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November 2009« October 2009 -November 20, 2009Scavenger Hunt Items: Nov. 21+22
We bid a bittersweet ciao to ze outdoor Fleas this weekend, so come and Scavenge one last time. (Don't worry, the Hunt will roll on at the DUMBO indoor winter market, maybe even at Gifted too.) Mille grazie! 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. From left: 2. English pottery jug, still functional. Vintage (Brooklyn Bridge/Sunday)
VOTW - Osborn Design StudiosThis week we caught up with folks behind Osborn Design Studios to talk about their art and design products. We love the intricate prints handmade by Carla and the fair-trade shoes are perfect for your inner hipster. Check 'em out! What are your names? Where are you guys from? What do you sell? And how long have you been selling it for? What's your specialty? What keeps you coming back to the Flea? What do you do for fun? Where can people find you online? What else do you want the good people to know about you guys? I-15 under the Bridge on Sunday.
November 19, 2009BFF of the Week: Martina + EricGo Seek Antiques probably intended for their candelabra to become a nice interior highlight, but Martina and Eric have other ideas. Oh, and let's hope someone else gets a chance at the lobster rolls before these two come again. Meet our BFFs of the week, Martina and Eric!
What do you have here? Is that true? When's your next holiday party? That's a lot! Do you live in the area? Do you come to the Flea often? Red Hook Lobster Pound? Thanks guys!
Finders/Keepers Nov. 14+15
For the first time last week another vendor won the Hunt. Insanity. We had to check the rules and regs, but found no clause barring such Scavenging. Monkey scoured the Flea all Saturday morning, only to stumble across the beautiful painted wooden bowl in his neighbors Lionel and Constant's booth. Again, insanity. Upon victory, Monkey proclaimed, "I now have a beautiful place to hide my personal green planet." Exactly! Lionel and Constant, as you may recall from their Vendor of the Week, collect all kinds of cool vintage stuff on trips to their Haiti homeland. When their mother passed away in Haiti, they returned to where they were born to find that she left the care of six orphans to her two sons. They were also modest underground hip-hop stars in the 80s, it's true. They're at both Fleas, and will be at 81 Front St. in DUMBO for the winter pop-up, which starts Dec. 5+6. Check back at noon Friday for this weekend's items.
Wholey Deserving
Australian Scent just started selling their natural skin-care line at the Tribeca Whole Foods, a deal that came about through a Flea interaction. They're also in the cool new Dumbo shop Trunk, also from a chance Flea encounter. We still get misty-eyed when this kind of stuff happens, and like to share it with you. Especially since AS' Megan and Eddie are some of the sweetest folks at the Flea, and we're not just talking about how they smell, which is lovely and, well, organic. Their balms, lotions, and potions are free of chemicals, parabens, and pretty much anything that's not straight from a seed or plant. Their Balm of Gilead (above) is a big seller. Look for Megan and Eddie at the final outdoor Flea this weekend, and every week of Gifted.
November 16, 2009Slideshow Nov. 15: Take A SeatStools, benches, lounges, and chairs—we got em'. After hours of shoppin' in the gorgeous fall weather, sometimes you just need to take a seat—from the Flea!
November 13, 2009Community Site LaunchesWondering what the new "Community" tab on the site is all about? (We know you didn't notice.) Starting this week, dozens of Flea vendors have started writing their own posts, on everything from what they're bringing to market this weekend (a Steampunk doghouse, e.g.) to their latest pumpkin pie recipe (thanks Whimsy + Spice). The best part: you can post there too! Just join the Community and then you can ask the vendors to find you, say, a George Nelson coffee table, or an old Brooklyn map, or a new flavor of pickle. What other flea is so virtually advanced? It's new, it's hip, and we have no idea what to expect—always the best recipe for fun. Check it out, and let the fireworks begin.
Scavenger Hunt Items: Nov. 14+15
We're gearing up for full Fleas this post-Martha weekend, so you'll have to be quick on the draw to Scavenge these items, which are artisan and art, respectively. Prepare to 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. From left: 2. "Quail": 8"x10" limited-edition print, signed and numbered. New/handmade (Brooklyn Bridge/Sunday)
Sokosh So Good!
David can always be found in ye olde L9 in Fort Greene (although not this Saturday) and F-5 under the Bridge, with his pal Lon Black and his postcards. David is always changing up his old-fashioned-feeling booth: vintage Brooklyn clocks most of the time,
November 12, 2009Vendor of the Week: Joseph SiposWe caught up with Joe Sipos over the weekend, a primetime vintage dealer whose milkshake brings all the boys and girls to the yard: his shoes, dresses, sweaters, jackets, and jewelry are fit for co-eds and co-stars alike. Joe also can also spin tales of celebrity gossip til the cows come home. We learned some interesting stuff about what he does on the record, but off the record found out that he recently sold 5 bags to a certain celeb at the Flea—we're surprised the "paparazzi" weren't following her around! Name? Hometown? What do you sell and how long have you been selling it for? What's your specialty? What's your most memorable sale? What keeps you coming back to the Flea? What do you do with your time while not Fleaing? How can accessory-driven people contact you? Anything else we can expect from Estate of Art Vintage soon?
BFF of the Week: Aaron CarambulaWho knows where you'll find inspiration for your art or your coffee table—either way, ze Flea got the goods, as our new BFF Aaron knows.
What do you have there? What are you going to do with your new purchase? What's the website all about? So do you come to the Flea to find stuff for your projects? Are you a local Brooklynite? Thanks Aaron!
November 10, 2009Gifted + Winter Flea
Thanks to everyone who watched the Flea on Martha TV today, we thought the market looked fab. Since we're getting a lot of emails asking, here's a quick refresher on the Flea's winter plans. Our Gifted Holiday Market kicks off Friday, Nov. 27, and runs through Dec. 24, at 20 E. 4 St. (at Lafayette St.), with 50 vendors selling design objects, small antique items, cool clothes, pretty jewelry, yummy food, interesting art, handmade housewares, and all kinds of unique affordable stuff. (Do you like Digi the Reindeer, Gifted's mascot?) The complete dates are as follows: Fri-Sun, Nov. 27-29; Wed-Sun, Dec. 2-6; 9-13; every day, Dec. 16-24. Hours will vary from day to day, but will mostly be in the noon to 7pm range. Will there be food? We're workin' on it. Also, with the outdoor Fleas' last weekend Nov. 21+22, we're moving back indoors to 81 Front St. in DUMBO for the winter, starting Dec. 5+6 through March. 11am to 6pm there, with about 50 vendors all winter, same mix of classic Fleasters. We're also nailing down an additional indoor winter location to open in January, more on that soon. Just keepin' ya posted!
Martha TV!
That whole Martha at the Flea thing? It's airing this morning at 11am on NBC on her TV show. We hear she's cooking pupusas with the Red Hook Food Vendors on-air (insanity) and that there's a whole segment on ze Flea. Will Senor and Mr. B make a cameo? Stay tuned.... Check here for your local listings. Update: You can view the entire show on Martha's website now.
November 9, 2009Finders/Keepers Nov. 7+8
Not much boo! in the Hunt this weekend, but it was a treat for the winners. Clockwise from top left: At 11:02 am Deb (right) heard someone say, "Please tell me no one found it yet. Oh man is that the Hunt shirt, I would die for that." Scavengers! Needless to say, Riley was psyched to find the Beach Boys/Black Flag mash-up T (so cool!) in the Miss Wit booth, before scurrying back to work. Deb churns out timely and funny political ("Witty"), pretty ("Fancy"), and youngster ("Kiddies") T's that fun people of all ages love. Vendor Nick Kass-Johnson (left) transcribed the Sunday Hunt thusly: "Robert (right) lives near South St. Seaport and is a retired medical-records administrator. Nowadays, he seeks out original animation cells and has a superb collection of Walt Disney's Fantasia, though he is on the lookout for cells of the dancing Chinese mushrooms. He originally heard about the Flea in Fort Greene in a newspaper." Robert found The Beatles' The Beatles Again/Hey Jude LP among Nick's crazy-awesome records—everything from early U2 to rare Sonic Youth to a split John Cage-Steve Reich LP from 1970 that Senor has on repeat at home. Such good stuff! Nick's also in a far-out band called Acorn Chainsaw when he's not in E31 in Fort Greene and I-56 under the Bridge. Check back at noon Friday for this weekend's items.
Jess Bites Flea: Nunu ChocolatesThis week we sampled the Hand Dipped Salt Caramels over at Nunu Chocolates, which called out our name, but we'll be back for the Organic Raspberry, Espresso Brandy, Prosecco Ganache, and the Chocolate Covered Grahams. Yum!
What's it like? Smoky and smooth soft caramel, covered in rich dark chocolate, lightly flecked with sea salt. The taste is layered and complex and oh so decadent.
November 6, 2009Scavenger Hunt Items: Nov. 7+8
At long last, some classic fall Flea weather is on tap for this weekend. In its honor, we're doubling down on the Hunt this weekend, with four items (we screwed up and there are 3 for Saturday and 1 for Sunday). All are nice and worth Scavenging for. Can you tell we want to see you this weekend? 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. Clockwise from top left: 2. Surfin' Safari meets hardcore-punk mash-up T. New/handmade (Fort Greene/Saturday) 3. "The Lost Keys": This keychain is host to a family of key charms. What mysterious doors might they unlock? Vintage + Handmade (Fort Greene/Saturday) 4. The Beatles' Hey Jude LP: Original 1969 pressing on Apple Records SW385. (The title is The Beatles Again on the green apple sticker on the record.) Vintage (Brooklyn Bridge/Sunday)
Flea as Pick-Up Spot
Central Park, the Wonder Wheel, even Pianos—all time-honored NYC pick-up spots. Now add the Flea to that list. Time Out is correct in scoping out the Flea as a swingin' singles scene: the bleachers are basically a brothel, and half the vendors sell every week so they can check on the "foot traffic." And that's totally cool with us—it's all love yo. We're #17 in TONY's list/slideshow (above), but if someone knows why People's Pops is relevant to this feature, pls explain. Ever hook up at ze Flea? Let us know.
What's New This Weekend?
Beatrice ran the esoteric antiques and furniture shop Atlantis (above) on Van Brunt St. in Red Hook, which was a great place to get lost among the ephemera after brunch at Hope + Anchor. She's now doing a lot of prop styling too, and wants to start Fleaing. (We always thought they'd be a perfect fit.) So here she'll be, under the Bridge this Sunday, with "'50s lighting, sets of Pyrex, some furniture, great stuff." Check it. F-29, Bridge/Sun Kelly describers her online shop Hiberna Curios as a "cabinet of curiosities, specializing in objects of mystery and wonder." She planned to debut her jewelry and art featuring stuff like taxidermy, doll eyes, and antique keys on Halloween, but something came up. So she's starting Sunday, go say a belated boo. E36, FG/Sat As we mentioned yesterday, Yolanda Ceron of the Red Hook Food Vendors crew and her arepas and chuzos debut in Fort Greene on Saturday. F4, FG/Sat You've met Doug of Record Grouch at both our Superstar DJ Record Fairs and possibly when he sells vinyl on a Union St. stoop in Carroll Gardens. He was also part of EAT Records in Greenpoint until it began morphing recently. He's got great stuff at good prices, goin' solo Saturday, and is one of a plethora of dope record vendors this weekend. E14, FG/Sat Paul Vano did the Flea a bunch two summers ago, and once randomly paraded around the market in a tattered tuxedo with a young blonde in a vintage wedding dress for no apparent reason. He's an old (antiques) Garage head, has furniture, smalls, art, all kinds of crazy stuff he collects down in Pennsylvania. He's back Saturday. V15, FG/Sat
November 5, 2009BFF of the Week: Rebecca BlissAmidst the ghouls and goblins at the Flea on Halloween, a scarved lass by the name of Rebecca appeared prancing through Rue St. Denis, rummaging through a huge bin of pretty things.
Is this your first time at the Flea? What did you buy today? So you you're not going to use them in your Halloween costume tonight? Alright, thanks for talking to us, Rebecca! Happy Halloween.
Flea Design Co-op v.2
The Design Co-op is in full swing every week at the Flea, and Lena Corwin has lined up another top roster of top talent for the November go-round. It's never too soon to think gift, and always easy on the eyes in the Co-op tent. Such good stuff! Double-booth B20+23, near the handballs to the left when you come in. Here's who's on tap starting this Saturday:
Food Finishes Strong
Anyhoo, this Saturday in Fort Greene Yolanda Ceron (above) of the fabled Red Hook Food Vendors takes a turn by the bleachers for the final three weekends, taking the place of the Vaquero elote (grilled corn) stand, which has packed up for the season. Yolanda, the longest-running Red Hook stand (35 years young!), brings her Colombian specialties like arepas (cheese-filled corn patties), chuzos (grilled skewers of marinated meat, yum), fried pork with cassava, and more to the Flea. Arriba! We love how Forrest and crew at Choncho's Tacos do fish tacos and fish tacos only. Until now. He's been ladling out a new Mexican chicken tortilla soup flavored with lime and kissed with those hand-ground tortillas for a couple weeks now, and it is mid-fall bliss. Check it. Choncho's is rocking Saturday and Sunday now fyi. Similarly, the Asia Dog folks are testing out the Sunday waters in addition to Saturdays starting this weekend under the Bridge, so you can double your dog with kimchi/pork belly/sesame slaw/Japanese curry action. Score Flea-style hot chocolate from Whimsy + Spice (Earl Grey-flavored and perfect) and Nunu Chocolates (spicy style) now that the leaves have turned. And a quick shout-out to the Red Hook Lobster Pound for its recent mention in the Times Dining section.
November 4, 2009Vendor of the Week: Carter AndersonCarter Anderson is always full of tall tales—the way you want a Flea vendor to be. Jess learned about the time he sold baby bottles filled with lead paint to 90 cynical, design-hungry New Yorkers, among other tidbits. Dig the new VOTW format? Name Hometown? Where do you live? How long does it take to get here? What do you sell and how long have you been selling it for? What's your specialty? What's been your most memorable sale? What keeps you coming back to the Flea? What do you do for fun? Got a website?
Double Dutch (Bike Co.)
The Dutch Bike Co. folks are back this Saturday and next in Fort Greene with their rock-solid, retro-modern bicyclettes, which everyone loved in their debut two weekends ago. They're testing the waters to open a Brooklyn shop in the spring for the Dutch-made classic models, including the "Bakfiets" Cargo model (above), which someone bought last time! Susan and pals want you to test-ride their bikes around the block and ask them lots of questions—so go sit and spin. Of course, if you prefer the vintage route, our man Shane Da Bikejack is holding it down by the bleachers like he does every week. (Shane's got crazy great new records too.)
November 3, 2009
NEW! Jess Bites FleaA new feature here on ze blog: Jess Bites Flea, wherein Miss J samples and surmises the legends and secret stars of the Flea food scene. We launch with the lobster grits from Red Hook Lobster Pound, known of course for their deelish lobster rolls. Must be a claws in their contract about finding new products...
What's it like? Warm and comforting grits with a parmesan bite, topped with big ole chunks of buttery lobster and a dabble of shaved scallion.
Finders/Keepers Oct. 31+Nov. 1
Not much boo! in the Hunt this weekend, but it was a treat for the winners. From left: Barbara's (center) lived in Brooklyn since '95 (old-school!), calls the Heights home (like many Bridge Fleasters), she's a creative services professional. Barb was overjoyed to discover the vintage brass shark pendant necklace in Loyalty + Blood's booth on Sunday. L+B's David (left) and Maggie are: a) hyperloyal Fleasters, taking the rain or shine seriously; b) megatalented designers of T's, jewelry, and totes (the ones with all the ornate letters on them, plus the legendary Flea Bag); and c) supersmart vendors who update their stock every week to keep it fresh for loyal shoppers like you. We like them. B3 in Fort Greene, I-12 at the Bridge, every week. Check back at noon Friday for this weekend's items.
November 2, 2009Slideshow October 31In case you were making mischief and didn't make it to the Flea on All Hallows Eve, check out what you missed. Trick or treat!
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Our man with the mustache 
