I got up very early for a Sunday morning, especially one after all the Fourth of July celebrating around here, and drove the 40 minutes across the San Francisco Bay to the Alameda Flea Market. So who needs the Paris fleas if you can just come here? I arrived very early, 6:15 am, and the skies were dark and brooding, the temperature hovering around 50 degrees and a lot of dealers still setting up their wares. Coffee in hand, I headed out to find my old friend Lauren, who was set up at spaces X-5 and X-6... for her colleagues at Patine. Later, I rounded up Therese Long from La Dolfina {her wonderful blog} and we had one wonderful time together!
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| look at Lauren's pillows, made from antique linens her colleagues find in Europe... are they not wonderful! |
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| you can also buy yardage of gorgeous old European linens of every weave and suble color changes... |
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| that's the always-chic Lauren showing customers a bowl... you can see how early in the morning it was... and those structures in the background are giant lifts for unloading giant cargo ships that come into the Oakland harbor... |
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| Lauren, remember your good old friend before you sell this... I'll come running... LOVE this old French table and it would be perfect in my garden... should have grabbed it on the spot! |
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| and the little green wooden folding chairs that used to be seen all over France... I'll take four! |
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| here is a good view of Lauren's French tubs... baby bathtubs on iron stands, a large adult sized zinc tub, a wonderful old rake and a great looking nice tall zinc wine bottle holder for all those empties! |
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| a few rows away (there are 800 separate vendors at this monthly flea market!!) I found the wonderful green-ness of Elsie Green... {rumor has it she once did styling for Pottery Barn}... what is it about all that gorgeous blue green paint and jars that stops one in their tracks? |
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| Elsie's chocolate jars from Paris, wire baskets from France, beautiful dahlias... |
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| look at this wonderfully casually chic table setting... old tin cake molds hold old glasses that hold a place setting of silverware.... rustic runner on wooden table, more white dahlias in big chocolate jars, and look... she clothespinned the napkins to each chair! could anything be more charmingly summer-fresh? |
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| and speaking of cool, what about these Paris park chairs, in varying shades of mint and citrus greens.... love! someone snagged these eight... |
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| from Elsie Green's charming website! |
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| of course, I had to stop over at Trinidad's to see what the latest container from France contained....you know his shop, Atelier de Compagne... check out the number of followers on his FB page! |
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| Trinidad's collections before the sun came up (top) and after it is beginning to blaze down on us marketeers... don't you love that bust? and those mirrors, fabulous! |
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| be sure to check Atelier de Campagne's website... |
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| no visit to the Alameda Flea would be complete without checking out Big Daddy's latest offerings... and his merchandising is so much fun.... love them or not, these old green chemistry jars with red wax seals have tons of panache... and his version of the painted-board-strips-turned-art is quite sophisticated, non? |
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| you know me... if there is a sunburst mirror within twenty miles, I will find it and I will photograph it.... Big Daddy has a huge one in gilt wood mounted on old rustic grey boards, the ultimate in chic! |
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| this wonderful huge old Coca-Cola sign will make quite a statement in a large, airy loft in San Francisco somewhere.... |
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| this is from Big Daddy's website... love the old yellow olive oil jugs and all that white & gray... |
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| had to drop in on this shabby chic set up.... love the ticking bags she is selling... and all the painted furniture.. greys, whites, creams.... and of course all the silver.... and yes, that lady is wrapped in a small blanket, it was very chilly in the morning before the fog burned off.... |
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| I still go weak in the knees for silver... always have loved it .... it's the Southern Girl in me.... and her display is quite charming.... |
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It looks like you had a wonderful morning Kit - did you buy anything? I am usually quite overwhelmed!
ReplyDeleteTricia I got a great old linen over-dyed dark navy messenger bag with a white letter "3" appliquéd onto it, long cross-body leather strap made from old belt... it is so very cool, you would love it, I'll try to post a pic....
Deletemissed you how was yoga?
Hi Kit,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your great post, couldn't go but with your great descriptions I feel
as if I had.
Linda T.
Hey Linda one of these days you will have to make it here for the first Sunday...we will have a great time!!
DeleteStay cool!
xoxo Kit
Beautifull photos and great blog!especially for me thanks.
ReplyDeleteOh how lovely! It reminds me of the European flea markets that I frequented for many years, and now miss very much now that I am living far away from them...good to know that this gem is only a quick plane ride away vs. a long transatlantic flight! :)
ReplyDelete