How to recognize the brocante bug:
The person infected with the brocante bug usually is not in bed sleeping on a Saturday or Sunday morning.
Their homes have a certain look about them.
A person who has the brocante bug usually stops the car if they see --
An old table leg, a patch of fabric, or worse, a peeling-paint-ruin-of-a-thing sticking out of a dumpster.
Usually, someone suffering from the brocante bug knows the only cure is to keep on antiquing, as there isn't a cure.
A person with the brocante bug prefers something old to something new. Unless it is food.
The brocante person often forgets how they look as they only have eyes for that old stuff.
The brocante bug is said not to be contagious... but a person who has the brocante bug badly knows that is not a fact to count on. For example, when you have the brocante bug badly, you know that if you take a friend to the brocante, they most likely will develop symptoms instantly, grabbing germs (pieces) that you would have gladly suffered with had they not been around.
A person with the brocante bug carries a big tattered-looking purse, if you dare call it that.
Instead of lipstick or perfume in their purse, they have loose change, a tape measure, and a flashlight.
Do you have symptoms of the brocante bug, or know of symptoms to be aware of?
I have the brocante bug - but sadly mine is in remission. I think I need another trip to France - it has been 10 long years!!
Posted by: Debbie | 06 January 2023 at 10:54 PM
Same but different: Carrying fabric snippets in hopes of finding items that match what one already owns (applies to clothing as well).
Posted by: Kathie B | 06 January 2023 at 11:28 PM
I MOST ASSUREDLY HAVE THE BUG-AND JUST THE THOUGHT OF A GOOD SALE GETS ME GIDDY WITH JOY!
Posted by: g | 07 January 2023 at 02:21 AM
DIAGNOSIS HAPPILY ACCEPTED! I AM TERMINAL!
Posted by: Deb Hillman | 07 January 2023 at 03:02 AM
If I was fortunate enough to live in France I believe I would see you across a crowded table and be looking for the same things....I have a home full of treasures, there are many that are old, probably not as old as the pieces you have to admire, but I do love a good rummage! I came home home from France with fabric remnants, a lovely coat from a second hand shop in the Marais and but for the problem with having a small suitcase could have happily found more to bring with me....I love the image above and the old and well used horses all waiting for someone to ride them again! Cheers Jennie, NZ
Posted by: Jennifer Phillipps | 07 January 2023 at 09:36 AM
I've been known to climb in into a dumpster behind an upholstry shop which was closing down,fill the boot(trunk) with fabric samples,and wait until dark before taking the treasures in to the house and shoving them discretly under a bed lest I be reprimanded for bringing 'one more piece of junk'home.Brocante bug variation,I am sure.
Posted by: franki | 07 January 2023 at 12:40 PM
Flea markets, Antique shows and shops, "welcome to my world" (grin)
Posted by: Bonnie Schulte | 07 January 2023 at 04:49 PM
And a bumper sticker on the back of my car which reads: I brake for junk!
Posted by: chardonnaylynn | 07 January 2023 at 05:20 PM
Oh yes, had the bug for years. Includes dumpster diving and raiding the neighbors trash when on the street.
Posted by: Judy @aportmanteau | 07 January 2023 at 05:26 PM
Yes indeed I have the bug. I tell my husband "I'm going for my walk" which includes yard sales, thrift stores, estate sales, flea markets, and antique stores. My husband sees junk; I see creativity, possibilities, beauty in real wood furniture, and vintage glassware is like a diamond to me. Old textiles make me smile, so beautiful! Art, I could open up a gallery! Yep, I'm one of those with a measuring tape, water bottle, comfortable walking shoes, hair in ponytail, no makeup. My car trunk is always full of found treasures. I don't believe there is a cure.
Posted by: Ann of Avondale | 07 January 2023 at 06:21 PM
I have tried to buy "decor" out of stores where it was just a prop or in the windows. Tried to negotiate a price. One time, a 19th century French chandelier that was hanging in a dry cleaner store. Why it was there, I'll never know.
Posted by: Diogenes | 07 January 2023 at 07:06 PM
I keep telling myself I need to downsize and not add more, but then I say I need a little more. Look at all those beautiful pictures in magazines, they have more and I need it too. I passed my favorite antique shop yesterday and didn't stop, I am still feeling bad about not stopping.
Posted by: marilyn | 09 January 2023 at 11:38 PM