lundi 26 avril 2010

On the other side of the brocante


I think its no secret that I love flea markets and rummage sales. The thrill of finding treasure, the camaraderie among the sellers and the general bonhomie at such events generally contribute to a great time. Well yesterday was a great day for one such event, the difference being that we were for once on the other side of the fence.

Our Brocante was held all along the stretch of the Cours de Vincennes. Along with 400 other sellers of which the professionals got the prime slots along the main street and regular folks like us were more or less relegated to the adjacent streets, we set up our wares and dutifully awaited the flow of customers just dying to purchase our stuff. Our closest neighbor on our left was a rather dubious gentleman (and I use the term very loosely) whose wares consisted of a few glass jugs, what looked like a coffee dispenser and some other odds and ends. To our right was a nice enough man whose wares betrayed no discernible theme. Old photos, postcards, pairs of jeans (?!) and old records were all on his table and the whole time we were there, he didn’t really make an effort to sell. He just kinda hung out and made friends with the folks passing by. Later in the day, a rather noisy and loud man started hanging out and who seemed to make it his business to poke his nose in everyone else’s business. Before I could blink, he’d set out his table with all sorts of products, from bath soaps to used cameras. All of which were loudly proclaimed to be on sale for the cheapest prices imaginable.

Being on the sellers side is a peculiar and particular experience. You are literally exposed to all manner and sort of folks. There were the cool youngsters decked out in vintage looking to score great vintage finds without the high prices, the young couples looking for cheap household wares little old ladies with their grandchildren looking for toys, dapper looking grandfathers looking for old books and magazines, curious kibitzers looking for bargains or looking to score…and so on and on the steady flow went. We literally had a good slice of the French population and boy, did it make for some great people watching. This was the side of Paris that was as far and as different but no less real as the fancy streets of St. Honore and Avenue Montaigne

As for our goods, let’s just say that we sold enough to treat ourselves to dinner!



There were all sorts of goods to be had...this stand had so much vinyl records, it made me wish for my own turntable...
Old books, prints, paintings....no wonder they're enthralled..


Our rather loud neighbor's table....
And the nosy man who minded everyone else's business but his own. I was trying to snap a photo of the street in general when he decided to pose, and he grabbed two unsuspecting girls while he was at it!

2 commentaires:

Redaddict a dit…

the vinyls stand looked indeed really nice!!! what were you selling?

karen ocampo a dit…

wow, pinkprincess, congratulations for participating in the brocante! sounds like so much fun!!! i wish we were there to sell with you... :)