Marie Eiffel honored by French government

Marie Eiffel makes it habit to get to know her regular customers, so when a man stopped by her  Market on Bridge Street several times a couple of years ago, she began speaking with him and discovered he, like she, was from France.

He was the ambassador from France to the United States.

It was the beginning of what would lead to Marie Eiffel receiving the National Order of Merit from her native country bestowed on her by Ambassador Gérard Araud at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. at a private ceremony on December 9. It’s a prestigious award honoring civilians who have contributed to the lives of others, Ms. Eiffel explained.

What Mr. Araud learned about her during his visits to the Market was how the one-time music teacher and former actress saw her life interrupted and changed as the result of a serious automobile accident in 2002.

“From the moment of the accident to now, what matters is I started from scratch,” she said. “I didn’t have a pair of shoes, a toothbrush,” she told Reporter feature writer Charity Robey two years ago.

She had long since abandoned acting and by the early 1990s, was working in a New York City restaurant.

She studied to be a life coach, began consulting with restaurants and helping struggling business owners deal with communication issues. Her coaching business grew and she spread her wings internationally.

But the pace was frantic and she decided to take a year off and move from Manhattan to the South Fork to slow her pace.

It was during that move on October 1, 2002, when her car left the road near the end of the Long Island Expressway and rolled. It would be the beginning of a 20-month hospital stay that, despite her medical insurance, left her financially in ruins.

“My joy came from irrelevant stuff, a nice piece of cake made me happy,” she told Ms. Robey. “When I left the hospital, I was grateful and fearless.”

After working as a hostess at a Bridgehampton restaurant and living in a series of tiny apartments, she spent Christmas 2004 on Shelter Island at the invitation of an old friend, Marcel Iattoni, who was the chef at the Olde Country Inn, who was cooking dinner for Governor Hugh Carey and his family.

In 2005, she opened a consignment store on Route 114 near the Olde Country Inn. “I was sitting there seven days a week from 10 to 5 and almost nobody came in,” she said. “Of the few who did, very few bought something, but they all thought I had good taste.”

With the help of a small business loan, she moved her business to the Heights and opened a children’s store. Expanding again, she opened a clothing store in Sag Harbor and in 2012 opened Marie Eiffel’s Market on Bridge Street. She has more recently opened a home goods store in the Center.

She and her companion Jason Penney now have a house near the Center.

Her ability to rebuild her life captured Mr. Araud’s attention, prompting him to recommend her for the Medal of Honor. Last March, she received a phone call telling her she had been nominated, but not to get overly excited because not all of those nominated finally receive the distinction of becoming a “Chevalier,” the highest level of the award for which she would eventually qualify.

French citizens and foreign nationals can be chosen for civil or military achievements.

She spent a weekend as a guest at the French Embassy in Washington being wined and dined in one of the most beautiful buildings she has ever visited, she said.