It feels so good to walk through the aisles of the market, to smell the scents that surround us, to feel the dynamism of the regulars who do everything they can to lure us to their stand –the practice has been carrying on for centuries and centuries, and it is not going to stop now…
A meeting place
This is a place for all kinds of exchanges. People feel close to the fishmonger who sells them their best products. Just like everyone likes to hear the grocer sharing her latest recipe based on good food.
It is also a meeting place where you can bump into an old friend. And it is often here that you can inquire about the important local activities and events.
Anyway, this is one of the last places in the 21st century where you can be connected, without technology!
The heart of the city
The market has a special place in the life of a city. It allows people to gauge its pulse. Often enough, the soul of the market reveals the atmosphere and the dynamic that rule the inhabitants of the city. You can be soaked in the atmosphere right away.
In the Vosges, the market of Épinal quickly stood out by its ambition and enthusiasm: the capital of the Vosges hosted the 2nd Congress in the History of the Federation of the Markets of France in 1922, the first to take place outside Paris. The markets of the other cities and towns in the Vosges took this opportunity to develop and grow with the same passion and inspiration.
A place of heritage
In the heart of the Vosges, you can find any type of market… Whether they are new or old, outdoors or indoors, they all have something in common: history. The market gives prominence to a grandiloquent or atypical architecture, heritage of past practices.
Be careful then, not to only look at the beautiful products that are on display; remember to take the time to look up and realise the beauty of the place you are in. It is the case for every small market that you can find in villages, on the main square; the traces of past passages on the stones or walls let us think that it has been here for centuries.
A changing place
With time, the market as we know it evolved, changed, and it does changes every day. It takes place in various places and now links all the squares and all the main streets in the city. It evolved in order to offer any kind of service, product and thus attracts many types of clients. Between activities or one-time events outside, there are many occasions to meet other people at the Market. It is for example how the Marchés du Terroir (Local Markets) or the so-called "producers' markets" were born, responding to the new need of "eating locally" and short-distance consumption.
