job market,

Can you tell us what gave you the idea to embark on this great adventure? What were you doing before?

Like many people in the world of LARP (live action role-playing), my passion for this universe is the basis of my project. It's a world that ‘really is gut-wrenching and, when you enter it, it's never half-hearted.

I also wanted to democratise LARP, to open it up to as many people as possible, but also to provide affordable access to equipment, weapons, armour and accessories.

Before that, I had several lives. I've worked as a car mechanic, a receptionist and an educator. Now I have to take on a second job because the shop alone doesn't allow me to make a living...

Why did you name your business L'Echoppe de l'Ours (The stall of the Bear)? French readers remember Gaston Phébus (1), the Pyrenean prince, lord of Béarn, author of a famous manuscript on venery in which he devotes a chapter to this beast, or the bear trainers of the time. What inspired you to create the name of your company?

That's trully an excellent reference, but unfortunately I'm afraid the answer is more down-to-earth. We were looking for a company name that had a medieval feel to it, while avoiding the usual boutiques, thatched cottages, cauldrons, etc., which were already very present. So we opted for L'échoppe (The stall). As for the bear.... well, to tell you the truth, it's a bit like my totem animal. It's an animal that can be very likeable, or rather unkempt, even gruff or clumsy.

My affection for the bear school in the video game The Witcher III also has a lot to do with it, between the design of the outfits and the history of the school. A real favourite.

You have a predestined first name, Mark Antony having been a famous Roman soldier... However, your choice fell on the medieval period. Research and trials were no doubt necessary to create your outfits and armoury. What databases do you use and what are the main difficulties you encounter/have encountered?

Predestined, I don't know, Marc-Antoine is only used in the professional sphere and sometimes in the family, when I'm called to order!

As far as my shop is concerned, even though I have a great passion for Viking-inspired outfits, I have no historical pretensions and I don't have the necessary knowledge. I do what we call FANTASY, that is to say all literary culture, film, video games, etc.

I do my best to respond to my customers' wishes by creating items that are as neutral as possible so that they can be customised as required, because in the world of LARP, many participants are also craftsmen and make certain parts of their costumes themselves. This can be difficult, as some customers are looking for more original pieces. So I have to accommodate their vision.

Do you have a favourite outfit or weapon, or a role-playing game that inspires you more than another?

Of course I do! My Witcher-inspired outfit and the so-called bastard swords (1m10), between the one-handed sword and the two-handed sword. I own 6 of them.

For LARP, I'm very active in the Solvanarh LARP, organised by the Somnium Bellator association in the Gard region of France, and also in the KANDORYA LARP, where I'm just a player.

As for classic role-playing games, I'm still inspired by The Witcher and, in a completely different universe, Warhammer 40000 Deathwatch, which takes place in a nightmarish future.

How do you organise your participation in medieval fairs? You must be in great demand to present your armoury...

Well, strangely enough, I'm not that much in demand. It's quite the opposite. I contact the organisers of medieval fairs to offer my services as an exhibitor, like most of my colleagues.

The feedback, on the other hand, has been incredible. The public, whether they know anything about the world of LARP or not, is always there. I love seeing the surprise of adults who, when they touch my blades, are convinced that they're real when in fact they're foam blades!

How do you go about staging your space?

Drawing my inspiration exclusively from the world of fantasy, I try to give my stand an enchanting, Arthurian feel. After that, it's also a question of having an attractive, well laid-out stand, to make visitors and future customers want to stop and chat with them.

Now we'll give you carte blanche. What would you like to add?

Thank you for allowing me to present my work and my world in your pages. With the explosion of FANTASY in the general culture (as I write these lines, the new season of Rings of Power has been released), role-playing games are arousing renewed interest and, by the same token, NG.

So I'd like to remind you that, although it may seem a little strange from the outside, I can assure you that, as well as having a great time and incredible adventures, LARP can be good for you and help your morale.

Finally, one last thing... If you're still hesitating about joining the adventure, or just don't dare, take the first step. I promise you won't regret it!

Thanks to Marc-Antoine Lemonnier for his contribution to this article. Visuals©L'échoppe de l'Ours.

The right address: L'Echoppe de l'Ours.

1) Read or reread the book by Myriam Gaston de Béarn, Gaston Phébus.