Bargain hunting at a Swiss antiques fair
There is probably something special for everyone at Swiss brocante (secondhand) events.
Automatic watches. Cuckoo clocks. Swiss knives. Wooden coin boxes. German and French books. Old postcards. Vintage billboards. Toy trains. Motorbikes. Cowbells. Antique keys. China sets. Silver spoons. Intricate jewelry. Toys and dolls. You name it, the dealers in the secondhand trade probably have it.
All it takes is time, patience, and yes, disposable cash to spot and take home that valuable treasure displayed either on a seller’s table or glass shelf. Haggling skills may come in handy, too, in such occasions — that is, if you have the guts to negotiate for a good price. One can get a functional Omega automatic watch for only CHF150 (USD129), for instance.
Beginning today, over 40 exhibitors will display their precious brocante merchandise in this year’s Bieler Brocante, an annual antiques fair held at the Kongresshaus in the bilingual Swiss town of Biel-Bienne. The exhibition will be held until Sunday, Feb. 15.
Bieler Brocante is touted as one of the major indoor antiques events in Switzerland that antiques aficionados always mark in their calendars. Around 5,000 visitors are expected to troop to the town’s Kongresshaus to examine up close a wide range of curios and collectibles and shop for their favorite items.
“I come here often to buy some old clocks that my brother can repair,” shares an avid Swiss clock collector.
One Filipino tourist, who came to the event two years ago for a brief look-see, throughly enjoyed the brocante experience. “I really had fun there. It’s something that we don’t have in Manila, these brocante affairs,” she says, adding that she was quite contented with her purchases, which included toys and crystal decors.
For some guests, a day is not enough to scour for treasures from one table to another. So the ideal setup is to come early in the morning, embark on your indoor treasure hunt, have lunch at the designated restaurant, and resume your search for hard-to-find antiques.
It is indeed fun to visit Switzerland’s various brocante fairs. For old-timers, the whole experience is simply addictive. And for newbies, all that rummaging is “very exciting” (most of them will eventually become what we may call “brocki converts”).
Bieler Brocante is open to the public on Feb. 13-15 (Feb. 13-14, from 19 a.m. to 7 p.m./Feb. 15, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.). Entrance for kids and teenagers (until 15 years old) is free.
The hunt begins now.
TIDBITS: You can view the Bieler Brocante slideshow (circa 2007) on Flickr here. X-Press Files also has a “sister site” called Brocki Blog, a theme-based blog about the secondhand trade in Switzerland and beyond.
Tags: antiques aficionados, antiques fair, antiques lovers, Bieler Brocante, collecting antiques, collecting antiques can be addictive, indoor brocante market, photos of Bieler Brocante, shopping in antiques fairs, Swiss antiques fair, the secondhand trade
Business & Finance, How To's, Lifestyle, Special Events, Technology & The Net | JRM | 
February 13, 2009 12:37
Hopefully I can come next year because I priotized going to the MUBA instead for the Philippine Expo this weekend. It was a great experience though…the food, shopping and the Bayanihan Dance show were great.:)
wow, that’s an amazing fair. I love to check them out. We also have them at flea markets here but the quality isn’t that great. I think I would get addicted to it too, esp if the pieces are of quality make
Now that’s a great Omega watch at that prize, it would be such a bargain even in the Philippines. This event is like the Ukay-Ukay here, second hand items of imported products.
Major Tom, just a clarification: the antiques fair I wrote about in this blog post is nothing like the “ukay ukay” stores we have there in the Philippines. The products being sold in such events are real gems that come with a special price. You don’t see used clothing or shoes worth five francs or something like that.
But we do have secondhand shops here (thrift shops and charity shops like the Salvation Army) that may be similar to RP’s “ukay ukay,” though.
I have become very aware of the death of many antiques shows as well as the closing of many antiques malls. The economy has eliminated the periferal “dealers” who joined the ranks during the boom days. Many called themselves dealers when they actually had a booth in a co-op. Now the time has come for the real antiquers to rise. I forsee dealers will be less in numbers but more in knowledge and integrity than previous years. The shows that survive will be the two extremes. The high end, high quality shows and the giant “anything goes” wholesale shows.
Also The European markets are experiencing a resurgence of American buyers due to the crash of the UK pound and the Euro against the dollar. We traveled to Europe in December and February with the group EuropeAntiqueTrip com and found the dollar to be strong and also the European sellers were still desperatly discounting the old prices. I can see more American antiques shoppers taking advantage of the European fairs.
I am amazed at the USA show promotors and charity show organizers who think that increasing the booth rents will cure thier cash flow problems. The success of the Usa shows will be thier ability to get the retail shoppers in the door. If your show is not Brimfield, Ma. or DMG Newark, UK, both of which are “wholesale” then advertising to the PUBLIC rather than only to the trade will be important. I hope you enjoyed my thoughts. Felicia