Every summer, almost every village, town and city in France has a vide grenier — the French flea market — where the locals of that town empty their attics.
For those on the hunt for vintage, it doesn’t get any better than this.
In 1993, I set foot in one of my earliest experiences of the old European markets — in Tongeren. I was sure I had died and gone to heaven. My feet were not hitting the ground.
Rows and rows of tables of old Belgian glass … my favorite thing … I began throwing it in my day pack and carrying it back to the USofA … and I still have it! Antique furniture stacked haphazardly, thrown around like matchsticks.
How casual.
HERE‘s a great blog from a lover of markets located in Europe to check out in case you’re anywhere near.
Bookmark it!
We frequent the vides every summer but I gotta say, our house is now full, so we’re more selective about which ones we go to! What a terrible thing to say — because each one EVERYWHERE is a summer celebration where everyone knows everyone else, the musak is wafting down from speakers in the trees, saucisse is on the grille, smoke is in the air, and the elders are in the beer tents at dawn.
