I’m thrifting the fleas in Malaga Spain as you read this. My brother owns a house there, and all siblings are invited. I plan to buy at Cartijo de Torres, Andalusia’s largest flea, or Muelle Uno, a flea with trendy local art by Malaga’s port. I want to check out two vintage clothing store fleas: Epoca Segunda Mano, and Flamingos Vintage Kilo, where they sell used clothes by weight. Finally, I want to see the street art and mural scene in Malaga Arte Urbano Soho (MAUS) where hip artists have taken over facades and sell their crafts. These plans got me wondering where the term FLEA market originated.
If you bought used upholstery in an outdoor market in Paris in the 1850s you ended up scratching. If you took a piece home, the whole household scratched. The sale of used upholstered chairs and sofas was notorious for flea contamination. Fleas occupied those chairs and rugs, so much so that the event where such things were sold acquired the moniker “mache aux puces” (market of fleas). The term was reinforced when the architect George Eugene Haussmann renovated Paris’ streets and boulevards, forcing vendors to “flee” from their old, dilapidated centuries old storefronts. The subsequent outdoor market became the Flee Market.
In any event the great Fleas of Europe are all vastly different and many have operated for centuries.
My list of the best of the best fleas:
Madrid, El Rastro in La Latina, open every Sunday- London, Portobello Road in Notting Hill, for the past 75 years Friday through Saturday
- Berlin, Mauerpark, known for its Karaoke, open Sundays
- Bangkok Thailand, Chatuchak Market with 8,000 vendors open Friday 6pm till midnight
- NYC, The Brooklyn Flea, a travelling flea: Wednesdays in Chelsea, Saturdays in Williamsburg, Sundays in DUMBO
- The Grand Bazaar Istanbul Türkiye for rugs and tea and more—everyday but Sunday
- Pasadena, the Rose Bowl, for 45 years on the second Sunday every month
- Paris, Saint Ouen Flea, on five city streets, Europe’s largest and oldest flea with a thousand stalls Saturdays through Mondays.
Think of me and email me your wish list!