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July 2008« June 2008 - August 2008 »July 31, 2008Totes
Senor owns three Milton Carter T-shirts (including the ram skull in last week's NY Times pic), and Milton's back in action this Sunday at the Flea, rocking his T's for guys and gals, as well as his cool new tote bags (right) featuring a highly subjective and geographically dubious map of Williamsburg/Greenpoint, his proud home. Not that our Flea Bags aren't perfectly captivating, of course (thanks again to Loyalty + Blood for the rad design). Milton will be in L14, Lafayette fence, Vanderbilt side. He's a hoot! July 30, 2008Introducing...Bike Valet at the Flea!
We love folks to bike, walk, subway, bus, or blade-scooter to the Flea--and now you can just hop off your bike, park it with our trusty valet guy/gal right in front of the Lafayette entrance, get your ticket, and pick up your bike on the way out. No muss, no worries, no sweat. The fine folks at Transportation Alternatives provide this service at a few spots around town, and we're hoping that this new partnership with the Flea will kick bike valet into high gear as a viable option for cyclists around the city at big or small events. FYI: Bikes aren't allowed inside the Flea, and if you don't want to use the valet, please lock your bike to a nearby pole or the schoolyard fence. Please do not lock your bike to the scaffolding or poles in front of Queen of All Saints Church across the street. Thanks! Finders/Keepers Week 3...Not!Maybe it was the rain, maybe the vendors hid the items too well, maybe it was just kismet. But none of the 3 Scavenger Hunt items was found this week. They'll be back again at a later date, look out for 'em. This Sunday's items will be posted first thing Friday morning, check back then. July 25, 2008Scavenger Hunt Items: July 27Week 3 of the Scavenger Hunt offers some pretty snazzy stuff, and a nice sampling of what the Flea has to offer every week. Antiques, munchies, rekkids--all can be yours with just a bit of hunting and pecking. See you at ze Flea. From left: 2. One jar each of Wheelhouse Pickles' "Wheelhouse Whims" (pickles featuring Red Hook's own Six Point Craft Ale) and "Irma's Pears," pickled in mirin, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, and soy, and accented with tangerines, scallions and black sesame seeds. Yum! Um, new 3. Original mono copy of the Rolling Stones' classic 1965 album December's Children (and Everybody's), featuring "Get Off of My Cloud" and "As Tears Go By." Vintage
July 24, 2008What's New?
We welcome some seriously awesome folks this Sunday, from near and far. Vintage Vogue, from way up in Saratoga Springs, do the Mid-Century thang with gusto and panache, can't wait to check 'em out. They sell wholesale to a bunch of top city shops (Lost City Arts, Wyeth), and will be bringing a wide range of treats. Say hi to Frank. Wunderkammer Art + Antiques, a new shop (above) recently opened by Jefferson and his wife up in Sugar Loaf, NY, specializing in vintage kitchen and household items, antique American Furniture and picture frames, and a few contemporary painters. Sounds good! Ramon Gomez sold in Chelsea for years, and has a really nice-looking setup and an excellent range of stuff. Psyched to have him.
Treasures + Pleasures, a vintage boutique in Manhattan, is in L8 every week now, with a healthy serving of bedazzles like handbags, jewelry, and accessories. George and Carole are old-school marketeers, but new to ze Flea. With an info table out front this Sunday, the upstart Brooklyn Wolverines local football program will be spreading the word about its efforts to get high-school Brooklynites onto the gridiron. (You may have seen them practicing in Fort Greene Park on weekday afternoons recently.) We hope they go long. On the foodie front, we have a couple of newcomers: And in our new rotating local food spot by the bleachers (where PaPa Lima Sandwiches have been), hot Bed-Stuy African-French bistro Le Toukouleur will be serving up a sampling of items from its wildly diverse menu. Oui oui! (The restaurant is at Bedford and Quincy.) July 21, 2008Finders/Keepers Week 2The second Scavenger Hunt lasted slightly longer than the first, but we broke our record for earliest find: 10:02am! (The snazzy blue tote bag was a serious find. Thanks to Areta from Papushka Vintage for hookin' it up.) Here are this week's lucky winners:
Check back Friday morning for this Sunday's treasures. Robot winner Barry Grossman of Flatlands dropped us a line to say that's him in the photo. Congrats Barry! July 18, 2008Scavenger Hunt Items: July 20The Flea's illustrious Scavenger Hunt screams into Week 2 with a lovely assortment of treasures for Fleasters to scour the yard for. And wouldn't you know it--there's another cute owl among the Huntees! And we thought they were endangered or something. Luckily, owls are still very hip. Happy scavenging! From left: 2. 1970's "Monarch" baby blue vinyl travel bag--great for guys or gals. Vintage 3. Ceramic owl on pedestal. Looks more serious than last week's winking owl. Vintage
July 17, 2008Weekly BlogwrapAnother new feature! Every Thursday (or thereabouts), we'll round up the various Flea posts from around the World Wide Web. Coldwell Banker Property Listing (touting proximity to ze Flea) 7/13/08 Malia 7/13/08 Urbania.us 7/13/08 Stacey Snacks 7/14/08 July 16, 2008In the Mix
Look out for more quickie, visual posts like this one as we try to convey the breadth of all ze Flea has to offer. John Bal, an excellent chap who's a Senor Flea dream: you never know what he's gonna show up with, but you can tell he's searched far and wide for it--plus he's got that gruff exterior but friendly-under-the-surface thing that some of us go to markets to experience. Last week he had an insane amount of weathered leather belts (top left), a clump of mismatched silver, a heavy old rotary phone and so much more. John calls his biz eBuy/Sell (for unexplained reasons), you gotta check him out.
July 14, 2008Finders/KeepersThe first Flea Scavenger Hunt was practically over before it started. By 10:30am we had two winners (the bowl and the owl) and by 11:15 all 3 items had been discovered. Keen eye, Fleasters! So without further ado, here's who took home the goods:
Smiley Emil Andresen from Aarhus, Denmark, didn't even know about the Scavenger Hunt until he tried to purchase Blondie's Parallel Lines, which he had been searching for, from Tequila Sunrise Records. Then owner Anthony Vogdes let him know he was a winner and Emil was, as pictured, all smiles. Congrats! July 13, 2008Sun, Sweet Sun!
July 11, 2008Fun Alert: Sunday Scavenger Hunt @ Ze Flea!Beginning this Sunday Fleasters will have yet another reason to visit the yard every week: our new weekly Scavenger Hunt. Every Friday, we'll post photos of 3 items donated by our generous (and wonderful) vendors here on the blog, and will also have photos of the items at the entrance to the Flea. If you're lucky enough to find one of the items among the treasures inside the market, it's yours absolutely free! Then we'll snap your photo with the winning item and its friendly vendor and post it here on the blog that Monday or Tuesday. You can only win/find one item per week, and the Hunt starts when the Flea opens at 10am. So without further ado, here are this week's Scavenger Hunt at Ze Flea items. Happy hunting! From left:
Scrumdiddlyumptious
We were waiting for our pal Tessa from Chida (Mexican kid slang for "cool") to perfect her amazing Mexican-style ices before going public with her Fleadom, and that time is now! With insanely awesome and unique flavors like goat's milk dulce de leche (cajeta), wild strawberry, and hibiscus with chili peppers, Chida is based on Mexican street and market vendors who twirl ice or milk in spinning metal canisters inside large wooden barrels (right) surrounded by a mixture of ice and rock salt until they form "nieves" (snow) of light airy frozen goodness. Rather than explain it away, just go try one and it'll all make sense. Andale! (She'll be in W1 near the lavender folks.) In a similar vein (of ice?), the upstart People's Popsicle guys will make their Flea debut Sunday, serving up frozen pops made with fresh, organic fruits and herbs from NYC Green Markets. Strawberries and cream, rhubarb, blueberry, and yogurt and honey (yum!) are some of the sweets to slurp. Say hi to Joel and David in E4.
To top it all off, the fine folks from The Brooklyn Kitchen will be back with their sizzling array of vintage kitchen cookware, tools, and gadgets, like the enamel number at right. They have good stuff, check 'em out. L14, to the left of the Lafayette entrance. July 10, 2008Perch!
Boomerang! We're psyched to have Amy and Perch! in the mix this Sunday, as her design pieces for the garden, tabletop, fridge, and wall strike such a pleasing balance between warm/soft, tactile, modern, functional, and, well, cute. Check out the cool canister and planters at right for a couple of examples. Amy will be over in B1 on Sunday with lots of stuff to peruse and ogle. Enjoy!
July 9, 2008The New OldLest we lose sight of the big picture, ze Flea is first and foremost a destination for vintage and antiques goods/stuff/items of all kinds: fancy and cheap, rejuvenated and raw, primitive and modern. We're building a good crowd of collectors to be sure, and the more folks who appreciate objects, collectibles, furniture, farm instruments, pottery, porcelain, housewares, horsies--you get the idea--the merrier. (We're just trying to live up to our new slogan: "An Acre of Treasures, Tchotchkes, Chocolate, and Cheer!" Whaddyathink?) Summer has brought a refreshing turnover in vendors, so we figured it would be a good time to play a little catch-up.
After a too-long hiatus, our pal Adam Forgash--he of the venerable vintage-camera and -photo collection--returns to his spot by the handball wall (B15) to work his magic (and pleasant sarcasm) this Sunday. Cuties Nam and Amy from Deco Haus are back after a brief respite as well, with their really cool and totally affordable collection of well-restored dining sets, lamps, vanities, and the like. Clermont fence, in the double-booth that looks like the coolest apartment you've ever seen. Just down the fence from Deco Haus you'll find Frank and Diego from Grandma's Attic, who specialize in mid-century furniture of all kinds that's tied together by its blasts of color, affordability, and Frank and Diego's eye for offbeat larger pieces. Nothin' like 'em in the market. We are grateful to tall guy Bayo for bringing in a rotating crop of antiques vendors from across the region every Sunday: books, art, planters, lots of green things--you never what to expect in what we're now calling "Bayo's Corner." B21 and B24, by the Vanderbilt-side handball wall. Doug Anson is a friendly rocker-type whose dazzling array of pins, medals, flags, pennants and ephemera of all kinds always warrants the once-over. Think '70s Stones concert tours, war memorabilia, owl clocks, that kinda stuff. W12 on the midway, weekly. For the sake of space, here are some other folks to seek out: A fellow known to us only as "Long Island Eddie" is back with 2 spots this week, and we feel good about his stuff. Michael of Accentiques, the longtime shop on Flatbush Ave. in the Slope, has been parlaying his old stock into a well-curated booth most Sundays for awhile now. Look for Michael in his shades and straw hat around W28/29. Sweet Phyllis from Reclaimed Home has been a reliable Flea fixture since Day One in C4, and she's paring down to a monthly schedule for summer. She always has the coolest mix of stuff: painted baby bed frames, cinema seats, mantels, what have you. She's a hoot to chat with too. Friendly Sydney of Baxter's Bazaar holds it down in W24 with a classic eclectic mix, and we like his eye a lot. Local guy Tadd pulls together clothes, clocks, canisters, cookie boxes, basically all manner of collectibles--even if they don't start with "C." Check the map for his location on Sunday. Nothing New (cool name!) is Valerie's mix of furniture, porcelain, glasswork, and art, and she's one of a few vendors that have made their way to the Flea via the Summit Antiques Center in Summit, NJ. She's in V12, go say hi. July 8, 2008Passing the Smell Test
The folks from Lavender by the Bay, located on 17 acres out on the North Fork, make their Flea debut this Sunday, where they'll be purveying sweet-smelling fresh lavender, along with their crop of lavender lovelies: honey, essential oils, soaps, and dried-lavender sachets. Drop by, say hi to these flower farmers, and go au natural. They'll be in W1 by the long-jump sand pit. Make sure to visit some of our regular vendors who make scents: Lovely Laura Headley lives in the nabe and--like MJ's--has been with the Flea since Day One, spreading out her pretty soaps, oils, and shea butters with a friendly smile. Over in the E's most Sundays, including this weekend. And Megan and Eddie Enriquez from Australian Scent just moved to the BK from Australia to take their organic soaps, scrubs, and other all-natural stuffs (bug spray!) to the next level. The Flea is their weekly base, and we dig how ingredients like oats act as a natural exfoliant in their fragrant soaps, serving as form and function. They're generally around W44 or so. July 2, 2008Stoopefying!
The Flea is already pretty loaded with locals--at least 60% of our vendors are Brooklynites--but we want to make it even easier for anyone to join the fun. So if you live in Brooklyn and want to hold your stoop sale at the Flea some Sunday, we'll be holding a few spots open each week for anyone who wants to clean out their closet/attic/storage space and enjoy the market's good vibes for a day. You'll get a big local's discount on the fee for a 10x10 space ($20 cheap!), in exchange for inviting all your friends and family to come to the Flea that day. (You can't use the discount again until at least 3 months later.) This arrangement has worked well with several local schools that have held one-time rummage-sale fundraisers at the Flea--the new Greene Hill School has one July 13--so we figured we'd open it up to more folks. If you're interested, email us with the subject line "The Stoop" and include the Sunday date you'd like to hold your sale. Spread the word! July 1, 2008Beauty Eh?
All of America, it turns out, now knows about the Flea, thanks to a snazzy full-page profile in this month's issue of House Beautiful, which picks our little weekly pow-wow as its favorite "store." Nice pics of vendor faves like War Rug, Rand Furniture + Design, Ginfor's Odditiques, and Brown Bag Industries adorn a Q+A with Senor Flea (which bears some semblance of a resemblance to the actual interview). There was a also nice blurb on the Flea in the Sunday Guardian, which will hopefully translate into a few pounds sterling for our vendors. And our fab jewelry designer Gabriela De La Vega will not only have her gorgeous work featured on an upcoming episode of Gossip Girl, but Kyra Sedgwick--a recent visitor to the Flea by the way--picked Gabriela's necklaces as one of her "guilty pleasures" in this month's InStyle. Now if only someone knew someone who knows Oprah.... |
Senor Flea's efforts at brevity generally fall short. (Wha?) But blog batman Brownstoner keeps telling him to do more quick posts, so here goes. 
Starting this Sunday, we are pleased to announce that bike parking at the Flea just got a whole lot easier. Bike valet is coming to the Flea! Even better, it's free.
Bayo's Corner (right) isn't exactly new, but big man Bayo brings in a rotating cast of vendors to his handball wall spots every week, all of whom have quirky-cool antiques and reasonable prices. Thanks B!
Travis (our crack Flea staff didn't get his last name or neighborhood--or any of the other winners for that matter!) was clearly psyched to snag the blue Monarch flight bag from Papushka Vintage. Unfortunately, Papushker Areta didn't make it into this glamorous cell-phone photo--she's a cutey!
Lovely Jena scored the owl from Doug Anson, who's not big on photos. He's got great stuff in W12 though! (Please note Jena's owl pendant, which proves she was on the prowl for this bad boy.)
This fine fella (Brownstoner failed to even get his name!) was surprised to learn he won Mr. Robot, even though he had seen him on the blog last week. He's here with Futaba Sunderland from 
Last week's Flea was packed with vendors and "regular" people, one of our finest days yet. (In case you're wondering the crowd approached 7000 for the day.)
Across the Clermont aisle from John is Frank and Diego's colorful array of mid-century furniture, which they call Grandma's Attic. They have desks, dressers, storage units, you name it--most of it in bright primary colors and a little bit of '50s/'60s flair to boot (right. They had a great lamp last week that was gone before we could go back and snap it--turns out our friends bought it for their new baby's room!
Anna Gordon from Windsor Terrace plucked the porcelain bowl from the 
Sarah Schumann of Prospect Heights had been wanting the winking owl cookie jar for weeks now, then her friend emailed to say it was in the Hunt. She promptly snatched it from Amy Heath of 
It's gonna be a banner Flea this Sunday: great new vendors, gorgeous weather (jinx!), the launch of "The Stoop," and the capper: tasty new treats. 
As the Wafels folks take a summer hiatus, we'll be rotating in some new hot-food vendors in coming weeks. 
Before we launched, Senor Flea made the rounds of top Brooklyn handmadens like Lotta Jansdotter, Lena Corwin, and Alyssa Ettinger, begging them to join the nascent Flea. They obliged--thanks gals!--but we remained sad that Red Hook's 
Because of the holiday, we were remiss in welcoming new Boerum Hill shop 
Don and Chuck of Red Barn Antiques (right) hold it down in W31 every Sunday, bringing a fresh trove of painted fireplace inserts, lamps, wicker, knick-knacks--the full gamut of classic fleadom. They're sweeties to boot. 
Brian of 
That NYC summer stink getting stuck in your shnozz? Fear not, for ze Flea has a cure in store. 
So the Flea will be in full swing this Sunday in case you're wondering, and really what's more independent and American than a gaggle of free spirits selling the things they love?