06.17.09
Antique Shopping in France
As an interior designer by education, I am often asked about French antiques. Though certainly not an expert, I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunities to go “antiquing” in France. For many years, a trip to Paris was not complete without a visit to Marche Paul Bert in the Clignancourt Flea Market. Back in the days of a stronger dollar, every trip seemed to offer some reward whether grande or petite, depending on the need and budget of the moment.
One time a dear friend and I discovered a beautiful set of matching Louis XV style fauteuils. We both wanted them, but neither of us needed such a large grouping. With only a few minutes left for our market visit, we quickly decided to divide the chairs and each take a pair. Unfortunately, we did not take the time to review all the shipping costs and felt a bit taken advantage of in the end. Lesson number one: Consider how you are going to get it home and have written price quotes from a reputable shipper before you finalize your purchase.
On another adventure, my mother and I combined forces and brought a container of antiques back from Belgium, France, and England to resell. The shipping seemed easy enough since the shipper assured us that the fuller the container, the better it was for shipping. This was only fully understood when the container (which looked like the trailer of an 18 wheeler) was delivered to our residential street. Fortunately, we had some very athletic friends to help us unload. Because we did not realize we needed a dock, the guys literally stood on each other’s shoulders to open the doors and unload these giant pieces that had been crammed into a container from top to bottom! It was quite a sight, leading to lesson number two: Make sure you know what you are going to do with it once you get it home! This was even an issue another time when we picked up crates of antiques from our airport customs. How in the world was I going to open large wooden crates?
On the other hand, perhaps one of my most pleasant experiences was the purchase of a barometer that a friend, who owns an antique store, had offered to ship with his things back to the U.S. His perfect French explanation for packing and shipping instructions paid off in a perfect delivery. I was surprised when I met other American-based French Antique store owners from my area that happily offered to let me pay for shipping to include my things with their shipment. They were paying a bulk rate and charged me a reasonable price to join them. I realized they had a lot more experience than I did with all of the details of shipping.
Fortunately, the fun of receiving your antiques usually helps you forget all you may go through in the process. As a matter of fact, I set out to write this blog on the excitement of buying French antiques. Now I have found myself in some sort of writers’ therapy for bad shipping memories! Please do not let your husband or any practical friend read this blog – you may never talk them into going along with your wonderful purchase! Let’s just keep it our little secret! To make it easier, you may want to check with your local antique store to see if they are organizing a shipment from France and would be willing to help, if you find something “you just cannot live without!”