Benoît Carpentier ( Marchand Drapier ) is a designer that I really appreciate, both for his brand (inspired by travel, the 1930s, and... his discoveries in flea markets), and for his personality. He is indeed a very open person, with a real sense of sharing, and who therefore taught us a lot about his profession as a designer, but also about the choice of materials (his family was a fabric merchant on 3 generations), or on its relationship with art. He even gave us a helping hand on the famous Starship project!
Benoît Carpentier offered to show us the flea market, so we jumped at the opportunity to write an article about it. Because perhaps, like me, you have already visited the Saint-Ouen Flea Market without daring to buy anything expensive, for fear of being cheated.
Or you may have trouble distinguishing what may be of interest from what is not, "amidst all the junk", at smaller flea markets.
What are the Puces de Saint-Ouen?
I live north of Paris, not very far from the Puces de Saint-Ouen, where I often walk. Under this name hides a heterogeneous group of businesses, which range from street vendors to overpriced art dealers, including chiffoniers, military second-hand goods and sellers of furniture from the 60s. All of which makes up the most Europe's biggest flea market: just that.
What you will find there ranges from very ugly and very useless things, to beautiful and useful things, including the useful and ugly, and also useless but pretty things... I'll let you be the judge:
-> A place rich in colors (Serpette market).
-> A set of optician glasses to assess patients' eyesight.
-> One of the shops specializing in pop culture.
-> An entire futuristic habitat from the 60s,
a sort of fully equipped flying saucer. Also on sale.
-> Benoît takes on a distant, serious and concentrated air during his visit
from the new L'Eclaireur des Puces store in Saint-Ouen.
-> The kind of things that are impossible to integrate into a modern interior
that Russian and Chinese tourists are snapping up.
Flea markets are a place that has always intrigued me enormously, ever since I lived in Paris. I often enjoy going there in the summer, visiting the stands at random, and sometimes bringing home an old piece of furniture or a decoration that I fell in love with.
And it was by visiting Benoît Carpentier's office that I discovered that what is a curiosity for me, turns out to be a real passion for Benoît: he goes to the flea market almost every month, whether in Saint-Ouen, or at the Puces de Vanves or Montreuil, more modest and more popular.
We will therefore try to offer you a new perspective, so that you too can, in addition to having a good time in this colorful place, do great business. In order to furnish and decorate your interior little by little in your image, like very personal outfits that we help you build over the months...
What Marchand Drapier and Puces de Saint-Ouen have in common
For curiosity's sake, I asked Benoît Carpentier to show us his best finds, with if possible the resulting clothing creations. He sent me two photos where we can clearly see that what he acquired at the flea market materialized in his work:
Benoît Carpentier: "I found this set of 19th century tuxedo collars in a garage sale (top left). And that made me want to rework this collar by playing with a casual "check". The result is great, it's a crazy and cool formal to wear, with a tuxedo jacket, raw denim and a pair of white sneakers."
Benoît Carpentier: "Here, it is a sculpture of Le Plis Français, 2 m high, and found in Saint-Ouen, which inspired me for this collar. I then started to make origami with my fabrics, and the The result was very conclusive."
How to get good deals at the flea market?
Very often, one of the two parties (the seller or the buyer) does not know precisely the price of the item, to their expense. There are therefore a lot of good deals to be had at flea markets, as long as you're on the right side of the fence. This is what we will explain to you here.
1st step - Take a look before buying
First of all, you have to develop a certain culture of objects. To do this, do not hesitate to stroll through high-end flea markets, such as the antique dealers of Saint-Ouen (Dauphine markets for its pretty engravings upstairs, Biron for high-end antiques, Paul Bert et Serpette for more recent items such as 20th century furniture, or Vernaison for more accessible odds and ends).
To visit, knowing that it will be difficult (but not impossible) to find good deals in antique dealers.
Indeed, these sellers are true professionals and know their job. In addition, they generally target a wealthy international clientele (the Puces de Saint-Ouen being the 4th tourist destination in Île-de-France in terms of number of visitors). But it is on the other hand an excellent place to look around, to spot objects that you like, to imagine how certain pieces would fit into your interior.
Of course, the Puces de Saint-Ouen represents a certain extreme. Other much more accessible markets exist: Vernaison in Saint-Ouen, but also the Puces de Vanves and Montreuil, or any market and flea market that is organized in your town or the next village.
Geoffrey: I discovered Pierre Paulin, one of the main French designers, while talking with antique dealers in Saint-Ouen. During my visits, I also spotted his famous emblematic CM141 desk which I find magnificent, but absolutely overpriced, whether in the original from the 50's, or in reissue.
But I really liked its very graphic side with the matt steel legs, and the opposition between the wood which warms the whole thing and the vintage melamine (nothing to do with the current bad reputation of this material). In short, I really wanted it. A single insurmountable obstacle for my modest savings: a sticker price of €4,500 for an original edition (expensive, expensive, even if you have to see it as an antique that is 60 years old, and not compare it to the price of desks from Ikea ).
2nd step - Do not hesitate to talk as much as possible with antique dealers
When objects interest you, it's time to start a few conversations with the owners of the place. Don't hesitate, because they like to share their knowledge. Especially since they are real mines of information, they have built an enormous culture on the type of object in which they trade. For example, I learned a lot about furniture from the 60s and 70s by talking to the shopkeepers in the two aisles at the back of the Serpette market in Saint-Ouen.
Also ask for prices, it's not taboo, no reason to be shy even if you're a "beginner". The opportunity to remind yourself again that it's the same with sapes: ask lots of questions when you are in front of a competent seller who is happy to share his knowledge.
Step 3 - Ambush...and wait
Now is the time to ambush yourself...
If I had to draw a parallel with learning men's fashion, discovering Saint-Ouen is a bit like visiting high-end boutiques without buying anything, just to get acquainted with the qualities of materials, textures and very well cut clothes. The other markets are the middle and entry-level, where we sometimes find the same objects/quality at much more competitive prices. The main thing is to have practiced enough to spot the good deals when they come to you. And not to get lost in what seems to be one, to your ruin.
Another market rich in bargains for antiques: the Internet. Yes, sites like eBay (FR and US), or le bon coin , are full of good deals if you are patient, hidden behind your screen. Armed with the reference of your object, scour these sites, and make offers below your estimate of the value of the object: there is always a moment when a seller accepts due to lack of buyer, or because he wants to get rid of an object quickly.
Note: And if you want to bid instead of offering offers directly to sellers, wait until the last 15 seconds of the item being listed to bid with your max price. Ninja technique that will prevent you from starting costly bidding wars with other people interested in the item.
You can also go to garage sales and other small flea markets. You may find an item very close to yours (or even this specific item) at a completely ridiculous price...
But in all cases, when you buy something that costs quite a bit (more than €500), ask for certificates of authenticity (example: the same Pierre Paulin desk is not worth the same price if it dates from the 60s or if it is a contemporary reissue), or auction invoices if the object was previously acquired in this way.
Geoffrey: By scouring the classifieds sites every month for a year, contacting all the sellers, I ended up finding my office for less than half the price asked at Puces de Saint-Ouen (yet consistent with the average rating of the object).
Geoffrey: Beyond the crush, it allowed me to invest a little money (oh good times when my savings were not invested in BonneGueule). A purchase so low below the price will also provide me with added value the day I need a little extra money. The chair and the lamp were also found for no more than the top of the range from Ikea. Authenticity bonus: +10,000.
4th step – Attend less professional flea markets
Once you have had a good look, whether in terms of interior decoration, or in terms of knowing prices, go to garage sales, clearance sales, and the more popular flea markets, such as example the Puces de Clignancourt, on the outskirts of Paris.
You will find more accessible prices, non-professional sellers more willing to give up their goods for a pittance, and above all you will thus escape the competition from tourists and other wealthy people, who inflate prices in Saint-Ouen.
Les Puces de Vanves, much less professionalized.
Also note that in any flea market, from the prestigious Biron market to the one held annually in that small village where you spent your vacation, all prices are negotiated. With courtesy of course, but always negotiating, all the same.
Of course, always have an idea of the price of the item, of course.
And as with clothes, don't buy things you don't need (how many useless clothes are in your closet, if you've recently discovered our site?). When you catch a bit of the flea bug, you're quick to buy a lot of things, especially when they're not expensive. Therefore, buy little by little, each purchase must count and really contribute something. This is even more true if your interior space is modest (I myself live in a small Parisian apartment), because objects quickly clutter up and limit you in your future purchases.
Some examples of good deals you can get at the flea market
You can literally find anything and everything in a place like the Puces de Saint-Ouen. I will ignore the expensive works of art, the Louis XIV chests of drawers and the Empire style armchairs, because they ultimately only concern very few people (in addition to being very difficult to integrate into a interior, in someone who is between 18 and 40 years old, the average age of the BonneGueule reader).
But you can also find...
An industrial style office... indestructible.
Very expensive in Saint-Ouen, but bordering on free when you are in the right place, at the right time.
Tomado shelves: it's colorful and it lasts for years...
Count around a hundred euros on the Net...
or a few dozen euros if you do well at flea markets.
German Army Trainers, student sneakers
which cost €30 for those who are tired of Converse.
An original Tizio lamp, for around €80.
Designer chairs (here Eames). For all prices...
Old adverts from the 50s. And it's the frame that will cost you the most...
And a bear sculpture by the sculptor Pompon, if you ever have €100,000 in your pocket...
And a desire to splash out on everything (it sold for that price when we were at the flea market last Saturday).
Thanks to Benoît Carpentier from Marchand Drapier for spending this day with us, and to Luca (still no S) for getting up on a Saturday morning to take photos with his fingers full of fish and chips .
