Just outside the French capital sprawls the world's largest antiques destination: the Paris Saint-Ouen Flea Market. It's a timeless escape, and one of the most visited sites in France. We take you on a tour in this edition of France in Focus.
Whitney has flown in from Florida with one thing on her mind: hunting for treasures at the Paris Saint-Ouen Flea Market. Her guide is Riad Kneife, who has been leading wealthy clients through these alleys for 25 years. Together, they dive in and it doesn't take long before Whitney falls for a vintage Chanel dress with a €3,300 price tag.
She's not short of temptation. Antique and designer furniture, artworks, jewellery, ornaments, collectible perfumes... With over 1,500 vendors, there's something for every taste and every budget.
The market's story began in the late 19th century, when rag-and-bone men pushed out of Paris by new sanitation laws descended on Saint-Ouen. Prefect Eugène Poubelle had just made sealed rubbish bins compulsory in the capital, and with them went the scavengers' livelihood.
By the 1920s, what had been an informal gathering had become a permanent, organised institution. Today the site encompasses 12 distinct markets, each with its own personality – from Vernaison, the oldest, with its rambling village charm, to the sleek and upscale Paul Bert Serpette and Biron, to the Dauphine market, a haven for pop culture lovers that's home to vintage video games and the densest cluster of record shops in Europe.
