Description: This sprawling flea market will satisfy casual browsers and serious shoppers. Spread over 100s of stalls in a pedestrian area, visitors can find anything ranging from the valuable to the amusing. Business-minded shop owners preside over their properties with equal severity, no matter if they're peddling antique furniture or colorful beads.
Each stall has its own personality, with pets shuffling around large taxidermies animal heads. Fans of David Sedaris who recall his affection for collecting oddities will have no trouble imagining the quirky writer going from stall to stall in search of the most preposterous purchase.
You can spend hours browsing merchandise, some of which can be shipped anywhere in the world for a price. Some of the most charming objects are the old postcards, some with personal messages and stamps. If you or a fellow traveller speaks French you can purchase or just sample tiny increments of personal histories. Most cards are dated, so you can see when they were sent and imagine the historical situation at the time and think of the changes that have taken place since then. You can also find blank cards, which can be more fun to send than those available at every street corner.
My favorite stall, Les Porte-cles, at number 88, operated by the charming Francoise Chappuy. As the name suggests, the shop has hundreds of key chains, which range in price from the affordable one euro, to the more prohibitive 40 euro. Unlike the typical fare found at most souvenir shops, you can find unique key chains to fit every person on your list for a very reasonable price. Be warned, vintage means used, or at least old, so if you're looking for a clean and shinny present, you won't find it here.
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