On March 18th, 1854, a French entrepreneur with a broad commercial vision decided to establish a company in Lima dedicated to selling various fabrics and perfumes imported from France.

The initial stock was personally brought by Mr. Teodoro Harth in his own luggage, embarking on a nine-month journey on a sailing ship from Europe to Callao, Peru.

Upon opening the store, Teodoro focused on regularly importing a series of French products that were not available in the country at that time. Harth initiated the business in association with Mr. Augusto Schweitzer, the uncle of Dr. Albert Schweitzer, a Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1952 known for his charitable work and investigations in Africa.

The business commenced with four employees on Plateros de San Pedro street in the center of Lima. After some time, it was relocated to Jiron Azangaro, where it remained until the year 2000.