by Andre Delanghe

Created on: November 01, 2010   Last Updated: November 02, 2010

Flea markets are traditional events in Brussels, and something between a multiple garage sale and antiques faire. Known in Belgium as “brocantes”, you will find at these community fairs lots of different used and new items ranging from toys to small furniture and books, and the experience is definitively a funny activity. If you’re looking for a special gift at a very low price these are the places to visit. Besides this, a well chosen gift bought at a brocante could show how much you care about the person that will receive it in a special and interesting way no matter what your budget is. Anyway, you need to follow some guidelines in order to get the best experience from a trip to a brocante and to be sure that your gift will receive the appreciation it deserves.

Get the right information in advance. Brocantes are community fairs, and often are organized by institutions or communities of people gathered around common interests.  They are so well planned and organized that you can find on the web ( e.g. http://www.quefaire.be/brocantes/) detailed schedules and descriptions for each brocante you can visit, showing what kind of stuff will be sold, dates and opening hours, addresses, who’s in charge for organization, contact telephones and other useful data.

Remember, early bird catches the worm. Check for information about openings hours and try to be there early in the morning to find the best articles. Brocantes usually starts between 8 and 9 o’clock in the morning, and a couple of hours later all those hidden precious garage treasures are already gone.

Walk through the entire place before buying. This way you will get a clear picture of what is available and where the best options are. You don’t want to buy something to find later that there is a better option in mint condition just a couple of meters away.

Be prepared to wrap your gift by yourself. You won’t get your gifts wrapped at a brocante, although you could be lucky enough to find a nice container among the items offered. Consequently, if wrapping your gift is important to you, think about this issue before it’s too late.

Check what you would like to buy for any defect that bothers you. Although most of the items are in good condition, you should verify yours for any defect that could make it un-useful for you. People that organizes brocantes usually instructs sellers about offering only items in good condition, but this could be overlooked

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