Antique Shopping in France

The first week in October, I can usually be found in my booth at Marburger Farm. The antique show that still wows me. But this year I had the chance to take a trip to Europe. My two daughters, son-in-law and grand baby moved to Spain this summer, and that was all the reason we needed to pack our bags. Since my husband already had vacation days allotted for October (to help me with Marburger), we decided to take that time and head across the pond.

While planning our trip, I realized just how close France is to Spain, so I started looking into flights (hello 26 euros!). Then I reached out to my friend, Terry, to see if she would be in France during the same time. Turned out she was…so I guess it was meant to be!

So off I went! I flew to Barcelona about ten days before my husband and son. That gave me a couple of days with the kids all to myself and also helped me adjust to the time change before heading to France.

The girls took me around to some of their favorite shops and it was so good to be with them and see where they lived and what their day to day life looked like. Then, it was time to head north to spend about a week shopping flea markets and brocantes. I would be returning to Spain at the same time my husband and son would be arriving from the US, so it was not a sad good-bye when I headed to France.

Barcelona, Spain

An early morning flight put me in Bordeaux early enough that we went straight away to a little flea market. It was small, and didn’t have many vendors. There had been some inclement weather forecasted, so we thought that may have kept some dealers from setting up that day. I didn’t buy anything, but later regretted not purchasing a large lot of silverware. I absolutely love French flatware. It’s much heavier than what we are used to in the states, and to me it looks bit like hotel silver.

Shopping the French markets

Each day we would set off in the morning and head to a market. Somewhere in the day we would stop for a meal and hit antique shops and brocantes along the way back home. There were a couple of days that didn’t have any scheduled markets, but Terry knew all of the quaint little towns, and we would meander around, admiring the local chateaus and potagers, stopping for a cafe crema… and sometimes a crepe, too.

potager at Chateau des Senechaux - Bourdeilles, France

Chateau des Senechaux - Bourdeilles, France

Not only were the little towns beautiful, but driving through the French countryside (my favorite!) was just as breathtaking. At one point, we were driving down a country road in the evening when the sun was just beginning to set, and off to our left was a large hillside pasture with several silver/gray horses. Coming down the road toward us, was a group of cyclists. When the horses saw the cyclists, they began to gallop from one side of the field to the other. Oh my goodness… the scene was absolutely magical!

I’ll never forget it.

Driving through the French countryside.

I decided not to bring my nice camera on this trip. I didn’t want to be distracted or encumbered by it, and I really wanted to enjoy my family and fully take in the experiences. And I did. All the photos from this post are just snaps I took with my iphone, so they’re not great, but I wanted to share them with you. Hopefully they still inspire you in some small way.

Always on the lookout for a brocante!

When I was preparing for the trip, I was mindful of what I packed and thought about how I needed to be strategic if I wanted to leave room to bring home anything in my suitcase. I knew I would be shipping most of my purchases, but also knew there may be something special, or fragile that I wanted to carry back with me. Talking with Terry over the phone before the trip, she highly recommended to dress comfortably. The goal was to be a successful shopper, not a fashionista. These things got me thinking…so I came up with the idea of a “uniform” of sorts that consisted of some basics. I already had some of the pieces, so I would simply add to what I had to make enough outfits for my week of shopping. This is what I put together for my shopping uniform: blue chambray button down shirt, black leggings, Kuru shoes, a light weather-proof jacket and a canvas cross-body bag. I brought a few white under-shirts for warmth. Some were long sleeved and some were tanks. This gave me the added layering I needed and worked out perfectly.

When I started adding to what I already had, I decided I didn’t want to spend much. I knew it was highly possible that I would leave this clothing behind if I needed the space, so I hit my local thrift shops and found a couple chambray shirts for great prices (JCrew and JJill, so not too bad!). I found medium weight leggings at Walmart that would do, and were well priced, so I was set.

I wish I had a better photo for you, but at least it gives you the idea. I’ve added clickable links to some of the items above (or similar items if I couldn’t find the exact one). All in all, this whole “uniform” thing worked out extremely well. Obviously, I was able to pack lighter than I would have if the temperatures had been lower. The weather was chilly at times, but not really cold. It was perfect.

Antique shopping in France

My last full day in France entailed the best flea market of the trip…well, it’s hard to say which was the best, but it was the biggest and the one we had the most time to shop. It was so much fun. The weather was beautiful in Rauzan, and the shopping was great. I had a wonderful time with my friend Terry. She is a wealth of knowledge and inspiration. I learned so much from her over the course of the week. We made numerous trips to the car that day, and it was packed to the gills by the time we left.

antique French copper - Rauzan, France

antique French ribbon - Rauzan, France

antique French transferware - Rauzan, France

I so enjoyed the French people I encountered along the way (except for the one lady I tried to buy a bottle of water from…she was completely put out by my attempt to ask in French). I wish I had some photos of the shoppers I saw in Rauzan that last day. They were the absolute cutest! I saw several elderly couples that had the most darling outfits. Such attention to detail…hats, scarfs, accessories…all matching. I loved seeing them. I also loved this scene that we came across that day:

French antique dealers stopping to enjoy a proper, sit-down meal together.

It’s little things like this that greatly inspire me. Things I want to soak in, bring back with me, and incorporate into my own life.

Take the time to sit down with friends and enjoy a proper meal together…put a lovely outfit together, even if you’re just going to a flea market…properly, and kindly greet someone when you first encounter them. I feel sure the fabulous wine, delicious pastries and butter can only enhance all of these experiences, right?!

I hope to offer some of my French finds through my online shop. Unfortunately, computer issues have caused it to take longer than expected.

If you’re interested in shopping, you can be first to know about my sale by signing up here. You can also watch my instagram account for updates, too.

Thanks for following along. Bonne journee mes amis!