Finding Use Out Of The Useless

Visiting the Saint Ouen flea market was a fun/refreshing experience. After being in central Paris for nearly two weeks, finally seeing price tags that fit my budget was refreshing, to say the least. The flea market consisted mostly of affordable antique items and cool, high-end furniture that I definitely couldn’t afford. While I was there I thought deeply about what a flea market meant for the people. If it’s a market and just a market, or maybe something more. I saw the flea market as a way to spread the availability of goods while producing minimal waste and giving other people the opportunity to give use to these items instead of throwing them away. The flea market made me think about how we go about things in Austin. We have vintage stores that sell overpriced items, and a Goodwill, which gives a similar opportunity to the flea markets in Paris. But the flea markets give off a sense of community. Like a whole collection of people trying to make it as vendors, together in the same area.

We have so much to spend, but when is it time to give? A lot of these items are worn and sometimes completely broken. What’s beautiful about the flea markets, is that it gives people the chance to give new life to these items. Find use out of the useless. I remember seeing a collection of old pocket watches and wrist watches scattered along with a table and I thought about who could’ve owned them, and what kind of person would buy them because they were all broken. It’s cool to see that these useless items still hold some sort of value just because they are old. Visiting the Saint Ouen flea market felt like its own little adventure. With the crazy variety of items and countless individual unique shops, I feel like I might have to visit a second time.