Artisans in the Forcalquier Market of Provence!

At the Monday morning market in Forcalquier, the vendors wind through the narrow streets and fill the plazas. It feels like a small, intimate market, but in truth it is one of the larger markets in the region. What makes it a bit different?

It is a mosaic of markets: fresh vegetables and fruits on the lower levels, clothing on the side streets, fabrics, pottery, leathers, soaps fill the main plaza, sausage and olive vendors line the main road.
You will find a special treat of this market in an enclosed plaza, a bit hidden on the lower level. This is where the local artisans show their creations of leather, woven wool, silver, brass and the like. Pottery, jewelry, rugs, scarves, handbags, tabletop sculptures, watercolor on canvas. One woman shows her macrame against the ages old wall of the village church! This spot has the feel of a special ‘market within a market’ and I love to wander there.

Along one of the side street between the main plaza and the lower level is where I find one of my favorite vendors. This seller has several tables heaped high with piles of luxurious French organza! Filmy and gauzy, these fabrics come not on a bolt but in large odd-shaped pieces—1 meter here, 3 meters there. Normally, when I shop there, I find at least a few pieces that I cannot resist. Then the dreaming begins….What can I do with this lovely fabric? Will it drape over the French doors to the terrace? Maybe it will be a throw over the guest bed or a curtain in the back bathroom?
Many fabrics used for OliveBranchTraders Table Linens are found in this market.