Leonardo Bazzaro (1853-1937) - Marina

The Balon is the very famous flea market of the city of Turin which since 1856 has been a destination for enthusiasts and collectors in search of the trouvaille or for young students or tourists in search of various curiosities. My history as an antique dealer begins in the 70s in my father's old warehouse which at that time was a simple warehouse for used furniture. It happened one day that my father, not feeling well, asked me to replace him temporarily in the business. It was a fantastic discovery of a world that I would have fallen in love with. At that time the famous film "La Donna della Domenica", based on a novel by Fruttero and Lucentini, mostly shot in the Balon market in Turin, was released in all cinemas. Every day a multitude of people came into our business and I had the need to learn the profession very quickly, even starting from setting the prices of a whole series of old items already stacked in the historic warehouse: this was how it became my passion, my life as an antiquarian. So I decided to dedicate myself, traveling all over Europe, to the purchase of furniture and antiques or simply of original and particular furnishing objects by importing trends and fashions from the most important and fun international markets into my warehouse, thus giving vent to my inspiration following my instinct. To my great satisfaction, over the next few years our exhibition has become a destination for very passionate customers who are looking for something special for the furnishing of their homes: from the old French butcher's board to the Piffettian veneered trumeau. All this has allowed over time the transformation from a simple warehouse of used furniture into what has increasingly become an important exhibition and reference point for collectors, merchants, antique dealers. So today we have become one of the most important stores in Europe with customers and sales worldwide. Today the new world of the web and in particular eBay have given me again that very strong emotion that I felt when I discovered my way. The enthusiasm that trade on the web releases is contagious and every day enriches me with stimuli that guide me in realizing this new challenge more and more.