I was asked by a constant reader (ahem) about the various ways we snuffers out of the second-hand bargain get out kicks in France.
The following I wrote in August 2008 just as we were starting to put the place together, it gives a brief rundown of the various categories of second hand shops here.

The French are great fans of old stuff. An antique fair will be treated as a family outing and will get the kind of houses reserved in Ireland for ploughing championships.
There are various catagories of antiques.
Poshest, and usually in smart shops in towns are Antiquities these, while interesting to visit, are usually too dear for my budget.
Next down in the pecking order are the Brocantes usually good for a bargain, loads of tat but the odd “find” and can vary enormously depending on the “eye”and taste of the Brocanteur.
Still cheaper and tattier are the Vide Greniers-literally empty attics, which are much as our car boot sales. (But because of of France’s more historic wealth ususally with better stuff )Puces, short for Marches des Puces or Flea Markets which are usually no better than that sounds.
This I thought was it until I came to the Languedoc.
Here I have discovered yet another category; Les Trocantes.
As Troc is the French word for Swap, what we have here is a depot where house holders can flog their surplus furniture.
The system is that one arrives in the Trocante with ones Armoire, they put a price on it (including their commission) and then display it.
If it doesn’t sell after a couple of weeks they drop the price until either it sells or you are asked to take it away.
Therefore one is well advised to visit these on a frequent and regular basis.
(The vendor only gets paid when the object sells)
We have already bought a rather nice marble topped dressing table in a Troc and a few days ago we went browsing with friend Clive in one in Beziers.
True to form Clive spotted a set of beautiful elegant chairs which had come down €100 to €120 since they were initially put for sale.

Ten minutes later we were the proud possessors six of these beauties, all in perfect nick bar a little (treatable) woodworm and all perfect in appearance and age and style to grace the bedrooms of the Presbytere.
I think the acquiring of furniture is going to be the most fun part of this process.
(It was )