Paris has a very famous flea market. It is called “Le marché aux puces de Saint-Ouen". It was inaugurated in 1885 and extends over six hectares. It welcomes every week 70 000 visitors during its opening days. The Puces de Saint-Ouen has 2000 shops selling everything from stylish furniture to old postcards and including clothes. In the fifties and sixties, the Puces de Saint-Ouen had a status as a place where one could buy nice and old furniture at very cheap prices. Though it is not so, it is still a very interesting place to visit. The choice is large and the prices are moderate to high. The Puces de Saint-Ouen is located on the edge of Paris in a popular and mostly ethnic neighborhood.
The history of the flea market dates back over two centuries, when rag and bone men scoured through the garbage of Paris at night to find valuable junk to sell on. They were called ‘crocheteurs’ or pickers. The romantic term was ‘pêcheurs de lune’ or fishermen for the moon. Many set up their temporary stalls within the Paris walls, in sleazy neighborhoods but because these neighborhoods were full of pickpockets and thieves, they were chased out of the city walls to Clignancourt, Montreuil, Vanves, etc. The largest of these flea markets is the one at Clignancourt but the other two continue to this day.
The Montreuil markets are fairly rough-and-ready with numerous unauthorised street hawkers. Although second-hand goods dealers are becoming increasingly sparse, there are still bargains to be found - hats, glasses, 70's shoes, post-cards and odds-and-ends are almost given away in throwaway price.
There are four flea markets in Paris. Saint Ouen, the most renowned, is the biggest antiques market in the world with 2,500 stands and 12 different sections, spread over 7 hectares. Vernaison, created in 1920, has become the most popular with bargain hunters. Located amidst a maze of narrow little streets, in the shade of overhanging trees, the 300 stands that make up this astonishing ‘treasure hunt’ takes one back to the days of the original Flea Markets. Extraordinary objects, jewels, dolls, fabrics and furniture are all sold as they are. The Antica gallery, just nearby, plays host to a dozen high-end antique dealers that specialise in the 19th and 20th centuries.
The Malassis market, opposite, has 140 boutiques covering different themes like the dinner-table items, nautical articles, watches, post cards etc. There is also a wide selection of furniture from the Thirties through to the Seventies. Dauphine is the most recent market. 180 professionals all propose merchandise of excellent quality, certified by experts - Primitive art, gilded wood from the 18th century, regional furniture etc. It also has numerous second-hand book stalls as well as stands specialising in vintage articles, corsets and naughty underwear.
At Vanves, the 350 dealers display their merchandise on the pavement itself or in wooden boxes perched on trestles (trinkets, lamps, cutlery, household linen, clothes etc). The atmosphere is friendly and the prices are reasonable. The Aligre Flea Markets are very lively, although a little difficult to find the first time round. Although clothes take pride of place, you will still nevertheless find a few second-hand goods stalls in Vanves or Montreuil at the weekend.
One of the last remaining operating drive-ins in California will soon become an upper end health clinic. The historic Skyview Flea Market and Drive-In in Santa Cruz,California will close after a 51 year run. Everything has its price and clearly the price for health care has been steadily rising. After all, what are the margins for a drive-in and flea market and why should anyone care?
Obviously not Sutter Medical who bought the property. The fourteen acres in question is private property, Sutter bought it and end of story. Well, not quite the end of the story. The flea community may soon be dissolved but the people will still continue. These are the small business people, collectors, farmworkers, recyclers, junk men, families, hobbyists, lonely hearts and the mentally borderline who want or need something other than ball games and political TV gossip on the weekends. Folks that make the world go round.
Folks like Lupe, a 41 year old farmworker mother that sells to make ends meet yet always wants to give us free stuff. And Sam, a 62 year old retiree that dislikes his wife so he spends flea market days flirting with anyone that will pay him attention. And Marvin, a 44 year old mentally disabled man that visits the market to socialize since almost all his time is spent by himself in his room.
And Carl, an antiques dealer who for 20 years has been shopping the flea for antiques and collectibles for his store. Sara, an antiques dealer that started liquidating her inventory ever since the antiques and collectibles market started to slip. Nguyen, a student at San Jose State who sells cheap goods out of a box van to pay his way through college.
Josefina, a Salinas mother of two, sells fruits and vegetables to augment her family's income from the fields and teach her children a strong work ethic. Jacobo works as a custodian for the flea in the winters when there is no field work. Jake works as a market security guard to support his wife and three children. Cindy works in the concession stand to pay her way through Cabrillo Junior College.
Laughing John, a reseller of curios and collectibles, drives each Sunday all the way from Fremont. Bartolo, a locker buyer from Castroville who has been dealing junk for over 30 years, will have to find a new line of work. Arn, who visits his ex-students and stops to talk art with those he meets, will no longer be able to regularly see so many of his old friends. Bill, an artist and furniture maker who buys old and damaged furniture, fixes it up and sells it to supplement his social security, will obviously have to find a new source.
Intellectual Pat, one of the most knowledgeable antiques dealers around has been instructing his 'students' at the flea market for decades. No mas. Bob and Julie drive from Turlock to sell almonds from their orchard. Linda the hat lady arrives in her VW rabbit with hats stacked to the roof. Amanda sells cheap LA warehouse surplus so she and her husband can go to Reno and gamble.
David, who sells designer pants and shirts at about the best prices around, drives from Milpitas and has a wife and two kids. Bill from the Westside has been selling tools, music and just about anything else at the flea for over 25 years. Elvy, just about the sweetest lady you will ever meet, buys stuff at garage sales on Saturdays that she resells on Sundays to help pay for clothes and expenses for her three school-aged daughters.
Jack, whose witticisms and art BS often made my day, will have to take his small talk somewhere else. Trevor, an antiques dealer who would fight to the last peso and then some, can't get any more good deals. Dean, an old locker auction buddy who taught me lots about junk, people and how to make the best of a lousy situation, will survive. Like most flea folks, Dean is a survivor.
So is Maria, whose sole source of support is the flea, who will now have to drive to Hollister or San Jose with her box van of goodies. And Joe, whose easy going demeanor and people skills helped him sell truckload after truckload of junk, will have to find another way to finance his kid's music lessons.
And there's Frank, whose mental instability, persecution complex and short temper, have recently made him only a part time vendor as his flashbacks and sense of reality have started to merge in his senior years. No doubt he will show up one Sunday and not realize or remember the flea has closed. I guess maybe Sutter Medical will have to deal with him.
Managers Anna and Carlos will have to find new jobs. Mike, a daguerreotype photo collector and electronics tinkerer, will have to go elsewhere to buy parts for projects he builds with his sons. Adrian, who sells at the flea when not working at the carwash, sells CDs with Aurora to support their three sons in school. Tom, who makes his living selling flea stuff on EBay, will have to go elsewhere. Juan, a local chef who brings his daughter Daniela to the flea as family entertainment, lets her stay with us when she gets tired. We've watched her grow up.
And of course you, who want to find a place to sell off your stuff, make a few bucks, add to your collections, meet old friends, meet new friends and search for treasures, will now have to drive to another county. So will we.
Both Anil Gupta & Jack Deal are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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