Bab EL Khemis, the thrift shop of Marrakesh
Bab el Khemis is the thrift shop “Joutia” of Marrakesh. It is a place where different salesmen gather to put in display their products. You can find brand-new items, recycled ones, and antiques. Some have their own shops, while most of them showcase their goods on the street. From furniture, woodwork, clothes to forged steel.
Thrift shop Bab el Khamis which translates to “the door of Thursday”; has gotten its name from the fact that years ago it was only open on Thursdays. Long since it has become the source of income for a lot of craftsmen, and the flea market is now open all week round.
As you enter the market you will find yourself welcomed by the loud noises; the strong miscellaneous smell and how busy the narrow streets are. Each person is gravitated towards what they need, a place filled with locals, and rarely visited by foreigners.
It is full from the way in, to the way out, where you can find customers bargaining for old phones while others negotiate to get an antique decor.
One of the 10 doors in Marrakesh. Bab EL Khamis is a blend of treasures and scraps. Sellers who offer what seems to be attractive prices in which you can still bargain for. Bab El Khamis's sellers practice a slogan which takes years and years to develop “the buyer is blind”, meaning that no matter how silly the item is, the seller needs to know how to market it.
Article: Stéphanie Jacob
Picture: Xanthe Pat / Derek Workman