OH PARIS! THIS YOU CENTURY OF AGES HAS BEEN A RECOGNIZED LAW OF FASHION, THIS IS YOUR KITCHEN - Gourmet Paradise, THIS YOU MYSELF LADIES WANT TO SEE AND DIE. AND THIS IN YOUR WOMAN WERE BORNE FAMOUS, BECOMING SUCH POPULAR IN THE WORLD, "Flea" MARKETS.
19th Century. Napoleon III Bonaparte. Coups, revolutions, new constitution. The neighborhood of luxury palaces and poverty of the old quarters. It was decided to modernize the city, but what about the junk traders who occupied the boulevards of the capital? The sellers are driven out of their belongings to the northern fortress gates, where the huge Clinyakur market is formed, which is still popular today.
Goods in this market were not distinguished by exclusivity, did not possess special quality and did not shine with novelty. Not at all. Exhibits of the first counters gathered from all the surrounding Paris dumps: broken and torn "chairs from the palace, the work of Gambs", sofas, canapes with rollers, ottomans and mattresses, bugs, fleas and other blood-sucking insects forever in the bowels that were thrown away as unnecessary. Therefore, the title is firmly entrenched in the market - marche aux puces (flea). And from here flea markets went for a walk across Europe - any spontaneously formed flea market selling cheaply used clothes, incomplete dishes and other substandard goods was immediately baptized as a flea market according to the old faithful tradition of Parisians.
A visit to the flea market is a journey into another world of amazing antiquities, unique works of art, the intersection of countries, eras and generations. This is such a familiar and understandable yesterday and an unsolved past.
On the green lawn of Safa Park, in the shadow of deciduous trees, between the winding pedestrian paths is the first Dubai flea market. A riot of colors, the crowing of birds, human fuss - all this creates a unique festive atmosphere of the novelty and unusualness of what is happening. Between the merchants' tables, a colored cap of a cheerful clown flickers, on the improvised stage built right there, musicians tune their instruments, funny mummers inflate balloons. There are no neat hangers, fitting rooms and fixed prices, but here there is individual creativity, piece units and the availability of any thing you like, be it antique furniture, utensils, clothes, books, jewelry or toys.
Here's a funny wooden pig next to the kitchen pot. You think this is a useless bauble? But how organically it will fit into the brutal rustic style kitchen design, where birch broom and grasp will be lying on the cut-down benches, and a smoke from the friable “jacket” will rise above the pot with a thin stream.
And on another counter, among many copper jugs, bronze figurines and aluminum trays, there was a silver candlestick in the form of a cobra prepared for the attack, which was brought to Iran a century ago, and then moved to Dubai with the owners' family, where he found new owners.
But what is it? A pile of pulp fiction - one-day softcover detectives in Russian! And they are sold by a black-haired curly girl who does not speak Russian at all. Well, how can you not recall that the Dubai "boiler" of cultures "cooks" more than 150 different nationalities.
National features, by the way, are also manifested in unusual designer jewelry made by sellers themselves from improvised materials: silver rings, chains with pendants made of coral, bead strings, bracelets embroidered with gold thread, glass beads and rhinestones, baubles made of mouline thread.
What did the dubai find for themselves at the first trial flea market? Is it worth continuing this undertaking, or is the fastest growing city in the world worthless to look back? Large families replenished their kids' wardrobe with completely wearable things, without causing significant damage to the family budget. Students got rid of still solid, but no longer fashionable suits, soaked and boring films, listened to music libraries and earned a little for their pocket expenses. Vintage things have found a second life in the hands of new owners. And all market visitors enjoyed the search for rarities, the joy of newly acquired items and the satisfaction of having bought “such a treasure” at a ridiculous price.
