On Sundays, Vernissage is the place to be in Yerevan. This open-air flea market offers anything and everything you might be looking for - from unrecognizable pieces of machinery to touristy Armenia T-shirts – there is really something for everyone!
In this bazaar, negotiating becomes a sport. A vendor will never reveal the actual price he or she hopes to receive for an item, because the negotiation is an integral part of the sale process. Armenians certainly do have some business savvy running in their veins!
The treasures found at Vernissage very much remind me of my childhood: my grandpa used to restore anything he could find. On Sundays, we would go to the flea market in Marseille to sell the items he had just brought to life again. This weekend ritual was less about making money and more about my grandfather’s feeling of satisfaction. However as I child, I was happy because the money earned always ended up in my savings.
- Cline