Antiques Fair: Foire de Chatou

Posted in France

Yesterday Jacques and I had a little too much fun. We went to an antiques fair just outside Paris, the Foire de Chatou. I spent the day picking through the great selection of reasonably-priced stuff for the house. Jacques spent the day checking out the many other dogs and the food on offer. You can see him in the photo above, scanning for dogs. One of the best things about this particular fair is that they make a point of offering good food of all kinds. So, oysters and chablis for lunch, a couple of things to figure out how to get home, what’s not to like.


Here’s the little guy in front of a table that I got to use as a dining table in the tiny apartment attached to the house. Now I’m thinking maybe the finishes might not take the kind of abuse heaped onto a dining table, so we shall see, but it will be nice somewhere. Really,  bottom line, antiques fairs and auctions are all about the hunt. After all, once your place is filled with great finds, you can’t really shop any more. I believe this particular fair happens twice a year. I plan to be very picky, so that Jacques and I will have years of visits to look forward to.


15 thoughts on “Antiques Fair: Foire de Chatou”

    1. Yes, when I saw it I was reminded of your stuff. It’s a sweet little table, probably not much age, but lots of charm. The apartment will be a holiday rental, so abuse-proofing will be essential.

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  2. When I looked up the various foires and déballages, the sites emphasized that they are open only to professionals who can present credentials. Is that not the case? Nearer to us are Béziers and Montpellier. Although I don’t see how they deal with credentials of foreign buyers.

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    1. Oh no, this is geared toward individuals. Pay the 6-euro admission fee and you’re in. They have ads in the Metro and everything. I haven’t had time to go but I believe that many fairs are open to the public. There is a big one in Nantes. Ile-sur-la-Sorgue is, I think, every Sunday in the summer. Chatou has a dealer day, one day before it opens to the public, but that’s it.

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    1. You’d be flying over here to get it if you saw the cute little finial that Is just behind Jacques’ head. And the price I paid for the table and a little apartment-sized chest of drawers was less than the initial price, just for the chest. This fair is pretty amazing. I don’t know how they find so much good stuff to serve up twice a year. The next one starts right near my birthday. I know exactly how I plan to celebrate!

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      1. That’s one of the few things I miss about living in France…mooching round the fairs and the huge vide greniers that some towns put on. Most of our finds went down to the house in Spain as there was no room here in what had been our holiday house – and would not ‘do’ in this one so I have to enjoy them there.

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  4. The table is an absolute honey and I instantly thought of cotetcampagne and her delectable work (not forgetting Trev of course!) …. I’m just back from fossicking through endless stalls on the quais here in Grenoble. All laid out in front of the many many restaurants and cafes on that side of the river so quite well oiled too if I’m honest and The Bean managed to hoover up several tidbits offered by kind strangers so all in all we are loving life today! Well done on your successful and delightful forage!

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  5. Lynn

    Jacques looks like he is having a great time!

    Once you fill the house you can still go to the fair. Do they take trade in… a bit of barter,an antique table for a vintage chandelier?

    G

    Sent from my mobile (pls pardon the typos)

    >

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    1. Jacques was overwhelmed by smells and socializing opportunities. I couldn’t get him to focus on anything but sausage bits. Yes, theoretically I could trade up. I’m about to start, a couple of my online auction purchases having been definite mistakes. It’s true: if you at all can, examine an object before you buy it.

      The thing is, you get so little for anything you sell. You have to resign yourself to he fact that you will be lucky to net gas money home. Still, over time it will happen. It’s one of those “watch this blog” kind of things. I’m sure when that “a third what I paid for it” day comes, you guys will hear all about it.

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    1. I love that old Cunard Lines slogan: “Getting there is half the fun.” The boyfriend who used to quote that would always follow it by a suggestive giggle — part of the reason I dumped him, geez, why be so obvious? — but it works for shopping, too. I can’t claim restraint but I have a closet full of clothes, of which I wear about three things. I have a house full of electronics, half of which, over my protests, my movers sent from California and are, therefore, useless in Europe, unless I have some use for all those burnt-out transformers. I have a big house, of which I use about half the space, about half the time. You get the idea. I’m finally figuring out that I really do have enough. Anything else is a luxury. So let’s play with it.

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