Les Puces

OK, so I can't really take credit for finding Les Puces on my own. I guess I should admit that the only reason I was walking around the centuries-old antique market was because my dad and his business partner were on the hunt for some authentic yet modern pieces to style their new restaurant. As their new venture will be a Lyonnais bouchon specializing in pork dishes, my dad had his sights set on finding sweet little piggy knickknacks--ceramic pigs, straw pigs, standing pigs--as well as furniture, of course. People have to eat on something, you know?

Twenty-one chairs, one street sign, and countless other trinkets later, my father had bargained the vendors at Les Puces down to their last nerve. The chairs were a particular feat. "He's squeezing me!" was the last thing I heard after poor Ludovic finally settled on throwing in one more chair for the price of twenty.

Les Puces is an experience worth pursuing if you're ever in Paris. The outdoor market attracts not only locals and tourists alike, but Ludovic slyly slipped in how John Varvatos and the buyers for Ralph Lauren and Anthropologie had been in earlier that week. Not to name drop or anything. All the same, Les Puces is the heart of the throbbing antique market today. And if you're not interested in buying decaying outdoor furniture (like my dad), you can always check out the vintage Chanel suits and fur jackets right next door. At least that's what I did.

My dad, François Latapie, looking like an overgrown fifth grader with his backpack. 

Although it did come in handy...

Penny and François packing up the backpack with some of the knickknacks they found...