Flea markets and antique fairs in Pays de la Loire the weekend of October 10: on Sunday, up to 250 exhibitors fill boulevard du Chail in Fontenay-le-Comte from 6 a.m., and Montsoreau gathers its dealers.
Sunday, from 6 a.m., on boulevard du Chail. Fontenay-le-Comte, in the Vendée, holds its monthly flea market on October 11. Flea markets and antique fairs in Pays de la Loire the weekend of October 10: on Sunday, up to 250 exhibitors fill boulevard du Chail in Fontenay-le-Comte from 6 a.m., and Montsoreau gathers its dealers.
Boulevard du Chail, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
On Sunday, October 11, the monthly flea market of Fontenay-le-Comte takes over boulevard du Chail and place de Verdun, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. It returns every second Sunday of the month. Up to 250 exhibitors set up, private sellers and professional dealers side by side.
The dealers trade among themselves from first light.
The tables line up antiques, old furniture, paintings, old tableware, glassware and porcelain, old books, postcards, old papers, vinyl records, comics, vintage clothes, old jewelry and watches. Militaria, advertising objects and curiosities sit next to the private sellers' bric-a-brac.
Visitors walk in freely. Exhibitors pay 2.50 euros per linear meter, with a minimum of 5 meters for a vehicle. A refreshment stand, food, toilets and parking are on site.
Fontenay-le-Comte has about 14,000 inhabitants and sits at the gateway to the Marais Poitevin. Its center keeps the Terre-Neuve castle, a listed historic monument, the Notre-Dame church and the Old Castle. The town has its own train station, and the A83 reaches it by exit 9 from Nantes or Niort.
Antique dealers, charity bric-a-brac and specialist fairs
The second Sunday of the month also brings the Puces de Montsoreau, created 34 years ago: 60 to 80 professionals offer antiques, quality second-hand goods and collectibles where the Loire meets the Vienne, in one of the Plus Beaux Villages de France. Entry is free and parking is on the quays. The village castle houses a contemporary art museum.
In Donges, the morning car boot sale holds the place de la Mairie from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., twelve times a year. Exhibitors pay 10 euros per car or 13 euros per trailer, coffee included. Saint-Martin-des-Fontaines, between Fontenay-le-Comte and Luçon, runs its monthly flea market from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. as a rule.
Luçon starts on Saturday, October 10. The big bric-a-brac sale of the association Les Amis de la Solidarité et de l'Insertion opens two sites, 39 route des Moutiers and 12 rue des Meuniers, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: furniture, tableware, appliances, tools, books and toys at low prices, for the association's social work in southern Vendée. The adult and teen clothing fair run by Les Z'Occas des Fripouilles takes place the same day: drop-off the day before, sale from about 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sellers register on HelloAsso, unsold items go back to them the next day and the association takes a commission on what sells.
Sunday again, the seamstresses' market in Soullans fills the village hall from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: fabric, wool, haberdashery, patterns and second-hand sewing equipment, entry 1 to 2 euros. On the fabric table: velvet, woolens, fleece and padding. In Mayenne, the Étoile Cycliste Mayennaise runs its cycle fair and car boot sale, with adult and children's bikes, mountain bikes, helmets, jerseys and used spare parts. The car boot sale alongside opens the day to non-cyclists. Saint-Urbain has its Vide ta chambre, where children sell what leaves their bedrooms themselves: clothes, toys, books, comics, video games and plush toys. Chantonnay, about 8,500 inhabitants, has its autumn flea market, halfway between Les Herbiers and Luçon.
In Saint-Urbain as in Chantonnay, entry is free.
