There’s been an annual fair at Foire Saint-Germain in Paris since 1176, and with fairs come trade and produce.
In 1482, Louis XI established the fairground for the benefit of the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Pres, located nearby. It was destroyed by fire in March 1762, but rose again from the ashes.
The fair traditionally lasted from three to five weeks and was staged around Easter. During the 1700s it opened on February 3rd and closed on Palm Sunday. All kinds of exotic acts performed: tightrope walkers, animal trainers, marionette manipulators and more. It was also a great place for trading, bartering and ‘raffling’ of retail merchandise to the highest bidder, as recorded by Philip Skippon, a visitor to the Foire in the 1660s: “the place the fair is kept in, is a large square house with six or seven rows of shops, where customers play at dice when they come to buy things; the commodity is first bought, and then they play who shall pay for it. After candle-lighting is the greatest gaming, sometimes the king comes and dices…”
This account of raffling as a social pastime (although we would recognize it today more as a form of auctioning) is corroborated by another Englishman abroad, Martin Lister, who wrote in 1697:
“The great rendezvous is at night, after the play and opera are done; and raffling for all things vendible is the great diversion; no shop wanting two or three raffling boards. Monsieur, the Dauphin, and other princes of the blood come, at least once in the fair-time…”
Today the Saint-Germain market is covered and is still on part of the old fairground site, hosting antique fairs, pottery days, and festivals.
Contribution to Retail History
As the Foire Saint-Germain evolved from its original entertainment and trading format, it became a mecca for high fashion in the mid-1660s reflecting the affluent society of Paris and the reign of Louis the XIV. It also was the precursor for antiques, raffling, and night time shopping, all of which became prevalent aspects of modern retailing.