Car boot sale Caserne Mellinet — Nantes

Caserne Mellinet Car boot sale: treasure hunting in a repurposed living space

Every May, La Générale at 31 rue Gabrielle le Pan de Ligny in Nantes hosts a car boot sale with about sixty stalls, associated with a plant market. This double event takes place in one of the most successful conversions of Nantes' military heritage: the former Mellinet barracks, transformed into a living, housing, and cultural space.

La Générale, a living space on the former Mellinet barracks

The former Caserne Mellinet, named after General of the Imperial Guard Émile Mellinet born in Nantes, was one of the city's major barracks for over a century. After its military decommissioning, the site underwent an ambitious redevelopment that created La Générale: a complex combining housing, community spaces, shared gardens, and cultural venues. This urban renewal project has transformed the former military grounds into a mixed and dynamic neighborhood, rooted in the life of the Dervallières-Zola district.

A car boot sale combined with a plant market

The association of a car boot sale and a plant market in the same event is one of the originalities of this gathering. Visitors can thus hunt for treasures among the sixty stalls offering clothing, furniture, books, and various objects, and also enrich their garden or balcony by purchasing plants, herbs, flowers, and vegetables from the horticultural market exhibitors. This complementarity between treasure hunting and gardening attracts a diverse audience and creates a particularly pleasant spring atmosphere.

About sixty stalls in a heritage setting

With its approximately sixty stalls, the La Générale car boot sale offers a friendly size that invites leisurely browsing and meeting people. The setting of the former barracks, with its brick buildings and courtyards, gives the event a special atmosphere, blending rehabilitated military heritage with an urban village spirit. An event to discover for those who wish to combine treasure hunting, gardening, and a stroll in an atypical living space in the heart of Nantes.