prices of linens in Provence

Hi Elaine, In 2009 I bought a beautiful red and ecru jacquard cotton tablecloth in a nice linen shop in St. Remy for 45 euros. I think it was a 108" rectangle, but I'm not sure. I use is all the time. It washes beautifully. It was not the usual Provence pattern that you think of, but it caught my eye and I fell in love with it. I buy a tablecloth every time I'm in Europe.

I can't tell you about recent prices; I bought 2 placemats 5 years ago. They are Les Olivades brand, and I do remember them being pricey. There is one other (name escapes me - - maybe something with Soleil in it) brand which is also pricey, but those two offer superb quality. The fabric has the right amount of body for the purpose, and they don't fade and don't wrinkle much. Both are sold in the U.S., so you can get a sense of prices by googling "provencal linens". Most likely there are vendors in Europe, too; so you can see prices in euros. There are cheaper items sold in the markets and shops in many towns.
Sur Le Table, a US kitchenware chain, sells somewhat lower quality, but still nice, provencal style linens (made in India, I think). If you look at their on-line catalog, you'll get a sense of the price range for that tier of product.

There are huge variations in price. If you go to a big-name fabric shop the prices are really high, although the quality probably is also. We've always bought at outdoor market vendors, although it's getting harder to find all cotton. If you're satisfied with polyester, they can be very cheap. If you want cotton, they're a lot more. We last bought something 2 or 3 years ago, all cotton, but I can't remember the price. Maybe 40-50 euros or so? I'm not sure.

Les Olivades mentioned by the prior poster is one shop I was thinking of; the other is Soleiado (sp?). Both shops have a number of outlets in Provence. The quality is high, as is the price. It used to be easy to buy very good, all cotton linens at the markets in Provence for not a lot of money, but more and more it seems harder to get cotton rather than polyester.

I bought a 108" tablecloth and 6 serviettes on our last trip. I saw just what I wanted in Avignon, but thought it was a bit too pricey 80 euros. Picked up exactly the same thing from a little shop down a 'off the beaten track' side street in Arles for 45 Euros.

Merci all!!

Got to agree with Robert; we found some amazing deals at the local weekly markets; I don't how many tablecloths we bought in the market in Arles and at shops in Sant Marie de la Mare. In 2009 we spent from $12 EU to 30. All of them have held up quite well. Ours were over 60" oval.

We bought some napkins and towels in St Remy in a very nice shop. The napkins are fine. The towels are the worst I have ever used. Last week while feeding my neighbor's cats, I noticed what appeared to be an identical towel, made in China. I checked our "provence" towels. No tag revealing origin.