We love sharing the blog posts from our friends over at Antiques Diva & Co Ltd and this time  Jennifer Balmadier, one of the super charged Paris Diva Guides is sharing her tips on how to get the best from a tour of the world famous Paris Flea Markets.

A Boston native, Jennifer travelled to France for most of her life, helping her parents to acquire antiques for their antique shop.  It was while attending a French friend's wedding that she met the French man she would marry. She subsequently gave up her career in insurance in Boston and moved to Paris for love. Once in Paris, she continued to search through flea markets and assist her parents in acquiring treasures for their shop, while also indulging her personal passion for vintage fashion, ultimately leading to her new career as a Diva Guide.  She loves showing Diva clients the ins and outs of Paris, telling them where to shop, wine and dine, while sharing inside details of life in Paris.

Jennifer Balmadier, Paris Diva Guide for The Antiques Diva & Co.

The full post first appeared on The Antiques Diva & Co.

April Showers Bring May… Brocantes! 

Warmer temperatures bring all sorts of nice things to Paris: blooming window boxes, crowded terraces and our favorite at AD&Co Headquarters, brocante season! A brocante is a one-day or short-term flea market that pops up in neighbourhoods around Paris (and the rest of France). Longer days and sunny skies are the perfect combination to start the day with a walk around a weekend brocante. Whether you are just browsing or want to do some serious damage, you will find the Parisians out in force. If early mornings aren’t your thing, most of the brocantes stay open until 7:00 pm making the perfect segue into apéritif hour at your favorite local terrace. 

Touring the Paris Flea Markets

Café aut lait bowls and French fabric, frills and buttons found at Paris brocantes

Tips for Shopping Paris Flea Markets and the Local Brocantes

• It is easy to forget the exact size of that space you need to fill, bring photos and measurements of anything specific that you have in mind. If you’re booking a tour – sending photos to your Diva Guide in advance of items that you like or are looking for is very helpful on a tour.
• Dress comfortably and don’t advertise that you are a (wealthy) tourist. It can rain on and off, even with a sunny sky, so always have your sunglasses and a travel umbrella handy. 
• As logic dictates, arriving at a brocante at the start of the show will get you the best selection but dealers might be more willing to bargain if you go as they are packing up. 
• Cash is king and brings you greater negotiating power, but occasionally vendors will take credit cards. Considering splitting a purchase between cash and credit for a better deal on larger items.  
• Most things aren’t marked so it is always okay to ask the price. Just don’t start to negotiate if you aren’t sure you want the item as it is considered bad form. 
• Always ask before taking pictures, whether to show your spouse for approval or for your scrapbook. It is a sign of respect to the dealer. 
• If you are shipping things home (and don’t forget about Antiques Diva In-House Shipping) you can arrange for the shipper to pay the dealers so no money changes hands when you are shopping. This old-fashioned custom also means that you “own” the item, even though no money has changed hands.
• Buying an extra suitcase and paying extra to send it on the plane with you can be a decent way to get purchases home.
• You might think you will remember the exact location of that vendor you wanted to go back to, but after awhile things start to look the same. Ask the dealer for their carte de visite. Usually they will offer to write a description of the item for you on this business card. 
• If you want to remember the history and details of your purchase, ask the dealer to write it down.  This can also come in handy at customs. 
• Reproduction is not always a nasty word. Many French reproductions date back to Napoleon III based on styles from earlier periods, still making them true antiques. 
• Last but not least, buy what you love. For many things the value is how much you love it.
  
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Bonne Shopping! 

Bric-a-brac and books at Paris brocantes

For more information, visit The Antiques Diva & Co.

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