Forty years ago, I attended my first international antique fair in France. I was amazed then, and I still am today. There are thousands upon thousands of beautiful objects to admire. It remains my favorite place to be.

This is not a fair for the general public. It is open only to professional antique dealers, and everything about it is fast, expensive, competitive, and exciting. This year, it was exceptionally hot, which only added to the intensity.

The fair officially opens at eight o’clock in the morning, but experienced buyers know they need to be there by seven. By then, nearly a thousand people are already waiting in line for the gates to open.

The dealers with stands have spent the previous day setting up inside the exhibition halls, carefully arranging their displays. Outside, hundreds of other dealers wait to go to their trucks, ready race to unload the moment the gates open. Alongside them stand buyers from all over the world, everyone impatiently watching the clock.

Then, at exactly eight o’clock, the gates open—and chaos begins.

The outside dealers race to their trucks to unload. Buyers sprint through the halls trying to reach their favorite stands before anyone else. It’s an incredible sight.

An antique dealer that I know who has a stand at the fair. She had spent the entire previous day creating a beautiful display. She told me that by the time she reached her stand that morning, buyers were already there. Forty people were crowded around, each holding arm loads from her stand completely dismantling everything she had so carefully arranged.

Even with three people working the stand, they couldn’t keep up with the speed of the buying. That’s just how quickly business happens. Tempers sometimes flare, competition is fierce, and everyone wants to find the next great piece before someone else does. Most deals are made in the first hour.

Everything is paid for in cash.

Anything purchased must be removed that same day, creating another remarkable spectacle. Hundreds of transporters arrive with trucks, vans, dollies, and hand carts. Porters push enormous loads across the exhibition halls, and across the roads carefully transporting furniture, paintings, sculptures, chandeliers, and countless other antiques back to waiting trucks. From there, everything is packed and shipped to destinations around the world.

The fair attracts buyers and sellers from everywhere—Italy, Spain, Belgium, England, the United States, and many other countries. It is truly an international marketplace.

People often assume that because so many overseas buyers attend, there must be bargains to be found. The antiques purchased here are often pieces that simply cannot be found in their home countries. By the time they are transported overseas, packed into containers, shipped, unpacked, and sold, the original purchase price must be tripled just to break even. That means these buyers have knowledgeable clients who appreciate exceptional antiques and are willing to pay for them.

The experience, the energy, and the beauty of thousands upon thousands of remarkable objects gathered in one place. Even after forty years, I still walk through those doors with the same sense of amazement I felt the very first time.

               

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What do you prefer a Michelin star restaurant are going to the Brocante?

A shopping spree at an Haut Couture shop, or a shopping spree at a Brocante?

Croissants, or the brocante?

On a very hot day, going to the beach, such as the Mediterranean, or going to a brocante?

Having front row seats at any of concert of your choice, or go into a Brocante?

Here is an easy one/ bungee cord jumping— that’s no-brainer- I know what I would choose.

Jewelry or the brocante?

Chocolaté, or the brocante?

The list could go on…

What would be better than going to the brocante in France?

                

Comments

• In reply to Diogenes. Am I attempting you to come to France? by Corey
• In reply to NancyO. ❤️ by Corey
• In reply to Ali. Ah! by Corey
• In reply to Susanawee. That is possible 😉 by Corey
• In reply to Pat. Oh yes!!! by Corey
• How about “Both/And”? Especially when it comes to food… by Kathie B,.

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• In reply to Leonie. ❤️ by Corey
• Lovely comment by Beth. So many shades of green, so cooling. by Leonie
• In reply to Beth Schultz. Thank you so much for saying that!!! by Corey
• In reply to Marilyn Miller. Kindred spirits ! by Corey
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• The bottom painting reminds me of you and Annie! by Beth Schultz

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I’ve lived in France for 40 years. It was hot last year, but this year is off the charts, and they expect things to get even worse.

I grew up in California’s Sacramento Valley, where summer heat was simply a fact of life. For years, whenever people in Provence complained about the heat, I would say, “No, this isn’t hot. Sacramento Valley is hot.”

Last year, and especially this year, the conversation has changed. The first thing people ask each other now is, “Do you have air-conditioning?” Most of us just shake our heads. Why would we? Until recently, it was rarely needed.

Installing air-conditioning – Outdoor units often can’t be placed on buildings because of historic preservation and or regulations, and in many apartment buildings there is simply no practical way to vent the system. or in our case we have 3 feet thick plus stone walls, actually hard to vent them.

What makes the heat especially difficult is that life in France is very different from life in the USA. If your home isn’t air-conditioned, there’s usually no cool refuge. Many people don’t have garages. You walk to your car, and parking is often limited, so you may have to park far from where you’re going. The Metro and the buses are not air-conditioned either. The places you visit frequently might not be  air-conditioned. In small towns, most daily activities are done on foot, not by driving from one air-conditioned space to another.

When you live in a climate that is hot, such as Arizona or parts of California the infrastructure is designed around the heat. You moved from one air-conditioned space to another. Here, even when temperatures reach the same extremes, life is different. People walk, shop, meet friends, and go about their daily lives outdoors. but without the infrastructure to keep cool the heat is ruthless.

                

Comments

• In reply to Leonie. France as prepared at citizens telling ... by Corey
• In reply to Kathie B.. True by Corey
• In reply to TracyH. Downstairs in our house is cool. Upstairs ... by Corey
• In reply to Ali. Yes they do- on the bottom floors. by Corey
• In reply to Diogenes. To drill through the stone wall takes a ... by Corey
• In reply to jeanne. Thank you x by Corey

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