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Shopper’s Diary: Timeless Everyday Goods for the Home at Bric-à-Brac in Constanta, Romania

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Shopper’s Diary: Timeless Everyday Goods for the Home at Bric-à-Brac in Constanta, Romania

September 9, 2024

As a child, Alexandra Barba accompanied her father to flea markets where he taught her to zero in on what she describes as “old, genuine, well-crafted everyday objects.” She is now a parent herself, and these made-to-last wares have become her stock in trade: Alexandra is the owner of Bric-à-Brac, the newest entry in our short list of favorite indie housewares stores the world over (scroll to the end for some others).

Bric-à-Brac is located in Alexandra’s home city of Constanta, in southeastern Romania, on the Black Sea. It took her a year to build out the emporium in a primo but long empty ground floor spot across from the old Palace Hotel. “Bric-à-Brac is a place that aims to turn back the clock to a time when everything was simpler,” says Alexandra. “We are proud to offer products from brands that tell the stories of people, identities, and cultures.” Join us for some armchair browsing and stay tuned: Bric-à-Brac’s online store is slated to debut soon.

Photography courtesy of Bric-à-Brac (@bricabracromania).

the shopkeeper at work: alexandra receives a shipment of romanian pottery. she  17
Above: The shopkeeper at work: Alexandra receives a shipment of Romanian pottery. She spent years searching near and afar for hings that fit the bill for Bric-à-Brac: the shop’s motto is “atemporal, autentice si cotidiene” (timeless, authentic, and everyday).
newly built open shelves and tables showcase humble, well made household goods, 18
Above: Newly built open shelves and tables showcase humble, well-made household goods, from milk jugs to breadboards, no plastic in sight.
a hungarian leather apron hangs alongside wood handled squeegees and rattan car 19
Above: A Hungarian leather apron hangs alongside wood-handled squeegees and rattan carpet beaters.
a collection of brushes made by burstenhaus redecker. 20
Above: A collection of brushes made by Burstenhaus Redecker.
bric à brac&#8\2\17;s enamelware comes from a revived old german wor 21
Above: Bric-à-Brac’s enamelware comes from a revived old German workshop. The vases and bottles are made of recycled glass. bric à brac&#8\2\17;s enamelware comes from a revived old german wor 22Above: The shop’s planters come from Remodelista/Gardenista favorite Bergs Potter of Copenhagen: “they have a beautiful story,” says Alexandra (read a bit about it here).  bric à brac&#8\2\17;s enamelware comes from a revived old german wor 23Above:  The toy department includes French games, German metal sand buckets, and pint-size dust pans and brooms.
old fashioned sewing tools from uk brand merchant & mills. 24
Above: Old-fashioned sewing tools from UK brand Merchant & Mills.
a candle sconce and sink behind the counter. above: bric à brac&#8\2\1 25
Above: A candle sconce and sink behind the counter. a candle sconce and sink behind the counter. above: bric à brac&#8\2\1 26Above: Bric-à-Brac’s beeswax tapers are “made by a small atelier in the Netherlands that uses traditional machines and manual techniques.” They’re paired here with French matches and a Hungarian snuffer.
alexandra and her tiny team wear aprons and other vintage clothes from her coll 27
Above: Alexandra and her tiny team wear aprons and other vintage clothes from her collection. She’s shown hanging Romanian baskets alongside Moroccan designs. Follow the shop @bricabracromania.

Here are few other favorite stores specializing in rigorously edited collections of household goods. Find many more in the Resources sections of all our books.

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