The Paris Flea Markets

Come to discover Paul Bert market grace to a virtual visit

ake a stroll through time. The days are long gone, when the first drops of rain turned the aisles of the Paul Bert market into a veritable quagmire. It was in the period between the two wars that Monsieur Louis Poré, the son of a market gardener, began to make a different use of the land he owned. First of all, he built an automobile garage (later to become the Serpette Market). In 1946, when he noticed the success and growth of the other markets, Vernaison, Biron, Vallès and Malik, Monsieur Louis Poré decided to strike a deal with the authorities in Saint-Ouen and the traders. It was a result of this agreement that the first stalls were built. Between 1953 and 1954, most of these wooden constructions were made more permanent, an indication that the owner had every intention of making his venture last.

Paul Bert Market 18, rue Paul Bert or 96. rue des Rosiers
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The pugnacity of the traders and of the successive market owners enabled a market to be gradually built up in line with their requirements. With almost 220 stands stretched out along 7 aisles, Paul Bert is one of the major attractions of the Paris Saint-Ouen Flea Market.

The merchandise, which often spills over the stands into the passageways, is usually presented "as it comes", which has always meant that Paul Bert is a favourite with sometimes rather scatty bargain hunters! It should come as no surprise, then, that some of the worldÕs most famous decorators come here regularly to unearth the most unlikely objects from this extraordinary jumble, which is constantly being added to. This market is always in line with the latest trends, and has certainly the most relaxed atmosphere of the Flea Markets. Do not be surprised to find yourself tagging along behind the luscious, sculptural figure of Sharon Stone, out for a day on the town with her Yankee friends, or other stars looking for inspiration to decorate their home in California or their loft in New York.

This open-air market surrounds the Serpette Market. The fate and the growth of the two markets are increasingly closely linked, thanks to exports. The new owners understood this very swiftly, and the legal entity SERPAUL has been created to run the two markets as one. Conditions mean that traders cannot afford to be absent from the market. Paul Bert is an inexhaustible source of wonder for casual visitors, and is often regarded as the leading market in terms of new decorative trends and fashions.

Paul Bert has everything to awaken the bargain hunter that lies dormant within each of us. Around every corner lies the marvel you have always been looking for. Shop furnishings, Parisian bistro furniture, garden ornaments, decorative ornaments from the first half of the 20th century - they all share the floor with Renaissance objects, Primitive Art and so on.