Car boot sale of the Friends of La Broue

The Car Boot Sale of the Friends of La Broue

Every July 14th, the hamlet of La Broue, in the commune of Saint-Firmin, hosts a car boot sale organized by the association Les Amis de la Broue. This small village event takes place in the rue du Four, at 19 rue du Four, in an authentic and preserved mountain setting.

Saint-Firmin, gateway to Valgaudemar

Saint-Firmin is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department located at the entrance to the Valgaudemar valley, one of the wildest valleys in the Écrins National Park. The village, bordered by the Séveraisse river, is dominated by peaks over 3,000 meters high. The hamlet of La Broue, with its stone houses and communal oven, bears witness to the traditional mountain architecture of the Champsaur region.

What to find at the stalls?

Exhibitors offer a wide range of second-hand items: old crockery, trinkets, frames and mirrors, books and magazines, toys, clothing, small appliances, tools, sports equipment, vinyl records and CDs, home textiles, and decorative items. In the Hautes-Alpes, you can also regularly find typical mountain objects: old agricultural tools, cowbells, Savoyard furniture, vintage skis, snowshoes, and hiking equipment. Prices are generally very attractive, making these car boot sales an economical and ecological alternative to buying new.

The Hautes-Alpes, land of flea markets and car boot sales

The Hautes-Alpes department, the least populated in metropolitan France, compensates for its low density with a particularly dynamic associative life. From March to October, car boot sales and flea markets punctuate the life of the alpine villages, offering as many opportunities for bargain hunting as for community gatherings. The summer season, with the influx of tourists and holidaymakers, multiplies the opportunities: passing visitors gladly stop to browse the stalls, sometimes discovering unsuspected alpine treasures. The exceptional mountain setting of the department adds a unique dimension to these events, with grandiose panoramas and the pure air of the peaks.

A unique hamlet event

The charm of this car boot sale lies in its intimate scale: a few stalls in a hamlet alley, neighbors meeting up, visitors discovering this preserved corner of the Alps. The atmosphere is warm and relaxed, a far cry from large urban flea markets.