Brooklyn Flea

Cool stuff this week, with a bit of mystery. Turns out that both items are for Saturday this week, so no DUMBO/Bridge Hunt Sunday.

When you find one of the items above, which can be hidden in any vendor booth, it's yours, absolutely free! Then we post your photo with the generous vendor here on the blog on Monday. Only one winner per calendar month. Items posted every Friday around Noon.

Happy hunting!

From left:

1. Wooden nutcracker figure (works), from former West Germany/GDR. Vintage (Fort Greene/Saturday)

2. Wrapped box with ribbon. What could it possibly be inside? (Fort Greene/Saturday)

Some great folks set sail upon the good ship Flea this weekend. Do your best to welcome them aboard warmly!

You may have noticed some experimentation among this summer's crop of new vendors, as we try to keep things fresh and test the limits of the concept of Flea. To wit: Diaperkind is a new NYC cloth-diaper/delivery service, and what with all the new babies (and their poop) and parents (and their eco-guilt) about town, their timing is certainly prescient. Liz will be there both talking up and selling cloth diapers and giving parents the straight poop. Bombs away! E21/FG, Sat

Electric Literature should spark interest among the Brooklyn literati with their booth representing local indie presses and literary mags. They're a cool anthology of short fiction, as well as a new node for all those good Brooklyn words. Say hi to Andy. E14/FG, Sat

Boland Studio is artist Ben's storefront on Atlantic Ave. + Washington, where he displays and sells his ceramics, paintings, and wall sculptures, all of which run a gamut of modern styles. Check out a sampling and meet ze artiste. L13/FG, Sat

We mean this in the nicest possible way, seriously. We dipped our toes into the realm of the unknown with Cool Gadget, based largely on an email response from a pre-registered vendor named Yilih, who wrote, "the animal keychain look like a simple animal keychain but when you put off the animal head it's a pen. Second example, the big bun is exactly smell and look like a real bread but exactly it is not is a keychain or arm rest. Another thing i'll selling are pet accessories." Senor was skeptical, but Rob couldn't resist the bread part so we said what the hey. W24/FG, Sat

Kristen runs Deluxa (right), over on Degraw between Henry and Hicks (where pioneering Fleasters Go Fish! once called home), displaying her mostly mid-century taste in furniture, clothing, housewares, and decoratives. She worked at Martha Stewart, does styling, will likely have great stuff, folks! F-42/Bridge, Sun

Speaking of mid-century, the fact that Michael of CooCooU is coming down from Buffalo is kind of a big deal for us. He's a big-deal dealer in serious modern furniture and antiques, and he's bringing down a truckload to dazzle us jaded New Yawkers. Collectors, start your engines! I-4/Bridge, Sun

Diana called us last night because the nice flea on 17th St. + 6th Ave. in the city is having difficulties right now. (We wish them the best.) Her biz is TZ Light Design, with vintage furniture and lighting, and of course a little bit of everything. Give her a nice Brooklyn how-dee-doo. C5/FG, Sat

Terrell is studying fashion at FIT, interned at Flaunt, and got his start in a New Orleans thrift joint. He's dubbed his vintage clothing and accessories biz JQ Vintage, and he's serious about making the fashionistas happy, so look out! C14/FG, Sat

Alex Agranov works in technology by day, collects gadgets by night. He said he's got "typewriters, collectibles, floral arrangements (faux), childrens toys, videos, original paintings by my talented wife, you name it." How could we resist? L14/FG, Sat

Sinead Corwin has three kinds of items to sell this weekend, and she's got a few dozen of each: vintage metal factory stools, chairs (right), and work tables. Come 'n git it! B1+2/FG, Sat

Connie and Dominic have just launched Greenpoint Vintage, a combination blog/furniture-sales site, which is morphing into a storefront in, er, Greenpoint at 15 Monitor St. this weekend. They figured they'd co-launch at the Flea too to get the word out. Their stuff (top) is right up Fleasters' alley: modern, clean, reasonable, and utilitarian. C2/FG, Sat

According to their email, here's a smattering of Bill and Jim's stuff: antique furniture, decorator items, art, dish sets, glass and bric-a-brac, fine china and silverware patterns, antique tools, locks and blacksmith-made items, musical instruments, LPs and 45s, a dozen or so nice turntables and other audio equipment, radio/audio tubes, optics and opto-mechanics. May or may not have a sound-proofed generator with them, presumably for the opto-mechanics. B7/FG, Sat

Ranae sounds awesome. She describes her aesthetic as "Audrey Hepburn meets today's rockabilly/burlesque scene," and she seems really psyched to Flea tomorrow! She's old-school too. B20/FG, Sat

Hudson Valley Living is Eben's vaguely country-style collection of lamps, furniture, silver, and other slightly upscale items. (Love the globe at right.) They've heard good things about the Flea upstate, so prove 'em right. W3/FG, Sat

When you're waiting for your Blue Marble ice cream inside the Lafayette entrance, you probably find yourself bopping your head to some old-school soul and funk, maybe a smattering of Latin and reggae. That's 'cause Larry of Shout Shimmy, in tandem with Jellyroll Vintage, is tempting you to purchase his $5, hand-selected, meticulously-sequenced mix-CDs. If the infectious music doesn't get ya, the cover art will, as it's all culled from items Larry (aka DJ Einstein Q Rockafeller aka member of Anyday Parade) finds at the Flea.

So now you're lured in. Then you realize you're in a whole throwback environment that Larry and better half Amy have curated. After growing up in and on thrift stores, Amy realized she had a talent for buying, and now her regulars have her hunt for them. (Did you know Flea vendors were so pro?) Her eye tends to the colorful, flowery, well-preserved, and always affordable for the everyday gal. (Larry always proffers a keen-eye rack of guys vintage too.)

Since Amy's education (and other passion) is in painting and framing, she recently had the bright idea to sell vintage arts and crafts supplies. Now in addition to stocking your iPod and your closet at Jellyroll, you can pick up vintage textiles, knitting needles, dyes, spools, patterns, craft guides--anything you can find at Joanne's Fabric except way way more stylish and a fraction of the price. Such great stuff, and an oft-requested element from Fleasters.

Been readying your Readymade or Craft magazine and got the handmade bug? Join the club. Now knock the style factor up a notch and make it vintage.

Jellyroll + Shout Shimmy are in B16/17 Fort Greene every Saturday, and I-5 under the Bridge every Sunday.

So I'm chilling at FDR to JFK, chatting with Paula, thinking about getting a vintage apron, when I notice this dude scrutinizing all the goods. He makes me wonder: Is he a dealer? Is he an artist? Is he an obsessive compulsive? I must find out.

So Mark, where ya from?

I'm from Houston, Texas.

Are you visiting?

I have been a neighbor of the Flea for a year now.

Why'd you come?

I came for a woman.

Have you been to the Flea before?

I come as often as I can.

So, what do you do?

I'm a consultant in crisis management, investigation research, and international intelligence.

Um, wow. OK.

So, what do you have there?

I just bought this here. See, my girlfriend is turning 29 years old. And the 29th element on the Periodic Table of Elements is copper. So, I'm buying a selection of copper items to present to her in August. We will also do things on her birthday that relate to copper, like go to the Statue of Liberty, and things like that.

Wow, that is damn sweet. Romance lives. Good luck!

Thanks Mark!

Go to the Flea any Saturday or Sunday morning and you'll see tons of photographers snapping away closeups of all kinds of tchotchkes, necklaces, coffee tables, etc. (If vendors had a dime for every snapshot of their merch....) These folks, it's become clear, are known as bloggers, and they seem to write about the Flea on a daily basis. We love them for this, and will be rounding up fun posts every week from now on. (Have we created regular features and abandoned them in the past? Possibly.)

Here are some of our faves from the past few days:

Those Extra 4 Inches (provocative name, fawns over Pierre Cardin dress find)

Yummy in the City (loves Choncho's fish tacos, no-brainer)

Urban Art + Antiques (hails Flea as "new breed" of market, attracting next generation of collector--i.e., you--likes Divine Chair Co. (right) and John Murphy (on cell in background))

Where the Style Things Are (nice bargaining tips)

Going Back to Brooklyn (good eye for nice pieces in their snapshots)

We left it to the vendors to photograph themselves with the winners and interrogate them—with mixed results.

From left:

Ashley from Williamsburg found the cool knit earrings in her second visit to the Flea, this time with her parents visiting from Akron, Ohio. Here she is with Melody of Melody's Addiction, who's gone from the non-profit world to full-time jewelry-maker. Courageous! Melody grew up in the same rural Central Maine community as Senor Flea--she's from Creep City, Senor from South Solon--and we're proud as punch that her work is starting to get the notice it deserves, as in this recent Nostrand Park blog post. She's in W46 in Fort Greene every other Saturday.

Yoko of YOVA Design creates the gorgeous, delicate earrings of Japanese kimono paper, she's a keeper in the style department. Unfortunately Yoko lost the details on her winner, so if anyone knows this fine young lady, please let us know. Yoko will be back Sept. 26 in Fort Greene.

The lucky lady was Jacqueline Leung, a resident of Dyker Heights. Thanks to hubby Michael for writing in! This was their first time at the Flea--what a warm welcome!

Check back Friday at Noon for this week's items.

Finer days for Fleaing are few and far between. F that!

Lots of new vendors and shoppers, facepainting, Balinese Sea Salt, found-object chariot assemblages, hippo pillows, ricotta+granola, sugar plum+tarragon popsicles, some damn fine furniture, a vintage print showing the Dumbo site as "City Dump," and more.

(Sunday pics coming soon.)

We feel bad that this informative weekly nugget of a post has fallen through the cracks since Senor become a papi. But it's back, and hopefully back for good. The Flea crew (and it is a crew now) works hard to keep our markets fresh for every visitor--first-timer and veteran Fleaster alike.

Without further ado, a peek at some of the new Flea faces this weekend.

At long last, the Flea will be home to a weekly facepainting booth (above). If the hipsters can get dressed up every weekend, why can't the youngsters? Gwen and Magin of NYC Facepaint have done the Fort Greene Park Halloween party, and can trace their painting history back to Tanglewood when they were teens themselves. Note to vendors: yes, you can paint your face too. E32, Fort Greene/Sat.

Back on the conventional front, Daniel's new business Armoire Furnishings makes their own classy furniture from mostly reclaimed wood, most of it with a nice matte white finish that's as versatile as White Dove. Pieces like the sideboard (right) have a vintagey feel, and he's also got these cool picture frames made from reclaimed door frames and ceiling tin. Very, um, Flea. F-23, Bridge/Sun.

The most common shopper refrain is "more furniture." (Now go buy some!) Hudson Goods is Karl's online-only (until now) furniture shop, designed by Karl himself and finished to appear distressed (i.e., vintage). All solid wood, all a little bit country and a little bit R+R (rest + relaxation that is). Karl also runs a home-decor blog that highlights items he digs and digs for, including a visit to the Flea last Saturday. He'll be augmenting his furniture with some of those tasteful finds tomorrow. L3, Fort Greene/Sat.

Big Tree Farms started in Bali as Ben's

artisanal local food biz, purveying everything from sea salt and "long" peppers to raw jungle honeys, coconut palm sugar, and raw cacao. Sustainable/direct trade/organic, all the foodie ducks in a row. Sample and ye shall find... E3, Fort Greene/Sat.

Suprina has a studio on the Navy Yard where she's up to something special: 2ndsouls are her assemblages of found objects (right) that are both figurative and narrative. They're also really cool. If you like Suprina's aesthetic, she'll also be debuting her new line of frames, shelves, mirrors, boxes, and more made from repurposed materials. Groovy! L16, Fort Greene/Sat.

Lana writes and photographs in Astoria, and she's been collecting glass, ceramics, prints, books, and textiles for 25 years. She's doing the Flea for the first time Saturday, and we just have this really good feeling about her stuff. B1, Fort Greene/Sat.

Manny is from Jersey, and he's one of those vendors who doesn't do the email, just the phone. These folks are virtually without fail the kind of old-school dealer you imagine when you think "Flea," and Manny's description of his all-over-the-map antiques sound straight up the peruser's alley. Formerly of 26th St, etc. W38, Fort Greene/Sat.

While some of our regulars are on summer hiatus, some new blood is giving the Flea a whirl, especially in Fort Greene. Enter Jennifer and Kayla are FerrFerr and Little Tuna, respectively, Pratt design grads who do the vintage clothing+accessories thang. They've got stylish garb for the masses, like the snazzy '80s dress at right. Come one come all! E17, Fort Greene/Sat.

For da ladies this week. Yo. Couple pairs of distinctive earrings, one for each day of the Flea, each handmade by the seller themselves. Go forth and adorn--and Hunt!

When you find one of the items above, which can be hidden in any vendor booth, it's yours, absolutely free! Then we post your photo with the generous vendor here on the blog on Monday. Only one winner per calendar month. Items posted every Friday around Noon.

Happy hunting!

From left:

1. White lace earrings with brass Bastille charm. New/Handmade (Fort Greene/Saturday)

2. Earrings made with Japanese kimono-patterned paper. New/Handmade (Brooklyn Bridge/Sunday)

In addition to being one of the most stylish dudes at the Flea, Cornelius Byrd has also been the co-owner and designer of the clothing label 3Free Design. When designing, his mission is to create duds that are comfortable, with classic fits and, in his words, "not too trendy." His tunics, made mostly with soft cotton and all natural materials, sell for $20 to $40.

Corn, along with a partner, also owns an awesome shop on East 13 St. (btw. 3+4 Ave.) called Apt 141, where you can cop mostly 3Free Designs as well as nice jewelry and a sharply curated vintage selection. Apt also offers their stock on consignment to shops around the country, which is one way Cornelius connects to the community. The other way is via the Flea, the only place where he sells 3Free outside the shop. "It's a great time for the Flea," he says, "considering the changes in NY, and the shift in the world."

Some cool things are coming down the pike for 3Free Design, including the launch of full-figured sizes, which you can find next season, and a website. For now, find him in Fort Greene in E21, and under the Bridge in I-49, every damn week.