{"id":71942,"date":"2014-03-05T15:32:18","date_gmt":"2014-03-05T04:32:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theproject.com.au\/myfrenchlife\/?p=71942"},"modified":"2014-03-07T09:37:17","modified_gmt":"2014-03-06T22:37:17","slug":"flea-markets-in-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theproject.com.au\/myfrenchlife\/2014\/03\/05\/flea-markets-in-france\/","title":{"rendered":"Your insider guide to flea markets in France"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Flea<\/a>Every francophile who follows Ma Vie Fran\u00e7aise\u00ae knows about the second hand markets<\/a>\u00a0(also known as flea markets) in Paris, most notably the March\u00e9 aux Puces.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Contrary to its name, this refined market is famous for its precious antiques and collectibles.<\/p>\n

But as neither my budget nor my lifestyle has room for rare breakables, I\u2019ve found other flea markets in France hold greater personal appeal. These include\u00a0brocantes,<\/a> <\/i>vide-greniers<\/i> (literally ’empty attics’) and even French online markets<\/a>.<\/p>\n

They’re all tremendous fun, but the thrill of the hunt at the\u00a0<\/i>vide-grenier<\/a>, a delicious mix of American garage sale and flea market, tops my list.<\/p>\n

The secret to successful bargaining with the French<\/h3>\n

Tips: visiting a vide-grenier<\/i> is generally easier by car, especially if you buy anything difficult to carry. Bring some tote bags.<\/p>\n

\"Flea<\/p>\n

Bargaining is perfectly acceptable. Respectful, rather than aggressive bargaining will yield the greatest reward. Most French merchants would rather refuse a sale than accept an insulting offer.<\/p>\n

Instead, try asking for a discount if you buy two or more items:<\/p>\n

\u2018Quel est le prix si je prends les deux\/les trois\/le tout?<\/i>\u2019<\/i><\/p>\n

‘What\u2019s the price if I buy two\/three\/the lot?’<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re polite and make a decent offer, vendors are usually quite receptive.<\/p>\n

One way to research the France of yesteryear<\/h3>\n

During my last trip to France, my daughter and I drove one Sunday morning to a popular local second hand market, w<\/i>here the vendors stretched from one end of the parking lot to the next.<\/p>\n

\"Flea<\/p>\n

I hit pay dirt at the first table. An elderly woman was offering grandmother\u2019s kitchenware: stoneware mustard pot and cruets, a \u2018dripolator\u2019 teapot and vintage fa\u00efence<\/i>.<\/p>\n

She gave me a good deal on the lot, and held my purchases while we continued to shop. I found an antique copper pot, initialed to ensure its return from the tinsmith; a copper planter; giant brass utensils hanging from brass hooks; and an exquisite <\/i>green and yellow glazed pitcher \u2014 small snippets of the France of yesteryear.<\/p>\n

What not to ask the French<\/h3>\n

The adventure didn\u2019t end there. A few stalls over I spied an enamel cylinder, which could be hung on a wall. I innocently inquired in French: \u201cMonsieur, qu<\/i>\u2019<\/i>est-ce que c<\/i>\u2019<\/i>est?<\/i>\u201d\u00a0<\/i>\u2014 a planter, perhaps?<\/p>\n

In a tone I can only describe as one the French save for the very young or feeble minded, he answered: \u201c<\/i>c’est pour les femmes, madame, pour se nettoyer a l<\/i>\u2019<\/i>int<\/i>\u00e9<\/i>rieur.<\/i>\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Flea<\/p>\n

His tone clearly meant: \u201care you an imbecile, Madame<\/em>? It\u2019s for feminine interior cleansing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Worse, Monsieur<\/em> took my mortification for complete ignorance, so he began an enthusiastic pantomime to explain himself.<\/p>\n

Alas, I had admired a vintage douche or enema irrigator, not recognizing its function. In my defense, the vintage item bore no resemblance to its modern cousins \u2014 but still!<\/p>\n

Nobody else seemed to think our interaction extraordinary, but we immediately assured Monsieur we understood, and made a quick escape.<\/p>\n

I learned a valuable lesson: don\u2019t ask a vendor to identify a curiosity unless you have some idea of its purpose. But don\u2019t let that deter you. The vide-grenier<\/i> is a genuine slice of France that’s too good to miss.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

Have you visited flea markets in France?\u00a0<\/strong>Share your experience, favourite find, or best bargaining tips with us below.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n
Image credits:<\/span>
\n 1 & 3. Courtesy of\u00a0Parlez-Vous Provence LLC<\/a><\/span>
\n2. \u201c<\/span>Grande rue de Villiers-en-D\u00e9soeuvre – Eure (France), vide-grenier<\/a>\u201d by<\/span> Spedona<\/a>.<\/span>
\n4. \u00a0Photo of vintage irrigator, courtesy of<\/span> Julie Briggs<\/a>.
\n<\/span><\/address>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Read Louise’s guide to learn the best bargaining etiquette at second hand markets in France. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5035,"featured_media":71981,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[1081,1105],"tags":[172,196,197,213,236,240,253,281,332,384,436,569],"class_list":["post-71942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-escapades","category-experience-experience","tag-culture","tag-expat-life","tag-expats","tag-france","tag-french-guide","tag-french-life","tag-french-thread","tag-in-english","tag-markets","tag-places-to-go","tag-things-to-do","tag-advice"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theproject.com.au\/myfrenchlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theproject.com.au\/myfrenchlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theproject.com.au\/myfrenchlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theproject.com.au\/myfrenchlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5035"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theproject.com.au\/myfrenchlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71942"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/theproject.com.au\/myfrenchlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71942\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theproject.com.au\/myfrenchlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theproject.com.au\/myfrenchlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theproject.com.au\/myfrenchlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theproject.com.au\/myfrenchlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}