ragpicking

i love flea markets. egad, so does my capt kirk. we've scored some lovely finds at the various local flea markets. my sister and i have been scouring flea markets with my dad since school age. i don't think my mom liked to rummage through all that junk much. my dad loved good finds, antiques, tools, and just seeing the crazy shit folks are selling. after immigrating to houston, most of our pet pigeons came from the downtown flea market. therein lies my predilection for bric-a-bracs and old things. conveniently, my apartment is a 5-minutes drive to the alemany flea market (SF's best!). this sunday we bought an awesome accordion of italian origin. from the inscription by a previous owner, we know it is at least 37 years old. i also finally got my first couch ever, since moving out in 1993. it's a cute little old thing. even if i do find bedbugs, as a paranoid friend suggested, the $15 loss won't hurt my wallet much.

the lovely borshelli accordion of castelfidardo, italy


while researching the origins of flea markets, i encountered some citing no know origin. other sources indicate that secondhand sellers started to flourish in the large markets of fledging cities from the middle ages thru the 18th century. they were sometimes called as "ragpickers." one of the world's first and largest flea markets is the Saint-Quen in paris. the term "flea" may have come from the flea-infested sofas and other used furniture sold at these secondhand markets. well, if my cat (who seems to like the new sofa a lot) starts scratching madly, i shouldn't be surprised!