Brooklyn Flea

Behold! The Flea Market Finder iPhone app, how did we survive 'til now without ye? We haven't a clue.

The folks at the Tag Sell It garage-sale/flea-market site have created an app for that: type an address and find the market or sale closest to you. Junk junkies and flea fanatics won't hesitate to drop the $.99. Shout out to Tag Sell It for choosing the Flea as the promo-page flagship (above).

A new print magazine hits shelves this spring called Flea Market Style, and we figured it was worth a preview, since we're, like, a flea market. The style part is debatable.

Hey, did you know this blog gets 100K+ hits per month? Try making a comment—thousands are waiting...

Another flock of Fleasters at One Hanson this weekend, thanks for keepin' on comin'. (We're there Saturday and Sunday again this weekend FYI.)

From left (click to enlarge):

Winner Rachel (second from left) was visiting pal Elise (to her right) with fellow Bostonian Kate (left), and came upon the tres chic French shoe "lasts." Rachel might try her hand at making some shoes, or maybe just display the hot high-heel molds in her pad. Lovely Rebecca (right) was hiding them in her always-stunning Windsor Place Antiques booth, which is packed with glass domes, product tins, windup clocks, vintage school maps (note Eurasia in the background), and of course hunting targets. She's in #39 most every weekend, the bomb.

Kate (center) and Jeff (left) have been to the Flea, but not at One Hanson until Sunday. They live in Carroll Gardens and were wise enough to spot the patchwork ellie from Laos in David and David's Artisan Emporia booth. The Davids' Emporia is a sort of market within a market at the Flea, featuring handcrafted designs culled from a global network of cooperatives. We like AE's approach a lot—fully Fair Trade, friendly—and find them distinct from the mountain of imported schlock passing for quality goods everywhere. They're in #12 every weekend.

Check back at noon Friday for this weekend's items.

Two typically distinctive Flea items to Hunt for this weekend, one vintage, one handmade in Laos. Spring Scavenge!

When you find one of the items above (click to enlarge), 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:

1. Pair of vintage '50s shoe lasts for molding shoes. These high-heel models were called "Frenchy." Vintage (Saturday)

2. Batik-print stuffed elephant made using traditional Laotian fabrics and embroidery. New/handmade (Sunday)

Gary (booth #24) finds loads of distinctive vintage goodies every weekend, including a fair share of mounted deer heads and severed mannequin heads, which are surprisingly alluring! We spotted these two hotties at his spot, as they finally settled on this old ammo box.

What are your names?

Michael (right). And I'm Olivier.

Michael, what did you buy here?

This is a box that probably had been used in a war. We are going to have it in our apartment. Maybe we'll put some things in it—CDs or something.

Is this your first time to the Flea?

This is my first time.

Where are you from?

I am from Paris but I now live on Dekalb. I moved here last Sunday.

What made you make the move?

I am here working at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, working on the production of The Fairy Queen.

Right in the hood! We hear that's a good one. Thanks Michael and Olivier!

Looking for a way to hurry up through your haggadah this Passover? The Hot Blondies gals (friendly Laura and Lorin) have concocted special "Rock the Seder Brunettes" that will make you forget all about the afikomen. All that yummy chocolate (in an unleavened brownie of course) will have you saying "dyanu"! But are they good enough to make Elijah show up?
Hot Blondies are downstairs in the vault, Sunday only.

Spring has sprung, and we have the iced coffee at the Flea to prove it.

What: Crop to Cup's Iced Coffee, brewed Japanese-style to lock in that sweet and bold flava. C2C works directly with coffee farmer cooperatives and pays above-market prices for their beans. Good stuff!

Where: Crop to Cup is in the vault brewin' fresh strong coffee all weekend at One Hanson, and will be back outdoors in Fort Greene every Saturday too.

Where else: Crop To Cup just popped open a new coffee shop at 139 Atlantic Avenue (btw. Clinton + Henry) in collaboration with a few other longtime Fleasters. Take a gander, and grab yourself some pickles, cupcakes, or any of the vintage furniture in the shop, 'cause it's all for sale.

You can take the flea out of the rug but you can't take the rug out of the Flea.

Catch Zach on Twitter @heirloomrugs and every Sunday downstairs at ze Flea.

Picture all those people with pupusas in their hands.

After almost a year of somehow keeping it secret, the word is out that the Flea and 6 of our finest food vendors are taking over the concessions at Central Park SummerStage this year. Deelish food + good tunes + Central Park summer sun + Flea vibes = No-Brainer!

Below is a list of all the yumminess you'll find at SummerStage throughout the season. (Or just read the story in today's Times.) The full schedule is announced sometime in April, but so far we know there are shows with Pavement, Flaming Lips, Black Keys, and Hot Chip. Not bad!

Not to fear! All these folks will also be at their normal Fort Greene and One Hanson Flea stations on the weekends (except Marlow, which isn't a Flea vendor at this point).

Asia Dog

Blue Marble Ice Cream (how did the Times leave them out?!)

Marlow & Daughters

Pizza Moto

Red Hook Lobster Pound

Soler Pupusas

Photo by David Atlas, courtesy of Central Park SummerStage.

The Ken Jackson talk has at last been rescheduled for this Saturday at One Hanson. Here's the info again...

Preeminent New York City and Brooklyn historian Prof. Ken Jackson (Columbia Univ.; The Encyclopedia of New York City, ed.; The Neighborhoods of Brooklyn, co-author) will join Stuart Blumin at the Flea at One Hanson to provide a freeform public talk on the history of the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Building and its relationship to Brooklyn as a borough, and formerly as a city unto itself.

The approximately 45-minute talk will take place at the kiosk at the main entryway to the Flea/bank, starting at 1:00pm this Saturday, March 27. It's free and open to the public.

The market has been attracting thousands of visitors every weekend, and we want to give Fleasters a chance to learn more about the special significance of the space, beyond the "oohs" and "aahs" and "amazing"s.

Professors Jackson and Blumin will delve into the building's architectural details—from the giant golden mosaic map of Brooklyn on the bank's back wall to the wrought-iron depictions of artisans and skilled workers in the stained-glass windows—while linking them to the broad narrative of Brooklyn as a longtime capital of the American working class. They will also answer questions from the public.

Watch and learn (and shop)!

If you could hang out at a landmark like One Hanson every weekend, wouldn't you? So would we—that's why the Flea is staying there (Sundays only) for the rest of the year! When we said "12 Weekends Only!" back in January, we had no idea the 80-year-old landmark bank would be such a perfect fit for the Flea. Now, thousands of awed visitors and hundreds of happy vendors later, it's obvious. (Even the New York Times is psyched.)

And starting April 10, we'll finally be back outdoors in Fort Greene every Saturday at our Bishop Loughlin H.S. homebase/flagship, can't wait. From April 11 on, we'll be at One Hanson every Sunday.

We love our new friends at Skylight One Hanson—you too can do events at the bank, just contact them!—and thank them for making our extended stay possible.

And we're truly saddened that the Flea won't be in Dumbo in 2010. We tried our best to make a market there happen, but it just didn't work out. We hope to be back by the water again soon.

In case you got confused, here's the cheat sheet:

The Flea will be at One Hanson Saturday and Sunday this weekend and next (April 3+4).

Starting April 10, we go back outside in Fort Greene every Saturday (yay!). Starting April 11, we'll be at One Hanson every Sunday. Both markets will be open 10am to 5pm.