The Vernissage

The Vernissage

A perfect Sunday afternoon meander, the "Vernissage" is what Americans might call a flea market. At least it looks like a flea market. Almost any non-food item you can imagine is for sale, some new, some old, some handmade, some not.

Running several city blocks in a stretch extending from close to Republic Square to within about three long blocks from our apartment, the Vernissage is a great place to scope out what's on offer in Armenia. Probably for the best, we did not take a lot of cash and this is definitely a cash-only enterprise. That meant we could listen patiently to the linen embroiderers extol the value of their works without feeling the least bit pressured to buy. 

Same with the carpet sellers who seem to have an awful lot of rugs from Karabagh--which is part of the territory now in serious dispute with Azerbaijan. Many were definitely what Stro would call "village  rugs," with an inch or more of plain cream colored weaving at the edge of the color and before the fringe starts. Whether the ones claimed to be antiques are really antiques is another question.

As newbies in Yerevan we are trying to learn reasonable prices for a variety of items. The going price for a half-liter bottle of water, for example, seems to be 200 AMD. That doesn't stop people from charging 300 at the Vernissage, especially if they can see you are a foreigner and looking warm. At 400:1 the difference is quite small--50 cents vs. 75 cents, roughly. It's still a bargain and I was thirsty.

Want a puppy (they are very cute!)? A new dog collar or anything else pet-related? Matching shoes and bags? They have it here. Swords and scabbards that are very impressive sit beside elaborate carved wooden boxes and wood inlays. There are many beautiful folding backgammon boards with Mount Ararat on the outside in inlaid wood. Lots of really horrid art work but no Elvis on velvet. I felt drawn to nice looking (meaning, of course, tasteful in my book) backpacks made from old rugs and to the linens that showed a combination of extraordinary skill in both embroidery and cutwork. There is some Fun with Fabrics potential in the fine embroidery.

We enjoyed talking at length with a woman named Anna who was peddling her own Armenian needlework. God forbid anyone should describe this as crochet--no! Armenian needlework. It looks a little like tatting. Anna spoke extraordinarily good English. When she took a breath from telling us how marvelous her work was I asked her where she learned English. She said she learned it there at the Vernissage and she prefers British English. 

We told her, perhaps to her disappointment, that she actually sounded quite American. Her vowels were broader than those of the Brits but not so broader as those of Australians. We tried to assure her she spoke beautifully but I think she was taken aback. She takes custom orders and we will see her again, no doubt. She seemed so at ease, comfortable in her own skin, proud of what she could do. It was a joy to speak with her.

All along one side of this huge marketplace is an active exchange of what looks like used clothing in reasonably good condition. There are also a lot of true flea market sellers with old glassware, china, kitchen items, you name it. One guy was even selling old machine parts. Another stall had several creative applications of peach pits made into objects like bowls. 

So those of you who have been pitching those peach pits onto the compost pile may want to think twice. There appears to be income-generating potential in that garbage.