brocante tours for 2013

Thank you to those of you who have been waiting patiently for details!  I am happy to say that dates are secured for two brocante tours next year.  The first tour will be end April, and the second early September.

  I shall be offering the same style of tour as in 2012, it worked so well and everyone was so happy.  

So there will be:

 visits to fairs and to local dealers,

 bargains to be found, 

great food, 

accommodation in an 18th century château,

 and of course the beautiful Normandy countryside to enjoy.

 The new feature for next years tours will be a demonstration and lesson in true French cuisine, I am so excited about this.  I know that all my guests appreciate the finesse of the meals here, so to see exactly how its done will be a great interlude to all the shopping!

I'll be writing to everyone who already asked about the tours,  but if you would like to receive information about prices just get in touch and the details will be sent straight away.

 

buying at french antique fairs

Here are some of the very very many pictures I took at the fair today.

Huge, colourful, interesting, amusing, tempting ...... just some of the adjectives that could

 be used to describe the bi-annual antique fair at Chatou.

I adore these large fairs.  They are a great place to find specialist vendors; to negotiate fair prices; to take as much time as is needed to hunt down that special piece, and to learn more ......

A thing you notice straight away at the french fairs, is how the vendors like to get organised for eating and drinking together .....  tablecloths, bottles of wine, ...... three course meals   ... normal, we are in france after all!

At Chatou you can find large dramatic statement pieces ....

phenomenal fabrics ....

vintage industrial .....

or a breathtaking 150 year old china service (if you want to see more of this then take a peek here ) ...

I can't even show one per cent of the goods to be seen and enjoyed,

Just one of the places I love to shop, be it in Paris or in Normandy.

Next year I'll be welcoming a limited number of  guests to shop for
antiques and brocante at my favourite addresses.

If you're tempted by the idea of shopping here and if you'd like some more information, 

just a drop me a line and I'll be happy to answer any questions.

brocante shopping and shared container shipping

A while back I promised to tell you about taking home furniture and brocante treasure after a stay here.

 Experience has taught me the importance of working with reliable contacts, and I am happy to have found an excellent shipper who will come and pick up goods here in Normandy, and take them to Paris where they are packed carefully and loaded into a container.

Often clients who come here wish to shop for more than just postables,  they may wish to take back an old French armoire, a mannequin, some tables and chairs ..... you get the picture.   It could be for a store back home, or often just for personal enjoyment.

I am happy to show them around, take them to the best dealers to match their wish-list, help them negotiate and choose.

When we are home, goods are stored in our barn until the transporter comes to collect.  A full inventory of all the purchases is created.

Goods are taken from here, carefully protected for transport to Paris, where they are repacked for a container, either by air or by sea freight.    Chandeliers are hung inside purpose built crates, paintings protected and packed individually, table legs padded and glass-ware wrapped as carefully as a baby!

The advantage of working with people like this is that you don't have to fill a whole container.  This picture for example represents about 10 cubic meters.   The transporter creates wooden crates to hold the goods, and these crates are put into a container with other crates for the same destination - grouped container shipping!

If you are interested in buying in the countryside, where the prices are more reasonable than in Paris,  and having help to get the goods home, you are welcome to drop me a mail.  I'll give you prices and more detail on the shipping procedure.

Also, you may like to know that there are still just 2 places left on the September brocante tour, where there will be plenty of opportunity to find furniture and other treasures!

My September brocante tour - just a couple of places left!

I am busy at this season hosting guests who wish to buy brocante.  Some of them professional, wishing  to stock up a store back home, and some individuals simply enjoying finding a few treasures to take home as a souvenir de France.  

I am really looking forward to the group brocante tour I'll be hosting here in September, when I'll  team up with Tea Garden Travel, who specialise in travel for small groups to exclusive destinations.

The group will be small, guests will arrive here on a Thursday morning, and stay until the following Monday. 

They'll stay in this stunning château which is close to my home and in their 4 days here we shall visit brocante stores, tour a huge brocante fair, see Monet's garden at Giverny,  buy at a farmer's market, visit a château, have some time out for shopping in town, eat good food and drink fine wine in lovely restaurants and also enjoy one evening for dinner here at my home.

If guests purchases are too large to take home on the plane, then I'll help organise shipping or postage.

There are still a couple of places left on the tour, so if you would like to come along on your own, or with a girlfriend, husband or niece!  just drop me a line or contact Michele at Tea Garden Travel directly.

the lilac loot shoot

On a day of presidential elections, the pickings are never that good, as if the whole of France had other things on their minds ....  However my brocanting got off to a fragrant start this morning when I came across a charming lady selling h-u-g-e bunches of lilac from her garden for 2 euros the bouquet, you can imagine how pleased I was to snap those up!

I was also thrilled to find a pile of old grain sacks with wonderful lettering and bold blue stripes; a charming little painting in a good frame and a beautiful grey agricultural prize plaque.

A table and a baby's basket were the biggest items in the car on the way home, and three tiny salt cellars and some wooden spoons the smallest!

Some French patriotic flags seemed a suitable purchase today of all days, and I was also happy to spot three 'brand-new-old' linen sheets.

Don't forget that if you would like to come and find your own brocante treasures,there are only a couple of places left on the September tour.   And for anyone wishing to buy for a store or with a whole house to furnish, I shall be explaining how to share the cost of a container very soon!

Wishing you a fun week ahead, à bientôt!!

Jeni's spectacular loot shoot

So I told you yesterday that Jeni from Found Vintage Rentals was here for 24 hours, shopping for vintage and brocante items for her business.    Today I get to show you what she found in one afternoon and one morning.  Quite a few pictures here, but that's because there is so much to show!

YES, you read that right, Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning and we found her this lovely loot.

On Saturday afternoon I introduced her to my favourite brocante stores.  As you can see she made friends pretty fast and in a couple of hours she found enough to fill our giant van.

She loved all the stores I took her to.  They were very contrasting in styles from Christelle's so chic boutique ...

..... to Laurent's very full antique shop where she found two beautiful desks .....

....to Jacky's bursting-at-the-seams aladdin's cave store.  I can tell you that there is enough antique furniture here to keep Jeni happy for years to come!  :)

Sunday morning we were at the first fair before dawn, but when the sun rose it revealed this beautiful view.

Here Jeni was lucky again as she found more treasure including a mannequin that she really wanted, a selection of charming vintage chairs and some stunning linen baskets.

I always think that we have more fun shopping in beautiful surroundings!  :)

 then home to unpack and repack and list and count and sigh and enjoy .... 

 These brocante trips are really fun.  I always combine a variety of places to visit, and the timetable is tailor made to my client's wishes.   If you would like to come brocante shopping, or garden visiting with me I have some dates still available for day trips from Paris, or for an overnight trip.

If you would like a slightly longer stay, there are also still places available on the brocante tour that I am hosting here in  September.  This will be a wonderful tour including accommodation at the chateau  d'Emalleville belonging to my friend Frederique,   Antique shopping in local stores, a major antique fair and a couple of smaller fairs.    A meal at my home and visits to places of interest in our lovely valley.  If you'd like more information don't hesitate to contact me.