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Nathalie Montandreau
Out and about
A day with
A day with a stallholder at the flea market Les Puces du Canal
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Susie Waroude
The stall that was up for lease at Les Puces du Canal was not just a fortunate chance. Three years ago now, Marion Taton, the second-hand addict in charge of Trente Mai, made it her sanctuary.
From her family, Marion Taton inherited a taste for old objects that travel through time while losing none of their splendour. Her eyes sparkle as she talks about the three-metre-tall solid oak wardrobe passed down by her grandparents. As a teenager, she dreamed of being an interior decorator and then studied business before becoming a shop manager. While she was playing with the idea of opening her own shop, she stumbled on a lease for sale at the flea market Les Puces du Canal via an Instagram post. In 2020, following six months of intensive preparation, Marion moved into the stall ‘Naples’, in the building ‘L’École’. She infused it with her rustic chic style, displaying furniture and decorative objects filled with quaint, poetic charm. She is an absolute master of the art of repurposing and many customers spot her shop thanks to the ladder covered in plants and decorative objects hanging from the ceiling.
“The thing that makes the second-hand scene so special is that you meet like-minded people; a natural connection forms and I’m lucky enough now to have lots of regular customers,” she tells us.
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Susie Waroude
Antique filing cabinets, shop counters, workbenches… “I never get bored”, smiles Marion, who hunts for second-hand gems as she tours trade fairs and flea markets in her lorry. She also unearths them directly at Les Puces du Canal, where dealers come at the crack of dawn to offer the fruits of their latest car-boot sales. “This is followed by two to three hours of busy rummaging.” In the half-light of the early hours, armed with a torch, the stallholders all try to discover the best finds before the others. Marion then busies herself with restoration to breathe life back into these old objects before displaying them in the shop. She reorganises the space each week, looking for the perfect harmony between styles and periods. At 1 pm, on Thursday and Saturday, and 3 pm on Sunday, the day’s work is done! “We often end with a drink and cheese tasting,” Marion confides with a laugh.
To discover Marion’s bucolic world, check out her Instagram account @trentemai and visit her stall at Les Puces du Canal.
By Vanina Denizot
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