It’s still dark. By the single light of an electric lamp, the first collectors move around the vast Chambord estate, which welcomes Wednesday 1.ahem May 2024 traditional flea market.
Within a few years, it became one of the most important in France, with almost 500 exhibitors gathered around the famous François 1.
A night in the truck
Collectors face rain that will fall heavily for most of the day. The gendarmes responsible for traffic around the estate even had to close the parking lot for fear of vehicles getting stuck in the mud. Bad weather in Chambord.
Fortunately, most exhibitors arrived the night before and slept in their trucks. “4 o’clock in the morning guys out there want to get a good deal”testifies Marc, a professional salesman directly from Saint-Nazaire.
A few steps further, Nadia, a second-hand seller from La Rochelle, distinguishes between three types of buyers: “There’s a bounty hunter looking for a rare item. those looking for a product to add to their collection; and finally the viewer who is having fun. »
Myriam and Marylène apparently belong to the second category. One is watching “small wooden objects and damaged dishes for making mosaics”while the other went in search “porcelain dolls” whose prices “ranges between €20 and €300”.
Trends
A little further on, trying to hide under a tree, Juliet of Orléans left “with an exact idea”, but she deviated from it: in addition to the household furniture, she left with “small scale” as decoration.
When it comes to flea markets, as elsewhere, there are trends: “The market for trinkets is constantexplains the second-hand dealer Marc we met earlier. As far as furniture is concerned, the fashion is for René Gabriel furniture mass-produced in the 1950s, I even delivered one to a gentleman here. »
Salesman Vincent came across “Many Chinese came for china”, while “Dishes and decorations from the 1960s are particularly sought after”.
Marie-Lou sits on a stool under her barn and patiently waits for her potential customers. She relied on products to make her day a success “for all tastes and all budgets” ; even though she scored the upper hand “for dishes”.
The rain certainly put the public and bargain hunters out of gear a bit “more motivated” will face bad weather on the Loir-et-Chérien at the beginning of May, which looks like two drops of water like October…
The castle is open during the flea market
Château de Chambord remained open during the demonstration. Moreover, Carine, Éric and Matéo did not even know that the 1.ahem may. “ It doesn’t change anything for us, they smile. We only came to tour the castle. »