April 19-22: "La Belle Jardinière" !

"Gardening is a folly whose goal is to provide delight."  -- Deborah Needleman.

At long last Spring has finally arrived, and we're actually beginning to believe that the warmer weather is finally on the way.  To celebrate Spring's long-awaited arrival, the theme for our April Market is "La Belle Jardinière" -- the beautiful gardener, which we will feature from April 19-22!

In addition to gardens and gardeners, the coming of Spring evokes all manner of flora, fauna, and the ground and air coming alive again in so many ways.  Our April market theme weaves all of these together into one tapestry of garden decor and Spring delights -- with a French twist, of course!

And remember -- Mother's Day (May 13th) will be just a few weeks away, and we'll have a boutique full of lovely gifts from Paris.  Let us help you fill your basket with vintage, Parisian and handmade treasures!

Join us on Thursday, April 19th from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm as we kick off the "La Belle Jardinière" market with our traditional Nuit Blanche celebration!


Our "La Belle Jardinière" Market Hours April 19-22:  


Thursday, April 19:   5pm-8pm
Friday, April 20:         10am-5pm
Saturday, April 21:   10am-5pm
Sunday, April 22:       Noon-5pm

a bientot,

Anastasia

Mona Lisa Smiles

Bonjour friends, we have a very special announcement, but first, a little background.

While in Paris, Adam and I decided to spend several hours in the Louvre. It had been a many years since we saw some of the greats: Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and of course, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. It was a Wednesday night -- a night the Louvre was open late. We took our time. We wandered past the sculptures, the Egyptian antiquities and along the wall of vast canvases painted by da Vinci, Raphael and Goya.

As we moved into the brightly-lit Salle des États,we found a crew removing the Mona Lisa to be packed away. A docent told us mademoiselle Lisa is going on the road for the first time in decades and would be shipping to the Art Institute in Chicago for a special exhibition "Mysterious Women through the Centuries." I jokingly remarked, "Well, you could have her at our little French market in Wisconsin for a stop over." Adam chimed in, explaining that Confectionique is located inside the Morey Middleton Airport, which would be quite convenient for the crew shipping her to take a rest before traveling on to Chicago. Adam and I looked at each other, laughing at our silly suggestion.

Getting her ready for travel!

As Adam and I continued to amuse ourselves with the thought of the Mona Lisa at Confectionique, the docent had snuck away to fetch President-Director of the Louvre, Jean-Luc Martinez. A few moments later, we were stopped by Jean-Luc, who wanted to know more about our airport location and our brilliant idea.

Coming Soon!

So, we are delighted to inform all of you that the fragile early-16th-century portrait, thought to be of the Florentine beauty Lisa Gherardini, will be making a journey from the Salle des États (under the protective eye of curators and security guards) to Confectionique for only one day (under the protective eye of Anastasia and Adam and the Middleton police department) before heading to it's final destination in Chicago.

Since we are not being given full details as to the arrival of Mona Lisa at the airport, we will not have an

option to set up a special exhibit or sell tickets to fund our next trip to Paris, however, we will make the announcement as soon the museum's jet, Louvre One, lands and is safely on the tarmac in Middleton. If you are in the neighborhood at the time, perhaps you can come to see this masterpiece of da Vinci perfection. Now that certainly makes us smile!

a bientot,

Anastasia

March 15-18: The Lapin Market !

Believe it our not, by the time of our next market Spring will be just around the corner!  The days will be noticeably longer, it will be warmer out, and the sun will feel just a little bit brighter.  To celebrate the coming of Spring, Confectionique's March market theme is "Le Lapin" -- the bunny!





What's more quintessentially Spring than visions of bunnies, chicks, and lambs?

Remember, Easter is Sunday, April 1st this year!  We'll have tons of Paques (Easter) merchandise -- let us help you fill your basket with vintage, Parisian and handmade treasures!

We hope you will join us on on Thursday, March 15th from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm as we kick off the "Le Lapin" market with our monthly Nuit Blanche celebration!

March "Le Lapin" Market Hours:
Thursday, March 15:             5pm-8pm            

Friday, March 16:                   10am-5pm

Saturday, March 17:              10am-5pm

Sunday, March 18:                 Noon-5pm

a bientot!

Anastasia

The Eye of the Beholder

I so enjoy shopping La Motte-Picquet market. It spans the length of the elevated Metro stop and sits comfortably between the 7th and 15th arrondissements.  The aromas of the market range from fresh-baked baguettes to roses, from fresh fish on ice to Italian leather. The stalls are colorful with wares such as shoes and French cheeses.

A man in his 60s -- I will call him Monsieur -- has owned a jewelry stand at the market for as long as I have been visiting. Monsieur likes to sing old American show tunes from Broadway. This was a cold morning and his breath was visible as he sang "Chicago, Chicago....." emphasizing the CHI. I asked him to sing me a French song and he gave me a sour face. "Non," he said, "I love America!" He proceeded to take out his phone to show me his pictures of his visit to New York many years ago. Oh, how he loves New York. Oh, how he loves Manhattan, Broadway, Times Square. I have seen these pictures many times. I roll my eyes and say, "But you are in Paris, the City of Light!" He shakes his head and moves his hand, side to side, as if saying, "Meh."

Then, he makes me wait patiently as he swipes through his phone to show me yet another reason he loves New York City. Oh, yes, he loves the food, the music, the culture, the people -- but he most wanted me to see one thing. He wanted me to experience watching the video of the grandeur, the creme de la creme of New York, the masterpiece of architecture, the amazing feat of man over nature, that beacon of towering creativity. He searched his phone, putting his hand up, urging me to wait.

He smiled as he found it: a video of the Empire State Building. He looked at me and said, "Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?" The video he took starts at the bottom and pans all the way to the top and lingers there for several moments, Monsieur clearly having been stunned by the sight of the imposing edifice. I looked at him, my mouth open in shock. He thought I was shocked by the beauty of the ESB. I said, "But Paris -- the Eiffel Tower!" He shook his head and just waved his hand from side to side as if the say, "Meh."

a bientot,

Anastasia

Extra Merriment Hours Dec. 14!

The secret is  out . . . yes it's true . . . we're re-opening the doors to our biggest holiday market of the year for three additional hours this Thursday Dec. 14th from 5-8pm! As is our custom, we will have a special Nuit Blanche and  Extra Merriment Hours Holiday Sale in case you couldn't visit us in earlier (or just want to come back for more holiday merriment)!  As a special thank you to our customers, you can take 50% off any one item imported from France.  (Offer excludes products containing lavender and all edibles or consumables.)  We need to make room for more French merchandise in the New Year!


We still have lots of holiday stocking stuffers, gifts and handmade crafts for you and your loved ones, plus beautiful vintage treasures from the flea markets of Paris!  And if you haven't yet picked up your 2018 market card with our new schedule, you'll want to do that -- we're shaking things up a bit for the new year!

We hope to see you and share some holiday cheer with you!  If you plan to attend, please RSVP by joining our Facebook event here or emailing us at confectionique@confectionique.com .  Merci!

"Extra Merriment Hours" Holiday Sale:

Thursday Dec. 14:    5:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Joyeux Noel,

Anastasia

Dec. 7-10: "The Giving" Market!

This holiday season, we cannot take you to Paris, but we can bring a little Parisian Christmas to you.  Our "The Giving" market on December 7-10 is the last of our 2017 "Les Trois Fêtes" year-end holiday festivals -- and it's focus will be on bringing holiday joy to those you love!   Our last holiday market of the year will feature all that shimmers this holiday season, including tons of  lovely handmade and vintage holiday gifts and crafts 
and -- as always -- lots of new treasures that we just shipped back from our beloved Paris and our other favorite destinations.  This December, you can shop like a Parisian, and live like the French!

We'll kick off the market on Thursday, December 7th with our seventh annual Fete de Bon Hiver (Good Winter Fest), again featuring the wonderful live holiday jazz piano of Madison's Steve Banik in the lobby, as well as our traditional complimentary refreshments and holiday cheer!

The market continues Friday December 8, Saturday December 9 and Sunday December 10 (see hours below).  

We hope to see you soon -- remember, you can always RSVP here!

Since this is our "Giving" Market, this year we will be donating a percentage of our revenue from this market to Disability Rights Wisconsin, which works to ensure the rights of all citizens with disabilities through individual advocacy and system change.

"The Giving" Market December 7-10:

     
Thursday, December 7:            5pm-8pm 

Friday, December 8:                 10am-5pm

Saturday, December 9:            10am-5pm

Sunday, December 10:              Noon-5pm

A bientot,
Anastasia

Nov. 9-12: Home for the Holidays!

When you pine for the sunshine of a friendly gaze, for the holidays, you can't beat home sweet home! -- "Home for the Holidays"

We love to travel to Paris in September, after the summer heat but before what Ernest Hemingway called the bad weather that "would come in one day when the fall was over."  When we return home from Paris, the change of seasons is usually underway here also.  Autumn is now in full swing in Wisconsin, with orange and yellow leaves and crisp, cool days.  Our hearts and minds turn to the coming holiday season.  Some long for the coziness of a wood burning stove, others for a snowshoe hike after fresh snowfall, or reading a good book next to a roaring fireplace, baking your grandmother's banana nut bread, the coming of Thanksgiving and -- not long after that -- Old Man Winter. It is especially this time of year that we may long for comfort and coziness the most!

We hope to create a sense of warmth and bundle you up in joy at our next market Nov. 9th-12th, "Home for the Holidays," the second of our 2017 "Les Trois Fêtes" year-end holiday festivals -- The Feasting!  We'll have tons of home decorations for the holiday season, including Christmas, as well as treasures and gift ideas from our most recent buying trip to Paris.  We want you to feel as though you can come and stay as long as you please, as if  you are being hugged by beauty and find happiness around every corner.  And maybe you will find a little something for your precious, cozy home.

No matter how far away you roam . . . there's no place like home for the holidays!


"Home for the Holidays" Market Hours:

Thursday, Nov. 9:          5pm-8pm (Nuit Blanche!)

Friday, Nov. 10:             10am-5pm

Saturday, Nov. 11:          10am-5pm

Sunday, Nov. 12:             Noon-5pm

Au revoir,

Anastasia