I just love a good flea market or antique mall, because they’re such great sources for unique furniture and home accents. For a recent client’s kitchen renovation, I picked up a set of 100 year-old framed French embroidery patterns from our local flea market. The designs were hand-colored in rich shades of Provencal red and gold. Not only were they perfect for the client’s French-country style home, they also illuminated a fascinating bit of history and were completely one-of-a-kind. My client was delighted! I’ve shopped (and blogged about) a lot of great antiques sources here in the Carolinas, but it’s long been on my bucket list to shop the flea markets of Paris, and on my recent trip I finally got the chance.
A brisk October morning at the Porte de Vanves flea market of Paris.
From advance research I learned that there is not just one, but five major flea market locations in Paris, each catering to a slightly different clientele and shopping agenda. Whether you prefer to sift through large piles of junk for a hidden gem, or bask in the rarefied atmosphere of museum-quality antiques handled by knowledgeable dealers, there is a flea market for every taste and budget. If contemplating a trip yourself, I recommend reading “Exploring the Flea Markets of France”, by Sandy Price. With only one day for my market excursion, I had to plan my time carefully. I chose the Porte de Vanves market on the southern periphery of the city, which was touted as a mid-priced and visually appealing collectibles market with about 200 vendors. It did not disappoint!
The cheerful market atmosphere was further enlivened by a pianist playing a portable mini-piano.
The main spline of the Porte de Vanves market runs for a length of about six city blocks along the Ave George Lafenestre, and branches off along a couple of side streets as well. Most of the vendor stalls were set up neatly, with well-organized displays of collectibles ranging in age from early 20th century up to the 1980’s. There was a small amount of furniture, but the concentration was of smaller items – jewelry, art prints and illustrations, linens, ceramics, and other household items. Here are some of the pretty things I saw:
Colorful latte bowls: a popular collectible from France.
A bin of antique printing block letters.
Colorfully draped vintage rugs and textiles.
An old trunk filled with vintage buttons on their original cards.
While shopping, I had my eye out for something in particular: Gouda pottery. I developed an interest in Gouda a few years back when I found a beautiful bowl at an antiques mall in Plymouth, MA. As the name would imply, Gouda was a Dutch company. It produced pottery in the early 1900’s, and the pieces became desired and collectible due to their vibrant colors and stylized Art Nouveau and Art Deco motifs. We were just nearing the end of our visit to the flea market when I spotted a set of Gouda. My heart skipped a beat!
As soon as I saw them I knew these babies were coming home with me. Interestingly I think I scored a better deal on these Gouda pieces in France than I would have in their native Netherlands, since many shoppers are mainly interested in French items. The vendor said “Oh, these are Dutch,” almost apologetically. Oh, so not a problem!
On future trips to France I’ll be really interested to check out some of the other flea markets of Paris and those in the countryside. For now though, I’ll have to satisfy my cravings a bit closer to home. For information on upcoming North Carolina flea markets, check out the calendar section on my blog here.
Tamara Leicester is a licensed interior designer and owner of Tamara Heather Interior Design, LLC. She designs casually elegant spaces with an artistic sensibility, often drawing upon the talent of local artists and craftspeople in her work. Learn more at tamaraheatherinteriors.com.