Every year, while visiting family in France, we dedicate days to visiting these shops as well as brocantes (antique/vintage markets). I used to do the same in the US, starting as a child when I hopped around Salvation Army shops and garage sales with my mother. They are an incredibly important part of who I am and they have deeply shaped how I view things like commerce and consumption — and given my tech doings, they’ve tended to make me deeply cynical about modern e-commerce. But before I digress, I’ll agree that it seems gems are getting harder to come by. This is especially true in fashion where we’re starting to see the longer impact of fast fashion (see recent NY Times article entitled ~The end of the golden age in thrifting). I hope the world moves back in a direction where things we make will eventually hold real value past their first, second or even third owners.
