Paris In July: Something Old!

Let's face it. We all like a good buy when we travel -- a souvenir, something special to bring home, maybe as a gift or just to treasure. And yes, in Paris you can go to some of the wonderful stores like Le Bon Marche, Galleries Lafayette, Printemps or BHV Marais. But it's even a little more fun to bring home something you've found at a flea market, brocante or vides grenier.

My friend Jerry is a master at finding wonderful items (and knowing how to bargain for them! So, come with us to a few spots!

Flea Marketing in Paris

Paris is a grand place for treasure hunting and the flea markets, vides greniers or brocantes may be just the ticket!

On a Sunday morning, en route to our parked car, we set off to a street market Jerry had discovered. 

Much of what you see in these is similar to what you would find in a really good flea market here -- china...

...silverware and glass...

...music...

...and what I call the "junk drawer."

(You'll find kids toys and lots of clothes too, but I prefer items like this fish, which I didn't buy and wish I did!)

I particularly loved this old typewriter and if I had been there with my own car and not far from my own house, it may have been my new mate. I didn't feel like lugging it around Europe in my suitcase!

I don't have pictures here of the book, postcard and communion card I bought (all for four Euros and Jerry said if I had bargained better I'd get it for less) but I liked this picture better!

And, while I didn't look for this kind of stuff here, on a previous trip to France I discovered it's a great spot for finding WWII memorabilia, if that is your thing.
I suspect that if I had been there just with Jerry, we would have "fleaed" all day, but other people's stuff isn't Rick's thing! So, that will be another time. But in the tips, I mention a few tips for the serious shopper!

Flea or Flee Tips!

The two best known Paris flea markets are Clinganccourt and Porte de Vanves. (I was at Vanves in 2009 and it was huge. They say Clingancourt is all the more so!) There you will find serious dealers and lots more merchandise. The book "Markets of Paris" by Dixon Long and Marjorie Williams offers some fun shopping ideas and directions. There may well be others if you hunt a bit.

If you speak/read French, look for neighborhood sales HERE. You will need to know the area you are -- for example, Paris is divided into several regions, and the map can direct you to "vide greniers" and brocantes throughout France.

You are expected to bargain. Jerry, who is the master of all things antique when it comes to bargaining, has a way of getting things for a song. I'm not so good at it! But give it a try!

Paris: About Flea Markets and Friends

I want very much to speak about flea markets and friends, for this was a big part of my Paris visit.

As you might imagine, I was desperately eager to visit a flea market or two, and they didn't disappoint!

The first was with our blog cohort, Tara Bradford, aka Paris Parfait! I was so excited to meet up a blogger whose blog I visit faithfully and simply adore for its great photography and point of view. So, I was certainly looking forward to that first Saturday morning in Paris when met to go to Vanves, a large flea market in the south of Paris.

Vendor tables seemed to go for blocks, with everything from print/ephemera and old books to furniture, jewelry, keys, artifacts. You name it! Lots of things caught my eye...

My favorite finds form this show included a beautiful Japanese print (with special thanks to Tara for helping to negotiate the deal!)...

... an old key and some print ephemera.

I was very fond of the Parisian print trio...

...and oh! The magazines!

For an Anglophile, finding Paris Match highlighting Queen Elizabeth's coronation was a treasure (to match my Life magazine at home!)

This 1953 ladies magazine was great fun.

I loved the color spreads.

Even the ads were fun!

I also chose some postcards from places in Paris I'd visited, including Cluny in 1901 and this one of the Hotel deVille, which I passed every day on my jaunts to the Metro and beyond!

I also found this frame and these wonderful buttons. (The lace and trim came from a later market, down below). Later Jerry would help supplement my button collection, but that's in a later post!

One of the other things I love about Paris in general (and Vanves was no exception) is the prevalence of dogs.

I loved these two, becoming friends at a vendor's booth!

Later that day, Tara and her husband David invited us for a lovely dinner. I wanted to bring flowers, so we stopped at the florist.

Jerry explained that in France, you don't buy a ready-made bouquet, but pick several kinds of flowers from the shop's display, take them inside, and they make up the bouquet for you.

The woman making the bouquet gathered stems in a circular motion.

Then she wrapped it in colorful tissue and a cellophane.

Gerbera daisies, rose hips, greenery -- worked for me!

I would love to have added a photo of Tara or one of Tara and David with me, but at Tara's request, I'll pass. But she is so lovely! Just a delight, and I had the best time enjoying David's fabulous Moroccan dinner, great conversation, and being surrounded (as readers of Paris Parfait might imagine) by so many lovely things, I barely knew where to look!

I will say it was a memorable evening with sharing of smiles, stories, gifts and I will always remember this evening with my gracious hosts!

The following morning, Jerry and I headed out for our Normandy excursion. But he had done his homework well -- we had an itinerary of town flea markets along the way.

These are greatly different than Vanves, which is a weekly and somewhat more commercial affair. In France, "ordinary people" don't have yard saleswhenever they like; instead the city (or towns) set dates and everyone who likes participates.

The merchandise is different, too. While Vanves had higher end items, the markets we visited were a real mix -- everything from vintage and antique items to discarded Fisher Price toys and old clothes.

And produce vendors also had their wares (and I found the best raspberries EVER! So sweet, they couldn't be believed!)

The towns they were in had what they called "foires" -- in addition to the sales, they also had rides, food, and other activities. Jerry was aces at making good deals!

My favorite finds from these included a French Scrabble board (which I left up north and don't have a photograph of, but you might be interested to know that "W" is worth 10 points!)

I also bought some sewing notions and trims (pictured above with my Vanves buttons), some lace, bicycle pins (which have yet to be given!) and a very nice photo book on World War II and the invasion.

I would have bought these chairs, but I was a little too far from home!

Enjoying all of these was great fun -- fun to see the kinds of things that are different from what one sees here. For example, in the town foires, yes -- there was tacky and modern stuff. They're garage sales, after all. But there was a tremendous amount of the "good stuff" too -- beautiful (old) glassware, copper, pewter, brass, military-related items, photo albums (the one I wanted was 50 euros and Jerry couldn't get her to come down, so I gave it a pass).

Let me just say when I hit the yard sales here, I don't see much in the line of good stuff. Estate sales, maybe. Yard sales, no.

I loved seeing the people, the towns. And oh -- those raspberries!

Things I Learned:

When flea marketing in France, go with someone who speaks French for the best deals. I'm sure I could have tried something with my little Rick Steves phrase book. It wouldn't have worked. Not really.

Experiencing this was really a treat. I appreciated the differences between the professionals and the locals and I loved seeing the small towns.

The whole florist-bouquet thing was new to me, and I just loved watching her work (and the end result!)