How to find good deals at the Saint-Ouen Flea Market?
Finding an exceptional piece in the aisles of a flea market or at Les Puces de Saint-Ouen, the story is beautiful, but it's not always by chance.
Here are some tips for successful thrifting, whether online, on social media, or at flea markets and antique fairs.
💡 Did you know?
Les Puces de Saint-Ouen is the largest flea market in the world. And certainly not far from being the oldest.
Learning to thrift well: finding inspiration to create your own interior decoration
Decide on an item, a style in advance and stick to it
Choose an item, chairs, tables, sofas, lighting, or a decoration style, an era, English Regency or Art Deco, and STICK to it. Otherwise, you'll wander through the aisles without focusing.
To refine your choice upstream, you have several options.
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On social media: You can get inspired by looking at Instagram or Pinterest accounts of interior designers like Sarah Poniatowski for Maison Sarah Lavoine or Liaigre. Choose accounts with strong and different styles to determine what you truly like.
For example, right now my favorite style is English Cottage.
Don't hesitate to also check out more confidential architect accounts. They often have good tips for furniture arrangement, for example. - Decoration magazines. Don't hesitate to look at decor magazines. The photos are beautiful in a clear and readable format. Elle Décoration, AD Décoration are good references.
- Go to the museum... Inspiration for furnishing your home can also come from a stroll, a visit to a castle. And why not consider a four-poster bed like in Versailles or a black and white photo arrangement like at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie? Go out and confront your view with what you like or not.
😍 For my part, I draw a lot of inspiration from the advice of interior designer Sarah Intérieur. For her bold advice to create an authentic and warm interior.
Flea markets and antique fairs: a user guide
Flea markets and antique fairs have their own rules and small traditions that it's best to know in order not to miss out on a rare find.
Wake up early: good finds belong to early risers.
First rule to know: First come, first served. Indeed, by nature, thrifted items are not mass-produced, so if an item is sold, it's hard to find a similar one. That's why we advise you to come early to unearth a rare gem freshly unpacked. In our jargon, we call this "au cul du camion" (at the back of the truck).
💡 La Bulle's little tip: If you're not too focused on a particular item, you can also come at the end of the fair.
At that point, negotiation is easier with the antique dealer. And for two reasons. Either out of pure kindness, or because they prefer to leave with less merchandise. Because let's not forget, the "broc" as we say, loves to thrift himself. So, the more he sells, the more he can buy back.
Dare to negotiate: negotiate to buy better
The satisfaction of thrifting is knowing that you've also negotiated a little. Negotiating is playing the flea market game. It's impossible to do it in a classic store.
If you have an item in mind, research its value in the second-hand market beforehand. Don't expect to lower a price beyond what's reasonable.
Set a price for this item. Ask the seller for the price and see if it matches. If not, offer your price and see what happens.
💡 La Bulle's little tip: If the price doesn't match at all. You can offer to buy in bulk. You apply this age-old business technique: economies of scale. This rule also applies to Les Puces de Saint-Ouen.
Consider mounting your objects
#ThriftingHaul
When you come back from your thrifting session. The return can be a bit brutal. And the question of what you're going to do with these objects can quickly arise.
Are you going to keep them as is? Are you going to display them, have them restored? And why not have them mounted?
To all these questions, we have an answer.
What to do with the item once it's home:
- The item "as is": You can decide to keep the item as it is if you like its aged patina.
- Restoration: Restoration is a good option to give a fresh and modern look to thrifted items.
- Display the item: To avoid being seen as a limitless buyer. Start organizing your thrifted items. Arrange them by theme or otherwise, present them harmoniously.
- The item doesn't stand on its own? Consider mounting it.
The benefits of taking care of your items
- Personal satisfaction: We can then see ourselves as a transmitter of objects. We preserve them so that they can continue to "live" after us.
- Eco-responsibility: It's no longer news that buying second-hand helps protect the planet.
Bridal globes
At La Bulle, we love old objects. And we're not the last to hunt for certain types of objects. Indeed, over time we have become specialists in bridal globes.
To find out more about bridal globes 👇🏻
La Bulle, art presentation specialist
We are specialists in
Thanks to our online store, you have access to a large number of quality display products at very affordable prices.
To find out more, visit our online display stand store.
You will find, for example, display stands for African masks in steel or plexiglass, display stands for plates of all sizes.
Imagine this wall decor created with your thrifted plates and our special wall plate hangers.
You want something more personal.
Opt for custom-made bases.
Here is a spear positioned on a custom-made black painted steel base.
For custom base requests, send us a message with as much detail as possible about your object, photo, size, and inspiration for the base. If you don't have all that, it's okay, we'll manage without.
To send us a message
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