SAVE A FORGED TOOL FACTORY

And now it's the crucial, dreaded moment: trying everything to avoid a point of no return. We tell you all about it... We are Soumia and Simon Luquet. Blacksmiths, colleagues, lovers, parents and friends. After several years of unsuccessful searching, in 2021 we found the workshop of our dreams in Eschbach-au-Val. Let’s see how beautiful it is : The owner, a carpenter who is retiring, fell in love with our business and rented us his workshop. It is a clean and spacious, enclosed workshop, that’s been part of the village for 60 years. It was just waiting for us. We then go from our extremely limiting 23m² to 300m². But the rules of the game are known from the outset : 3 years and not a day more. That’s fine with us. After all, we need to check that our project is sound. Yes, but here’s the thing... The lease expires on July 31. 2024. In other words, it's tomorrow morning! Because 3 years is a long time on paper, but it's a very short time with your nose in the coal. The owner is not insensitive. He recognised himself in us, having launched his own business in the same premises. He made us an attractive offer to continue our projects : Make forged tools for professionals and enthusiasts alike, Offer immersive workshops to raise public awareness of blacksmithing Train trainees in edge-tool carving and other related trades And enable our development projects: Open a direct sales shop and offer local services such as sharpening, tool restoration or welding, Make all the valley’s schoolchildren happy Boosting the region's tourism offering at a time when the climate is changing the game You can't imagine what we've still got up our sleeves! Now it's up to us! (and a little bit to you too) Maison Luquet has been in business for six years : Made-to-measure tools and small series all over the world, Unusual and innovative collaborations Several projects on historic heritage sites And several thousand happy apprentice blacksmiths We have withstood COVID, geopolitical uncertainties and even raw materials inflation with cool blood and creativity. The only fragile spot in the picture : the walls of our workshop. The strenght of La Maison Luquet lies in its professionalism, its visible drive for progress and its commitment to sharing knowledge and experience. We have demonstrated that our economy is stable and our activity sustainable. To put it in a less pompous way: we’ve had a blast! So much so ! 40 days! We have 40 days left to own the walls of our workshop and sail serenely towards version 2.0 of our adventure Maison Luquet has contributed to the restoration of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris: it was chosen by the companies responsible for manually carving the medieval roof timbers of the nave and choir. To do this, with its partners, it made the fifty or so axes that were used by the carpenters to cut the 1200 oak trees needed to rebuild these frames, which were lost in the fire. Some of the carpentry axes manufactured by a group of bladesmiths, as part of the restoration work on the framework of Notre Dame de Paris A fundraiser is financial support, where you can leave with a souvenir of the challenge you took on together. Here's the story behind each match. As far as forged tools are concerned, Simon has signed 2 totally unique axes for the occasion. For the primitive axe, we’re taking you on a playful and utilitarian experience: it’s do-it-yourself and perfectly functional. The 2nd axe, combining the techniques of carving and plastic creation, will benefit from a sublimated finish and a hand-carved handle. Forged in our workshop, these axes carry with them our history and be passed down through the generations. The rewards created as part of a "collaboration" are the fruit of wonderful friendships. Simon and Soumia have asked these dear people, whose genius they admire, to spoil you. These artists have agreed to offer a unique work for this fundraiser and we’d like to thank them. Bastien Massot aka BATCHOU , graduated from HEAR Strasbourg with a degree in Visual education. An illustrator, screen printer, specialist in cooking lamb ; he was also our best man at our wedding Alexandre Diboine aka ZEDIG is a conceptual artist and illustratorwho creates artwork for the film, advertising and video game industries. Not only does Soumia fall in love with his drawings of little women with axes, but she also discovers by chance that he has signed up for a hatchet course. Arthur De Pins is the comic strip artist behind the fabulous Péchés Mignons, Zombillenium and La Révolution des Crabes. He’s one of Jo and Virgile's favorite artists and a classmate of Merwan's. With Simon, he forges a sword in the style of the 10th century to honor his knightly ancestor, but also as part of the research for his future comic: Knight Club . In return, Gretchen becomes, for an instant, the muse of La Maison Luquet. Joachim and Virgile Luquet , aka "the blacksmith's sons". They are a source of inspiration and pride for us. We are also one of their favorite subjects of drawings, jokes and mischief. Merwan Chabane , comic strip author and animated film director , holds a special place in Simon's library. His work, including Fausse Garde (Pankat), L'Or et le sang, Pour l'empire and finally Mécanique Céleste , has been with Simon since he was a student in the visual arts. It was mutual crush on Instagram that brought them together in real life around a forge fire. A mythical axe and an easter egg are to be discovered on the networks. The counterpart: Aster will be posing with the Gust'axe. Marion Schutz is a multi-talented artist who graduated from HEAR Mulhouse. A close friend and accomplice, she has a "f*** surprise" in store to pay tribute to our love of skateboarding and humor. Sheets of stickers for adults and children, to customize your helmet and grandma's car. Daniel Boucard is a seasoned collector of tools, a French writer and illustrator and a specialist in folk arts. He is the author of rare works such as Le Dictionnaire des outils and le Dictionnaire illustré et anthologie des métiers. Soumia discovered him through his book Les Haches. She set out to find him and offered to help him republish his book, which was being sold at obcene prices on the second-hand market. An epic journey of almost 3 years, a beautiful book in 2 languages. Chloé Doux , aka Ordalia Kuk, aka “Tata Chloé”, is present avery stages of our lives. Simon and Soumia’s sister-in-arms (in kendo), she is also our children's auntie at heart and an illustrator with extremely sensitive drawings. The proof: she knows how to draw hands! We'll probably be doing more giveaways in the future... we'll keep you posted!