Back To The French Market!

Each time I go to the French Outdoor Antique Market (so perfectly located within minutes of my home!), I do try to restrain myself, though this past July I did come home with a set of small glass plates edged in a deep, almost iridescent ruby color from the Indiana Glass Company - perfect to complement the matching dessert bowls, and cake platter I had found a while back.

The market is a joy. It relaxes me. It takes me back home - if only for a moment - to the outdoor markets of southern France - a mix of brocante and flea market. Camera always in hand, eyes open wide, I wander about the two long alleys, sometimes looping back several times. Vendors with their simpatico disposition shield themselves from the blazing sun under their wide parasols; their wares colorfully displaced. The accordionist is often in full swing and the songs of Edith Piaf are often piped in. The crepe vendor has Nutella on hand! The locals and the connoisseurs stroll about, eager to fill their vitrines with vintage bargains and new-found antique treasures.

Mark your calendars! The market takes place the second Sunday of every month from April to October just around the corner of the legendary Frank Lloyd Wright Civic Center.
  

Some hand-picked, very French treasures from William's Berg booth - William's Antiks

 

The ever present sun-lit booth of Toujours/Watchworks tended by Caron Hibbens

Do come buy this Sunday, August 9th - 

The market will bring a sunny edge to your day. You will reminisce of charming childhood treasures in grandma's house, and I do believe you just may come home with a cherished object or two, be it a bit of kitsch, a bit of France, or a bit of stylish shabby chic.

I see it simply as ... It's good for the soul ~
Enjoy! Adeline

... oh and stay tuned for a lighthouse, a winery on the edge, an a dramatic sky - 
next blog not far away!

French Outdoor Antique Market - almost like home!

Marin County just north of the Golden Gate Bridge is an idyllic place. I love living here. I keep being charmed by its rolling hills, its small charming towns, its lagoons, marinas and shorelines.There is also the warm sun, the tender friendships I've made, the ease of a quick drive to the world-famous wine country - and most definitely I am charmed by the outdoor markets that abound in the region. 

The weekend Farmers' Markets are a delight. There is an abundance of local and seasonal organic produce stretched over many stands; but I must say that strolling the two aisles of the Marin County French Outdoor Antique Market tops my list of local 'feel the sunshine' joy. Frank Lloyd Wright's impressive Civic Center circles the road behind this market. From April through November on the 2nd Sunday of the month, there are troves of French inspired vintage treasures, collectibles of bygone times, estate jewelry and china, vintage toys aplenty, shabby chic finds for that perfect décor, antique furniture or distressed modern pieces, and chock full of hand crafted artisan wares. 

I always take my time. I stroll lazily. I enjoy capturing close ups that inspire me. I might have a crepe.   I listen to the accordionist or the French songstress, and bask in the heat of the day, thinking of my ancestral home in the south of France, and it is pure joy to find it right here in Marin County as well.

My first post about the French Market was a few years back - click here - 

Back then, I was delightfully surprised by its charm. 

Another time, I went just to capture the sweet faces of porcelain figurines - click here - each one eagerly awaiting its new owner. Today I return time and again, excited at what I will discover.

Mark your calendars ~ you will soon discover how good this is for the soul...

Enjoy as always, Adeline