If you’re a regular visitor of this blog, you should by now be an (almost) expert of the techniques, tips&tricks and Know-Hows of finding hidden treasures at the flea market. The big question might be though, WHY?
“Why should I go to the flea market next weekend instead of lazily laying in bed?”
Here are three good reasons why you should do so.
#1. Find stuff you need.
Of course! Flea markets literally overflow with absolutely everything one needs or is looking for! Should it be a shovel to replace the one you just broke last week-end, a cooking pan, an A/C charger for your laptop, a replacement tire for your car, a towel, a flat screen TV, a BBQ to get ready for the summertime, or little presents for your family and friends so that you’ll never have to rush again at the last moment to find a little something for them.
So why don’t you start today writing down a list of all those little things you need, or would need one day or the other? By the end of the week (or of the month depending on your needs and your level of creativity), you might discover that there’s actually a lot of stuff you miss at home. Also why should you pay $60 at the department store for something you may get for $5 at the flea market?
Be sure that with this technique, a small dose of motivation and patience, you’ll surely find at least one thing you’re looking for next time you’ll show up at your local flea market!
#2. Find vintage decorative objects to give a flavor to your home.
There’s nothing more boring than a too clean aseptic IKEA like interior. Not that I have anything against IKEA (I think it’s a great alternative to finding cheap furnitures and stuff when like 80% of the people, you can’t afford going to Habita or Ligne Rosé – by the way, I even recommend that you look for IKEA vintage furnitures and accessories at the flea market! They are real piece of vintage design!), but it just makes me feel like I’m living in a hospital or one of those extreme minimalistic advertising agencies.
Even if you don’t get your hand on a cool vintage 3 meters x 2 meters painting, a danish design piece of furniture or a full Fornasetti service, you will always be able to find that little something that will raise your interest. Even just a chair makes the trick; As George Nelson pointed out in 1953, “every truly original idea – every innovation in design, every new applications of materials, every technical invention for furniture – seems to find its most important expression in a chair”.
Did you get it? Just a chair is by itself a work of art and holds such a strong emotional heritage that it can somehow recreate the atmosphere of a specific era, just in your place.
#3. Enjoy from a ride in the past.
Going to the flea market is one of the only existing way to “travel time”, and is much cheaper and fun than going to the museum. Different times and era are blended together in a place like a flea market; 1960s comics pilled-up on a 19th century chair, clothe and accessories from the last 60 years all mixed up in an old suitcase, rusty helmets and rifles testifying of past wars, toys we or even our grand-parents used to play with as kids, design furnitures from the 30s, or even a mix of black and white pictures of 1920, 1880, 1960. And even if you don’t buy anything there, you’ll probably have learned something as flea market vendors love to talk about the origin of their finds. Many of them are great story tellers!
And remember, when planning your next trip abroad, that If you want to learn from the culture and history of a place or a country, don’t rely only on (crowded) museums: flea markets also tell beautiful stories, of which you can always carry a real piece home.
And you, what motivates you to go to the flea market? Please use the “comments” field to share your opinion :) We wish you luck for your next flea-market hunt!
