Faymoreau Garage Sale, Brocante and Craft Market

Hunting in the heart of Vendée mining heritage

Faymoreau is unique in Vendée: for over a century it was the department's sole coal site, mined from 1827 to 1958. The village retains exceptional industrial heritage — Hôtel des Mines, workers' rows (corons), pithead frame and the Mines Museum. Here the Pays Minier association runs its annual garage sale, brocante and craft market.

2026: Sunday 14 June, 8am-6pm, on the Hôtel des Mines ground, 5 allée de la Verrerie. 50-100 sellers mix private sellers, brocanteurs (antique furniture, collectibles) and local craftspeople (pottery, jewellery, leather, wood, textile).

Hunting meets heritage

The event stands out for its setting. Alongside the sale: mining-memory events — musicians, raffle, carriage rides through the mine village, and guided museum visits (Carmelo Zagari stained-glass chapel, reconstructed galleries, archives, testimonies). Morning hunting plus dive into south Vendée industrial history.

What to find

• Private sellers, family bric-à-brac
• Brocante: antique furniture, crockery, collectibles
• Crafts: pottery, jewellery, leather, wood, textile
• Toys, books, vinyl
• Clothes, shoes
• Local creations, local produce

Faymoreau, a unique industrial village

Only ~200 inhabitants yet remarkable industrial heritage. The 2005 Mines Museum traces 130 years of coal. The chapel with Carmelo Zagari's contemporary stained glass is a modern sacred art masterpiece. "Petite Cité de Caractère" label. 30 min from Fontenay-le-Comte or Parthenay.

Around Faymoreau

Mines Museum (a must), corons, stained-glass chapel, Vendée Militaire, Mervent-Vouvant forest, south Vendée châteaux. Sèvre Niortaise and Marais Poitevin 25 min away.