Sean and Celesta Carter opened the market in 2013 in a building that once housed a piano business.
BY SAMANTHA PUTTERMAN
NNB Student Reporter
ST. PETERSBURG – Clawfoot bathtubs, bamboo vanity sets, hanging baseball bat lanterns and rotary telephones – these items and hundreds more can be found at Brocante Vintage Market at 2200 Second Ave. S.
Brocante (pronounced “broh-cahnt) is the French word for “secondhand market or goods.” Though the difference between flea and vintage markets is arguable, many consider vintage markets to offer higher-quality items.
The 18,000-square-foot building was once home to a piano business. Now the three large connecting rooms draw in thousands of antique-seeking customers for one weekend each month.
Owners Sean and Celesta Carter opened Brocante in August 2013. The couple also run Paper Street Market on 915 Central Ave. and hold full-time jobs. Sean is a pharmaceutical representative and Celesta works at iHeartRadio.
“It’s a little bit of a juggling act,” Celesta, 33, said. “We balance Brocante on nights and weekends.”
The Carters developed the concept over two years. They visited other cities that had flea markets and monthly markets with similar setups and made notes of what they liked and didn’t like.
The market has spaces for 50 vendors.
The couple also tries to incorporate items from different areas to give their collection a broader feel, particularly from the Midwest, where Celesta grew up.
“We fly there and bring back giant trucks,” she said. “Back in the Midwest you find the Industrial Revolution. We regionally extract all those cool things that you can’t find anywhere locally.”
Jennifer and Alec Smith started selling at Brocante in May 2014.
They began buying vintage pieces three years ago after they moved into their 1920s bungalow and quickly found out that modern furniture didn’t fit in the older home.
“When we started shopping for our house, I came across really awesome pieces that we used, but also some cool stuff that didn’t necessarily fit, or wasn’t our style, but things I still loved,” Jennifer, 30, said. “So Brocante gave me a way of owning something that I don’t necessarily need, or want long-term, but can pass on.”
The market has 50 spaces for 50 vendors – called brocanteurs – that are combined to make one cohesive collection.
The mixed styles of the spaces complement each other, so it’s hard to tell which items come from which vendors.
And at Brocante, selling is about as popular as buying.
“There’s a waiting list to sell your stuff at Brocante,” Jennifer said. “Sean and Celesta hand-pick each brocanteur. They look at descriptions and photos of things you would sell.”
“It’s a pretty heavy screening process,” Celesta said. “It’s not only if their merchandise is a fit, but their personality needs to be a fit, too.”
Just because the process is selective doesn’t mean the market isn’t diverse.
“Some people have more of a mid-century style, some are more industrial, some are antique, some are vintage,” said Jennifer. “We try to cover all styles. It’s something for everyone.”
The market is open the first weekend per month, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 9 to 5 on Sunday.
Brocanteurs pay a percentage to the Carters, rent their spaces monthly and have liberty over prices and decorating. Each piece has a tag with a three-letter code that specifies its owner. Part of the commitment of being a brocanteur is working different areas at the market.
For some, Brocante is their sole job. Others balance it with part-time and full-time jobs.
“There are people who have been there from the beginning and some who just started a few months ago, so it varies,” said Jennifer. “But I would say that most people stick around. It’s really fun.”
Brocante is open the first weekend per month, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 9 to 5 on Sunday.
The two-day concept relies on the incentive it gives customers who know they have to come or else wait another month.
On top of that, the second-day’s display differs from the first.
“We restock on Saturday night. So what you see Saturday morning will be completely different from what you see on Sunday,” Jennifer said. “We go through so much stuff that we basically have to, so some of our customers will come back and shop both days. You never know what you’re going to find. And if you see something cool, you should probably snatch it up, because there’s no guarantee that it will be there the next day.”
The lengthy process required to assemble each market is another reason for the short hours. It takes a lot of time to hunt down the right items. Then comes repurposing, painting and cleaning.
The Brocante system revolves around the staff’s relationship with one another. Together they acquire, refurbish, decorate and sell.
“It’s like a big family. We all have a lot of fun together and help each other, not only during prepping for the markets but during the markets as well. We try to make it as seamless as possible,” Jennifer said.
“I love it. I never thought I would ever do anything like this. But I can’t imagine not doing it now.”