French Flea Markets: A Sea of Stories

Vide Greniers are a marvelous breed of brocantes (flea markets) in France. Generally, they're held annually and fall on a Saturday or Sunday during the summer months, one village at a time (to prevent competition).

Looking out into the sea of stalls at a vide grenier is like swimming through history, wading through the memories weaved into every article of clothing and household item. Each worn marble and chipped porcelain plate was once collected individually and prized for a moment in time. The stories that fill your mind are what make vide greniers so enchanting...

Though at last summer's vide grenier in Châtillon-Coligny, among weathered leather-bound books, oxidized watering cans and greying embroidered linens, I overheard a woman disdainfully say that everything looked like it had come from her grandmother's basement. My mother-in-law isn't a big fan of brocantes herself. She grew up around all those (beautiful) objects that today she merely finds old, blasé and dull. In fact, I spotted the exact same red teapot on sale as the one she offered to give me, the one she used as a teenager many many years ago that sat lonely in her garage until I gratefully accepted to take it back to the States. I wonder if one day we'll feel the same way about the things we use everyday...