Joyeux Noel

Winter greetings from all us FLEAS who want to take this seasonal opportunity to say "We love YOU!" We are truly blessed to have customers like you who allow us to do what we love. We wish you a very happy holiday and a healthy New Year!

And speaking of a New Year--we hope to see you at our January opening (Jan. 5 - 8th) when we invite you to save 50% off of all holiday items and let you know about our yearly event: DEAL WITH THE DEALERS on Sunday, Jan. 8th only! Sign up HERE to get our monthly email announcement to get all the details!

December Sneak Peek

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Actually, it's beginning to look like A LOT of Christmas!


We love to do it up BIG for all the holidays, and this is one of the BIGGEST holidays we do! The sign out front doesn't say "Santa stop here" It says "Santa SHOPS here"!



We are packed to the ceiling with goodies. There are lots of elegant silvers,



glittering whites,



tons of creams, sophisticated blacks and



cheery touches of pinks, not to mention



your good old fashioned red and greens.



This will be the merriest month of all! We can't wait to let you in the door to celebrate our love of the holidays. And to celebrate our love of our loyal customers, we're raffling off a gorgeous 3' decorated tree with one special ornament nestled in the branches just for you: a $100 gift certificate! Just for coming in during our December 1 - 4th opening, you'll be entered to win. Hope to see you there!

The Fun Continues...

Where does the time go? The last few months have been a whirlwind of fun, and with the holiday season here (yes, it's here!) we are not about to slow down now! But here's how we "Fleas" feel after each month's closing:


exhilarated,


a little giddy,


and ready to sit down for just a few minutes!

And while we're taking a breather, let's look back on just a few of the moments that make it so fun to do what we do!

Here's (from left to right) Grandma Debbie, Mom Kristen and Aunt Audrey with



one of the youngest new customers we've had the pleasure to pinch the cheeks of--presenting eight-day old Dax Preston Waltenburg!



We also had a visit from Anita Gioconda (on the right in red) all the way from Washington, D.C.!


In August we got to see life imitate art:


In September we witnessed someone fall in love (with a wedding dress!)


and we went over-the-top in October! We hosted a witch hat contest (our winner won a $100 shopping spree!).


Even the fountain boy in our open-air market got into the spirit!


We also were representing vintage lovers everywhere at our booth at the Pleasanton Antique Faire:


No wonder we needed this short mental break! But now that we're all refreshed, and ready to present ourselves at our most happiest (which is anytime we're in the store!), we hope to see you soon.


Our next chance for fun is November 3, 4, 5 & 6th!

Winner and Smiles All Around

Did you see our smiling (representative) faces at the Pleasanton Antique Faire?


We were there with lots of goodies:






Our "next-door neighbor" was the sweet Betsy from My Salvaged Treasures, and she was kind enough to take these photos and blog about us! (Thanks Betsy!) Hope you had a chance to stop by and say "Bonjour!"

Next, we have an announcement to make! Our customer and the winner of a $100 gift certificate for a shopping spree in our store is (drum-roll please...................)


Marsha Mees! Woo hoo! Congratulations, Marsha, and we thank all of our other lovely customers who decorated a witch hat and wore it to our October opening! You really got us into the "spirit" of the month!

Pretty-Creep Show

We had five customers who all wore their hand-decorated hats in our fashion show of fright, all vying for the crisp $100 gift certificate give-away at our October opening! Let's take a look as they all fly in on their brooms and take command of the cat-walk:

(You can click on the pictures, if you dare, to see all the creepy details)

Our first model gives us the evil eye as she shows us her delightful/frightful entry. The romantic Eiffel Tower (complete with blinking lights!), which is covered with spider webs, sits down over her pointy little head, while spiders, a gecko, frog, black bird and a few unidentified curiosities climb up.

Next up is a beautifully spooky number. A long sheer black veil cannot hide her knowing smile, as she turns her head to show us the full effect of the light-catching iridescent feathers attached all around the brim extending to the point. Black lace and pom-poms molder on the flat of the brim add a playful touch.


Our next model appears to have used what ever she had laying around her witch's lire! A black skeleton shaded by a parasol, holds a glittering skull while a black crow watches the whole affair. The hat is topped with a glittered black whisk broom and is brimmed with a garden of black & orange roses.

Mirror, mirror on the wall--who's the creepiest one of all? My point (and this model DOES have one--it's cleverly curled over!) is that it's going to be hard to chose ONE WINNER. Frothy black netting and multi-colored ribbon trail like a echoing scream from around the brim and down the bony spine of our model.


And our last model who was "pushing up daisies", brightened our darkened doorstep with a shock of pink netting spilling over the edge, topped with bright be-headed, fall-colored flowers on a vibrant orange, silken band.

Thank you ladies. We will continue after the judges have a chance to cackle and confer.

Chalk It Up To FUN!

Just when you thought it was safe to stand still (like 5 year old Caroline in her Paris dress above)--watch out! You may be painted with a special paint and turned into an all-occasion CHALKBOARD!


We "Flea's" are famous for transforming the ordinary, like this small frame above, into something spectacular! This one is a size to use as a table top way to leave a love note for someone in the morning, or to remind yourself how beautiful YOU are.


A larger frame with a chalkboard insert becomes a spot to celebrate the season with your own ever-changing work of art, or shopping list when used in the kitchen on the side of the fridge.


Or a prominent place to "tell your own story". There are hundreds of fresh, new uses for the "old school" blackboard!

We hope you have a place to write down a reminder that you could win a $100 gift certificate to spend at our store during our October sale (October 6, 7, 8 & 9th) . Just wear your hand-crafted witch hat to be entered in our contest!

Did We Mention We Got A Mention?

The very clever (and incredible busy mom of two phew-stinky boys) Kerstie Pederson came shopping and was kind enough to blog a tour of Paris Flea Market last month!

She roamed from room to room with camera in hand and snapped away at everything that caught her eye. Here are just a few pictures to whet your whistle--you'll have to head over to her self-titled blog, Kerstie Pederson, to see the rest (plus lots of highly recommended popsicle recipes just right for the last hot days of the season!).





She didn't just come for the fun of looking at all the re-loved furniture, vintage clothes and one-of-a-kind goodies, though. She was on a mission of sorts and with our help, was able to complete it.


See that darling white, cottage coffee table? It went home with her!

What will you go home with from our September 8, 9, 10 & 11th opening? Let us know if you blog it!

When Something Sparkly Caught My Eye...

Have you seen the latest? Vintage brooches are all the rage, especially when they've been re-fashioned into wearable works of art! Lucky for you, some of the clever "Flea's" have been re-designing some just for you!

Diamonds might be a girl's best friend, but a grown woman knows it takes more than a little sparkle to crack open her pocketbook! At Paris Flea Market in Livermore, CA(and Room With A Past in Walnut Creek, CA) the pins that once dressed up your mother's jacket collar are now an affordable and one-of-a-kind accessory!


Big & bold, or more simple and elegant, you can't go wrong with an eye-catching piece like these worn around your neck.



Hope to see you at our next opening: September 8 - 11th so we can add a little glint to your life!

Happy Hoppin' Flea!

Oh how glorious to be a FLEA
We jump, we skip, we hop with glee.
The only thing better (we think you'll agree)
Is if you'd come and play with thee!

It's the last day of our August opening today (Sunday August 7th from 10-4!)--hope you'll come and have some fun!

We Bid You Adieu ~ A Peek Into Last Month's Shopping Cart

Have you ever snuck a peek at what the person next to you in the check-out line has in their cart? "What did they get? How much did they pay for it? And where did they find it because I want one too!" is what goes through our minds!

It's a lot like that at the Paris Flea Market during the sale: people are always so curious as to what's been bought and is heading out the door. Well, we know it's not quite the same, but in the interest of quenching your curiosity, we thought we'd show you what were the most popular and fasted-selling items for July's opening. (You can click on the photos to see them larger.)


How do you spell "Je ne sais quoi"? Well, we just told you, but if you really want to fill your home with "that certain something" we have two words for you: French Provencal. Yes, it's the same stuff that young girlfriend of yours with the "hip" parents (filled her room with!) had. She may have had the whole set, but honey, that was then and this is NOW. This sturdy stuff has been totally re-done up and down for today's slightly-shabby style. This desk was on the bus home soon after we opened our doors on Thursday night since it had a ticket of 165.00.

But wait, there's more! Two more, in fact. These tall French beauties are getting harder to find. The lingerie chest on the right with all those gorgeous drawers (to put your drawers in!) is long gone (235.00) but it's twin sis may just be there at our August opening (8/4, 5, 6 & 7th).


You've heard of "bed-head"? We wouldn't mind getting it from this darling gently arched, carved-wood embellished headboard/foot board set! The set with side rails was snapped up for 142.00, and it's new owner has been having sweet bed-headed dreams ever since.


Not too tall, not to short, and loaded with lots of ornate shabby details, this four drawer dresser with wedding cake embellishments was perfectly staged with lots of other summer matrimony memorabilia during our July sale. Priced at 219.00, if you love it so much why don't you marry it? We must speak now--someone already said "I do!".


Summer is the time to spice it up, and we can only imagine this 6 drawer RED dresser is still dancing the salsa in it's new home as we speak. It started out with some old-fashioned Americana lines (can you see the original keyholes?), was painted red, and given a rustic distressed finish. Muy caliente, no? Si--229.00!


Please take a seat. Or two. These two totally different dining chairs where given the same sleek ebony paint treatment and charming flourish black & white fabric upholstery seats. Hmm, which one to choose? Take both! At a price of 38.00 each you can't afford not to. As long as you shop at Paris Flea Market, you'll always have a place to sit!


Maybe next month you'll see a picture of what YOU bought at the August sale (August 4- 7th) listed here! (You can also SIGN UP to get the monthly email announcements so you'll be reminded of each sale and any monthly contests just before it happens.)

The Girls Are Back In Town!

There are lots of reasons to smile seated at these tables! These gals went to France, shopped at several flea markets, had the time of their lives and now they want to share it all with YOU!




Not everything they coveted would fit in a suitcase, of course,



but plenty of goodies came home! Stop by during our July opening (July 7, 8, 9 & 10th) at Paris Flea Market in Livermore to see for yourself!