Brooklyn Flea

What a difference a little sun makes! Walking around visiting the great vendors who came out in spite of thunderstorm warnings was truly a joy as the sun shone across the flea! There was a great crop last Sunday—Here are some highlights:

This table (upper left) would be perfect for a front hall or between windows. The seat above has great lines and curves and could be recovered in a simple heavy linen or one of the reprodepot fabrics, depending on whether you're going for a mod or a subtle look. We couldn't help but be drawn to this chock-full display case as wedding season fast approaches and we all search for that non-registry, but non-lame gift! We particularly loved the little candlesticks for a bedside table. Speaking of candlesticks...this brass one (of a pair) stood out for its clean lines—the pair would look great on a marble mantle or a modern dinner table. We're really looking forward to this Sunday (Mother's Day!), although we will most likely be picking up some things for the little people as Clinton Hill's very own Still Hip will join us with a selection of great second-hand kid's clothes and vintage toys.

Food. Glorious Food. Quite simply, the Flea's gonna have more of it, starting now. If we become a stop on your weekend food rounds--for a nosh or for your Sunday-dinner ingredients--well, that makes us happy.

For starters, our pal Ricardo has been toiling away to get ready for the debut of his new Pillar Cuban food stall this weekend (named for Hemingway's boat when he lived in Havana), which will feature both smoked ham and cod croquettes, pressed Cuban sandwiches, a Galician white bean soup, and these amazing chicken or smoked short rib empanadas made with yucca and corn dough. He'll also have a guava and cream cheese pie for dessert. Delicioso! Pillar will be Choice's new neighbor. (Ricardo is also a Soros Open Society Institute Justice Fellow, chat him up!)

Longtime NYC pastry chef Mark Sopchak and his art director wife Jenna Park recently launched Whimsy & Spice, a line of cookies, brownies, and homemade marshmallows (yum!) that each feature a unique/unexpected flavor--honey lavender shortbread or cinnamon chocolate malt biscotti, for example. They'll have awesome Mother's Day gift boxes (right) this week. E12 near the middle aisle, this week and next.

As hinted last week, the organic ice cream dream team of Blue Marble and ze Flea becomes a reality May 11, when these fine gals (and neighbors of Senor) transport the frozen love from their Atlantic Ave. shop to the Flea's food emporium. Bless their hearts.

Later this month, Hot Bread Kitchen makes a bid to be your local remote bakery (how '08!), when they start purveying fresh baked breads of the world. Lavash, multi-grain loaves, hand-ground tortillas? Yeah, that's what we're talkin' about. (Hopefully they'll bust out their corn-grinding cycle soon too.) Oh, did we mention their focaccia of the week, featuring a city-garden-grown topping, or how they use recipes from immigrant women? Uh huh. Location TBD.

Quick note: Kumquat Cupcakery and Brown Bag Industries are both off this week.

And finally, thanks to Brooklyn Paper for pimping our nibbles this week.

Today brings us the second installment of Mrs. B's weekly look-back at the previous Sunday's Flea.

Anyone who read last week's post may suspect that we have a thing for chairs. Well, we do. And now that the weather is giving rise to backyard bbq and beer (or wine, if you voted for Kerry) fantasies, we thought we'd keep an eye open for outdoor chairs. Our favorites from this last, drizzly sunday are pictured above, along with a cool clock (if it's still there next week, we will hunt it down) and a lamp that would look incredible with a simple white linen shade. (This one went for a mind-blowing forty bucks seconds before we were able to grab it up. Doh!) The orange chair apparently hails from the 40s by and was test driven and approved by the Brownstoner offspring. The wooden chair reminds us of the kinds of great pieces that are simple and kind of

banged-up and look amazing in Belgian Axel Vervoordt's designs.