One of the small charms of Rock Hill is the love locks outside of Amelie’s French Bakery & Cafe on East Main Street. This assortment of locks can be found on a fence outside of the main entrance. This fence is adorned with everything ranging from padlocks to locks in the shape of hearts to even a combination bike lock. Each of these is meant to represent a couple who wanted to put a literal lock on their relationship. In many ways it is similar to the act we see in movies where a couple will carve their initials into a tree.
This idea is not original to Amelie’s, but it is related. The most popular version of the love locks were in Paris, France on the Pont des Arts, a bridge that went over the Seine River. According to CNN.com, it is believed the idea originates from a 2006 Italian novel-turned-film “Ho Voglia di Te” (I Want You) by Federico Moccia, and spread to Paris in 2008. However, it would only be four years before it started creating problems. While at first charming, pieces of fencing on the bridge started collapsing under the weight of the locks. With every lock added to the collection, the bridge was that much closer to collapsing from the unplanned weight. Many people also had a tendency of throwing the keys to their locks in the river below, and in turn polluting it. They were removed in 2015 due to the dangers they presented.
Unlike their French counterpart, the locks at Amelie’s are not at any risk of causing harm. Two Amelie’s workers, Dara Bower and Monica, agreed that the locks will probably never be removed as long as Amelie’s is there. Monica, who has worked at the Rock Hill branch of the bakery for three months and with the company itself for three years, said the locks are “part of Amelie’s.” She went on to describe the locks as “something to signify love” and as symbols of peace and “a strong relationship with someone.”
Bower, a senior psychology and anthropology major at Winthrop, has worked at the bakery since June 2019. During that time, she has come to see the locks as a great thing. To her, each lock has its “own little story” and are symbols of good memories, heartfelt things, and happy stories.
While neither worker has added their own locks to the collection, two students at Winthrop have. Chandler Moore and Ally Baumgartner, sophomore theatre performance majors, added their own lock to the collection at Amelie’s for their one year anniversary. To Moore, the lock was “a symbol of love” and “something secure that is nearly impossible to break. We threw away the key so the lock will remain there with no way for it to be taken away.” Baumgartner shared this view, stating “we’ve made a commitment to each other, to push each other to be better people, and that our love and friendship is a bond that can’t be broken.”
Until the day Amelie’s shuts their doors, it is safe to assume the love locks will proudly sit outside of it, representing the love and connections formed by every couple who has placed locks there.
Photos: Marisa Fields-Williams
