The Hour Glass: Junkers Heaven

The outdoor area

I wouldn't call myself a junker in the slightest but I do have a very keen interest in vintage and the eclectic feel you get when a mish mash of items come together in your living space. I wasn't always so easy going with my decor choices and probably when it comes to the major things I still am quite traditional but since living in London I have acquired a new fascination with old things. Recently some friends told me about Emmaus, a French organisation that operates like the Salvation Army I believe. The websites are quite confusing and my french is limited to sign language so I can't really say what they do exactly but they do have shops. Not your normal high street store like the Red Cross or British Heart Foundation though, these are more like warehouses or large buildings crammed with second hand goods and are scattered throughout towns all across France.

Since I was in Dijon when one was opened I popped by and was enthralled! For starters the shops are only open for a few hours a week and the one in Dijon was about 10 kms out of the city so you definitely need a car to get there but by the time I left an hour after opening there were hundreds of people there. It was quite difficult to take photos because the spaces were quite crammed but the prices speak for themselves. I bought 3 vintage vanity cases and a beautiful single stem vase for 7 Euros. Yes, you read right... 7 Euros!! They have just about everything you could imagine, kids toys, bikes, wood, furniture, bric a brac, clothing, books, old records. Everything!