When museum ticket offices close, boutiques lower their shutters, bistro stoves cool down and street lights go out, Paris’ boulevards become silent and dark, revealing a side of the city reserved for the few. 

Walking late at night between Notre Dame and the Sacré-Cœur, Marie Hamel has immortalized in the series of shots “Alimentations Générales” the most hidden and typical part of the Ville Lumiere represented by the small grocery stores open 24 hours a day. 

These are tiny shops with classic street displays, colorful curtains, vintage signs, and neon lights. By stopping in front of one of them and relying on a little imagination, you might find yourself in 1950s Paris. 

The photographs of Alimentations Générales, as well as being of timeless beauty, are tangible evidence of those small businesses that manage to survive in a world of large shopping malls and oversupplied supermarkets.