Literary-minded folks from around the globe will invade Guadalajara for the International Book Fair over the next nine days and that’s good news for traders at the city’s laid-back Trocadero antiques bazaar.
“We always seem to get more visitors when there’s a big event at the Expo,” says Antola Ronowicz, a longtime Polish resident of Guadalajara and one of a determined triumvirate of women who were instrumental in getting the market off the ground 18 years ago.
An eclectic mix of around 130-150 sellers of antiques and collectibles begin setting up their stalls from around 8 a.m. each Sunday on the wide median strip of Avenida Mexico at Chapultepec, under the watchful eye of an imposing statue of the Madre Patria. Two hours later the bazaar is in full swing, with many early arrivals heading straight to their preferred vendors to see what new gems, if any, they may have brought in.
The pace is unhurried, the stalls neatly set out and regular buskers – an accomplished classical trio plays most Sundays – enhance the easygoing ambience. Browsers aren’t harassed and vendors are more than happy to haggle with smiles on their faces. Many traders are well educated – you’ll come across lawyers, engineers, teachers, doctors, artists, says Ronowicz – and some speak English, and a few even French, German and Italian.
The merchandize is what you might expect from an antiques/flea hybrid market: you’ll find a decent collection – although not an abundance – of quality silver, copper, jewelry, pewter, cut glass, pottery, paintings, plus a smattering of furniture, wooden crafts, rugs, mirrors, clocks, lamps, jewelry boxes, and other genuine antiques.
The bazaar, however, is chockablock with collectibles of all kinds and ages: coins, bank notes, books, maps, photographs, sewing machines, knives, farm tools, horse spurs, fishing tackle, swords, cigarette lighters, ashtrays, 1950s gramophone players and records, 8-track recorders, Super 8 projectors, board games, early mobile phones, pins, wooden tennis rackets, 1940s baseball face masks, air rifles, Disney memorabilia, toy cars, vintage movie posters, advertising signs, soda bottles – and not just from Coca Cola but also lesser-known Mexican brands such as Sidral, Crush, Lift, Premio, Mirinda.
“It’s a mish-mash, but a very satisfying mish-mash,” says Lori Green, a visitor from Minnesota who was especially taken by a vintage juice presser in good condition going for a few hundred pesos. “A bit heavy to take home though.”
Only about one-quarter of the vendors are serious or semi-serious antique dealers, Ronowicz acknowledges.
“We started with 25 stalls and the bazaar has changed as it has grown over the years but the vast majority of the objects you will find here are genuinely old.” (As with markets everywhere, buyers should be careful to identify objects that have been “antiqued,” or made to appear antique through applying antique-looking paint applications. Fortunately, few of these seem to be on sale at the Trocadero.)
One of the bazaar’s more serious anticuarios is Carlos Fernandez Suarez, who works out of a stall jam-packed with European porcelain, cut glass, plates, silver crosses, table lamps, as well as some “trendy” collectibles, including vintage miniature perfume bottles – “very popular with Guadalajara women who like to put them on their dressers,” he notes.
Some Sundays can be washouts, Fernandez admits, but in the long run selling at the market has been profitable. His best-ever sale? A 17th-century Italian silver cross that went for 100,000 pesos.
Vendors are quick to boast of their competitive prices. Luz Violeta, a lapsed sculptress who now dedicates most of her time to her small antiques business, offers a pair of 1830 handcrafted alpaca silver English candlesticks that she says are valued at 800 dollars in a 30-year-old pricing guide she has at home. “You can have them for 3,500 pesos ($US210),” she urges.
“You can trust the vendors here,” Ronowicz says. “We need to maintain a relationship with our clients so we are not going to trick people and rip them off.”
Before buyers make a purchase, Ronowicz suggests they check out prices of similar items at other stalls. “Just like you would at a regular tianguis, as if you were buying tomatoes,” she advises, while quickly emphasizing that at the Trocadero, “it’s always the buyer who sets the price.”
For Alma Arias, another of the market’s founders, working at the Sunday bazaar is an enriching experience and about a lot more than making money. “It’s great place to start conversations and make friends. You talk to people and they start telling you anecdotes from the past. It can be a history lesson.”
Arias relates the story of a local man who heard from a friend that an old photograph of his grandparents was on sale in the market. When he went to look, not only did he find the photo of his abuelos but a whole stack of images of other close relatives. “It’s uncanny, everyone will find at least one thing to surprise them,” Arias says.
Jose Luis Montiel, another longtime antiques dealer, suggests the Trocadero is modest in size and quality compared to its counterparts in Mexico City or Puebla because of Guadalajara’s historic lack of a bountiful antiques inventory. Ronowicz diverges somewhat, saying there are still plenty of treasures hidden away in city residences that dealers can hunt down.
“A lot of rich American, French, English and German families came here at the turn of 20th century and built stunning homes. Most brought their belongings and heirlooms with them. But with the trend to minimalist property design later in the century, a lot of these objects were discarded or stored away by their offspring. There are plenty of antiques to be found.”
Whether you are a seasoned or casual collector, film set designer, restaurant decorator, or simply someone happy to while away a few nostalgic hours perusing old things, El Trocadero should go to the top of your list of places to visit.
The bazaar is easy to find, parking is available in adjacent streets and there’s always lots going on Avenida Chapultepec on a Sunday. The car-free Via RecreActiva activity takes place between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. and a post-market meal or drink can be taken in one of many restaurants in the zone. And there are plenty of banks with ATMs if you need some extra cash for that incredible bargain, or just-can’t-resist item!