Metro Station

New Shipment from France Arriving Soon!

Summer Journey to Fall Arrivals

Summer is winding down, and French Metro is gearing up...for our latest arrivals from France.  Harrison and Renee spent three weeks in June in France hunting for treasures to bring back to our shop in Fayetteville.  From the southern regions of Provence and Languedoc to the northern provinces of Normandy and Brittany, we flew, we drove, we walked, and ended our travels with three days in Paris.  Arriving soon are four hundred more antique arrivals so stay tuned!

We are headed back to France...

FOLLOW OUR BLOG - "It's the next best thing to being right there with us"
We are heading back to France on Saturday, January 9th for a three week buying trip that will take us from Paris to the provinces. Be sure to follow our blog as we uncover treasures along the way. You'll get an exclusive sneak peak at the one-of-a-kind pieces we find as well as a glimpse of the French countryside, interiors of French homes, and a behind-the-scenes look at our shopping excursions.

CUSTOM SHOPPING - "It's like having your own personal shopper in France"

French Metro Antiques is pleased to offer a complimentary custom shopping service. Let us find the perfect piece for you, whether it's fine artwork, architectural salvage, or one-of-a-kind furnishings and accessories. We'll take your detailed wish list with us to France and email you photos of pieces that will meet your needs. As professional antique buyers fluent in French, we negotiate the best possible price for you after examining each piece with a discerning eye for quality, beauty, and value. We’ve spent years developing relationships and off-the-beaten-path sources all throughout France, allowing us to consistently uncover the rare and unique. Not only is this service complimentary, but all custom purchases qualify for a 10% discount.


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Our fall arrivals from France. Beauty all around...

For me, it is as simple as surrounding myself with beauty to remind me that there has always been good in the world.  People of the past have answered a deep yearning within to create something beautiful and sometimes it is something that lasts a long time.  At French Metro, it is beauty that calls to us as we do what we do.  The invitation is always open to walk through our door and discover something beautiful.

Shipment from France Arriving This Week!

The Fete de Bayonne

The last Wednesday of every July, the city of Bayonne in the Basque region of France throws a massive city-wide party. Inspired in part by the festivities in Pamplona, Spain, the city of Bayonne has carried out this tradition since the year 1932. Originally sporting the colors of the city, blue and white, the official dress for the event now is to wear all white with red accents; whether a scarf, a hat, or a sash.

This unifying aspect of the community leaves a sense of pride among the citizens and visitors that gather along the Adour and Nive rivers that converge in the city center. A year ago, my family and I had the occasion to go and take part in the festivities. Every year the event begins at the town hall, where a giant puppet named King Leon throws the keys to the city over the balcony and into the crowd.

Based on a comic book character, King Leon is awakened each morning by the children of the city and will roam the streets during the next five days along with his entourage of other giants.

As a sister city of Pamplona, one can find many of the same events. The streets open up to crowds of eager people looking to make merry, and rosé wine is to be found on every street.

A constant thrumming of drums and blowing of horns carries on well into the night, while people flock to the bullring to either watch the fights or to witness other party goers be chased by the bulls. Carnival-like parades with tamborrados (groups of drummers) accompany the crowds as they make their way to the ring. Though the bulls play a major role in the festivities, one can also find traditional Basque songs and music being sung and played throughout the city.

In the parks, Basque sport competitions like Pelota (the forerunner to jai alai) take place. The evenings are crowned by a fireworks display along with concerts in the various squares. I remember best walking the streets and traversing the river multiple times with my family with groups of people eating under covered pavilions on park benches that line the streets. Every table, the group of party goers would have the same uniform. One group even went as far as to look like Waldo (or Charlie as he is called in French).

Of the live music that was playing throughout the city, one group in particular that covered old jazz songs, had me and my brothers wildly dancing with the other revelers one minute and just listening contentedly the next.  Seven Hunt family members and the Fete de Bayonne made for happy memories.  Here’s to making many more!

Time to fly!

It’s June, and June at French Metro means it’s time to go back to France!  Harrison and Renee will be hunting for treasures for the next three weeks, and Terry will be manning the shop in Fayetteville.  So follow us along on Facebook as we post about our journey.  Or stop in to see what Terry’s up to on Dickson Street.

The Chateau and Vineyards of Pitray

Wine tasting is an age-old pastime in France, especially if one lives in a region rich in vineyards like Burgundy or Languedoc. My family and I did just this when we made our way north from the Pays Basque along the Spanish border toward the city of Bordeaux, capital of the region known as Aquitaine. This region is known worldwide for its wines, so along the way my family and I made occasional stops. One stop we absolutely loved was the Château de Pitray about an hour drive east of Bordeaux.  

When we arrived at the Domaine (the territories of the chateau), we drove down a long colonnade of oak trees before pulling into an open courtyard that lay before the château. We were greeted by the owner whose family has been in possession of the Domaine for nearly six hundred years. Originally constructed in the fifteenth century, the current château was renovated in 1868 by General Louis de Simard de Pitray, then count of the Domaine during the Second Empire. Redone in the romantic neo-Renaissance style, the castle stands almost four stories high with a high-pitched roof whose acute angle makes for an impressive edifice. To the left of the main building is a conglomeration of various structures which include stables, a pigeon aviary, two large stone warehouses, and a small chapel on the other corner of the open courtyard.

As we descended from the car into the courtyard, the current Count de Boigne greeted us and ushered us in through the entrance door. He apologized for the clutter; however, the rooms were immaculately decorated with antiques and oil painting portraits documenting the ancestry of the noble family. As a family in the antique business, my family was in awe of the treasures that seemed to be at home in this great house. The countess, a woman in her seventies at least, was on the phone with a relative, so we were given free rein to explore the foyer and grand hall. Upon entering the dining room however, we were all floored by an enormous hand carved ship’s bow that formed a heraldic crest with the cross of Saint Andrew dividing the central emblem into four quadrants with leopard heads in each one. Below was a hand carved banner with the motto “Dieu y Pourvoira” or “God will Provide” on it. The Count noticed our curious look of disbelief and promptly explained that this colossal sculpture had once been affixed to the ship’s bow of one of the twelve ships under the command of the Count d’Estaing, admiral of the French fleet sent to North America to blockade the British during the American War of Independence. A solemn moment overcame us as we all realized how far the relationship of our two great countries has gone back.

After reviving our senses from the shock of history’s weight, we proceeded toward the grand balcony at the back of the château giving view onto a very large field with bales of wheat lying haphazardly about.

The Countess had just finished her phone call and met us with a warm greeting. We all sat for a while and talked for we had many questions for her since the property was rightfully hers.  Pitray impressed us in every way, and we did finally get to the wine tasting! 

The conclusion of our visit was our opportunity to secure a few bottles to put aside for our Christmas dinner this year.  Fine memories to go with fine wine. 

http://www.chateau-pitray.com/en/dive-into-a-unique-terroir/

My Father’s Walking Companion

For years, my father told me a tale about a mysterious walking stick.  He had seen one on one of his travels in France with my mother thirty years ago, but young marrieds as they were, alas there were no funds for him to obtain one.  These are no ordinary walking sticks though.  The Makhila is a special type of walking stick made in the Basque country in southwestern France and northern Spain, and the authentic ones are made in a single workshop in the village of Larressore, France.  Run by the family Bergara who have been making Makhilas since the eighteenth century, these renowned sticks have become the symbol of the honorable Basque man.  Possibly going as far back as the Middle Ages, these sticks were originally used by sheep herders and travelers to provide protection from wolves and highwaymen.  This past summer, my entire family spent a month in the Basque region of France, and there was no conceivable way we would visit this region without getting my father one of the sticks he had talked about for the entirety of my youth.

And so the day came when the seven of us loaded up in the car and drove to Larressore.  It took a moment to find, but finally we pulled into a small pelota court on the side of which was a tiny workshop.  When we walked in, we were greeted by a Bergara family member, Charles, who was to be our guide through the process.  

All around were photos of famous people being presented with one of these Makhilas.  There was Charles de Gaulle, Prince Charles, Winston Churchill, and even actress, Natalie Portman.  Charles began showing us the sticks that were currently in the making. 

He explained to us the long and exact process that must be followed before one can finally receive an authentic stick.  First, they hunt for quality branches on Medlar trees, a type of shrub or small tree to be exact.  Once they are found, they make exact incisions that will later form designs on the stick. Several weeks of waiting go by before they can come back and harvest the stick.  After shaving the bark off, the sticks are then heated in a kiln and straightened out. 

Once this process is complete, the sticks are laid across the rafters of the workshop and allowed to naturally dry and cure.  The curing process takes a total of fifteen years!  After the stick is cured, Charles takes one final look at the stick, and at this point will decide whether to throw it out or not, depending on if the stick cured properly.  If the stick passes the test, then he coats it with a secret family stain, the exact ingredients of which have been kept a mystery for generations to all but the Bergara family.  After the stick has dried again, Charles fits it with silver, brass, or gold fittings, and an iron spike that the pommel screws on top of.  

So, there we were the seven of us, in this tiny shop, and my father lit up like a child.  Many decisions had to be made before we could order his very own stick.  Charles began by asking my father’s height and weight since each stick is made to the specifications of the future owner.  Next, my father wrote down his initials, his artist’s chop, and his motto.  Every Makhila is fitted with these elements:   the initials, name, date, and motto (which are then translated into Basque).  

 My father’s motto, “all through time”, was to be engraved on the stick.  Charles informed us that it would take another four months before the Makhila was ready.  At last, this past November, my father finally received his cherished Makhila, a noble walking companion for a noble man!

Joyeux Anniversaire in the Pays Basque

This past summer my family and I spent a month in the Pays Basque region in the southwestern part of France. It had been my mother’s birthday wish that all seven of us be together in France at least once in her lifetime, so we all worked hard to make sure that her wish would come true. Little did she suspect that we had another surprise in store. Before our departure, my father, siblings, and I had tossed around ideas of a nice dinner, or perhaps a champagne tasting. However, it wasn’t until we’d arrived in France that we hatched a better plan. All was decided. My father, sister, and I were to take my mother on a drive up into the foothills of the Pyrenees.

Meanwhile, my brothers, Elliot and Alexander, were to go to the market and pick out cheeses, meats, champagnes, and other delectables. Alexander had researched and found a boat rental company, and we reserved a sailboat with its own captain in Hendaye, a port town just south of Saint Jean de Luz. That evening we told my mother we had reserved a table at a restaurant in Hendaye.  My father pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, but told her we wanted to take a look at the port before dinner. We made our way around the restaurant, and as we turned the corner, my mother caught sight of my two brothers and my sister-in-law Cynthia aboard a thirty-foot sailboat. Needless to say, my mother was beyond surprised!  

We boarded the vessel where my brothers had beautifully laid out the spread of food on trays. There was charcuterie of all varieties, stuffed peppers, olives, shrimp, various tapenades, shaved truffles, cheeses, and an array of pastries, chocolates, and macaroons.

Sitting alongside was a champagne bucket full of ice and five different bottles of champagne; Perrier-Laurent, Veuve Cliquot, Moët, Roederer, and Taittinger.

The captain of the boat took us out into the bay, and we sailed along the coast and down the shoreline of France and past the border of Spain. Once we were out at sea, we each took turns steering the boat, and it took my father (who had been a sailor in the Navy) little time before he was messing with ropes and knots.

As we cruised along the coastline, a beautiful sunset began to spread out before our eyes.

The experience was breathtaking. It was then that we decided to get scientific about the champagnes in a blind tasting of the five varieties. After having tried them all, our verdict was almost unanimous:  Taittinger was our favorite. Just before dark, we pulled back into the harbor and moored the boat. We thanked the captain and began walking back to the car. However, the night had something else in store for us. We happened to spot a concert playing just beside the water a little further down the quay. We were all in a rather pleasant mood (champagne will do that for you), so we decided to join the festivities and went to see what was going on. As soon as we joined the crowd, we let loose and began to dance.

The evening was cool and the people were radiantly smiling. Rosé was to be found on every table. We made merry and reveled in our good fortune until the small hours of the night when we returned to our rented house in the Pyrenees. The evening was wonderful, one I shall never forget. It was a birthday success one can only dream of.