The Saint-Ouen flea market, called marché aux puces de Saint-Ouen in French () or simply St.-Ouen (), and also known as the Clignancourt flea market, is a complex of flea markets in Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, in the northern suburbs of Paris.
The complex consists of a series of covered markets (marchés couverts) and shopping streets, and is large enough that first-time visitors can find it disorienting. Its individual markets range from stalls selling bric-à-brac and secondhand clothing to galleries dealing in museum-quality antiques. Dozens of restaurants and bistros operate within the complex. Bargaining is customary.
History
The market began in 1885, when junk dealers and rag pickers were moved out of Paris to the plain of Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, near the Porte de Clignancourt. There, they sold secondhand goods to Parisians passing through. The name marché aux puces, literally "market of fleas", dates to this period.
The market steadily expanded from stables and garages to absorb much of the surrounding neighborhood. By the 1920s, the market was frequented by designers and tastemakers, with the majority of its antiques eventually bound for buyers in the United States. , founded in 1925 by 70 merchants operating as a collective, was among the first to specialize in antiques. Until the mid-1930s, St.-Ouen was a cheaper place to buy certain goods, such as oil and soap, that were not taxed outside of the city limits.
By the early 1980s, the market drew 150,000 visitors each weekend to 10,000 vendors across 75 acres, although high rents for vendors and a weakening dollar made bargains harder for international visitors to find.
Interest in the market revived in the 2010s, despite competition from online antiques vendors. In 2013, furniture company Habitat converted a courtyard of former ateliers on the into gallery-like retail spaces. The following year, media executive Jean-Cyrille Boutmy acquired Paul Bert Serpette and introduced methods to verify the authenticity of goods sold there. Saint-Ouen had three consecutive Communist mayors between 1945 and 2014, which may have helped the market resist the gentrification that reshaped Portobello Road.
Markets Market Description Image Antica Around a dozen stands specializing in 18th- and 19th-century furniture, paintings, bronzes, and porcelain. 1925 Antiques, including gilded furniture, jewelry, silver, and porcelain. The most expensive of the markets. 1970 Furniture and decorative objects from the 18th to 20th centuries, including Art Nouveau and Art Deco pieces, across two floors. 1991 Antiquarian books and prints. l'Entrepôt 1990 Large-format architectural salvage, including bookcases, fireplaces, ironwork, and staircases. Jules-Vallès 1938 Bric-a-brac and secondhand goods. Malassis 1989 Antiques across two floors. Malik 1942 Secondhand clothing and household goods. Le Passage Late 1980s Books, postcards, vintage clothing, and antiques, in a covered passageway connecting Rue Jules-Vallès and Rue Lécuyer. 1946 (PaulBert)1977 (Serpette) Furniture and design. Rents are among the highest at Saint-Ouen. l'Usine Antique and 20th-century designer furniture, open to trade professionals only on weekday mornings. Vernaison 1920 The oldest market. Around 300 stalls selling small collectibles, vintage linens, and ephemera.
Other flea markets in Paris Paris has several other flea markets: in the 12th arrondissement, a food market that hosts a secondhand market on Sundays Puces du Kremlin-Bicêtre in Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, on the southern edge of the city Puces de Montreuil in Montreuil, on the eastern edge Puces de Vanves in the 14th arrondissement, an open-air market on the southern edge of the city
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