BY ROCHELLE KOFF
rkoff@miamiherald.com

Pick up a lovely Marat D'Avignon tablecloth, fragrant shea butter soaps from Marseille or an Anduze vase and soon you'll be learning there's an intriguing history behind them -- and every item you find at charming Coté Provence.

North Carolina native Richard Foster and Frenchman Serge Genillier opened this Francophile find, on Fort Lauderdale's fashionable Las Olas Boulevard, two years ago, bringing a little of the region they love, the south of France, to South Florida.

Richard Foster, left, and Serge Genillier Visit Provence regularly to fill their shelves with beautiful items.

ART AND BEAUTY

''There is so much art and beauty that comes out of France,'' says Foster, a former English teacher who also studied languages and European culture. ``Our main concept is to present something that's authentic.''

On travels to Provence -- they made a trip in June -- Foster and Genillier hand-pick the items for their sunny boutique.

''We wanted to be able to know the history behind each piece we have, know where it came from,'' says Foster. ``And in many cases, we have visited the people who made it. Easily half the merchandise we have can be found in Provenc¸al markets.''

He and Genillier, a chef from Clermont-Ferrand in south-central France, bring that friendly ambience to the Las Olas Gourmet Market, where they sell aperitif and olive dishes, herbes de Provence and popular floral plates with textured bottoms (just grate the garlic in the bowl, then add your oil and herbs).

Foster and Genillier will be back at the market (9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays at Las Olas Boulevard and Southeast 12th Avenue) in the fall when their new merchandise arrives.

In the shop, find vibrant Provence¸al fabrics, Varages porcelain dishes, candles, pot holders, bags -- anything from a $1 travel-size Marseille soap or $8 lavender-scented sachet to a $1,500, 31-inch Anduze pot. Stamped seals verify the pots, in various sizes, are authentic replicas of Vases d'Anduze, made in the 16th century. You'd find 50 similar pots (also reproductions) in the Chteau de Versailles gardens, Foster says.

PERFECT PRINTS

Provence is well-known for its traditional prints, and Coté Provence's high-quality lines include Marat D'Avignon -- ''one of the only houses left that produces and prints fabric and finishes it all in France,'' says Foster. Along with traditional colors -- bold yellows, blues, greens and reds -- artisans are also using natural tones like ecru, taupes, grays -- and the pigments from Provence's ochre quarries, including a pretty coral fabric that's among the shop's new items. Artisans are also creating patterns using gorgeous ancient Indian designs.

''You can wash these fabrics over and over and the dyes won't fade,'' Foster says.

The store's gourmet tapenades and spreads are from Les Delices Du Luberon in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, a charming town near Avignon where Foster and Genillier owned the restaurant Le Bellevue for five years.

But they prefer the boutique business. ''I like the idea of keeping artists in business and craftsmanship alive and away from machinery and mass production,'' says Foster. ``I think that's important.''

For those of us who can't spend a year in Provence, visiting Coté Provence is a trip worth making.