Brooklyn Flea

This Saturday the Flea is proudly hosting a book drive to stock the library of a New Orleans public school, Andrew Jackson Middle School, that was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina (above) and has been rebuilt and is set to reopen August 11. The ReadThis non-profit is operating the drive, and they'll have a couple of tables at the Lafayette Ave. entrance on Saturday.

Andrew Jackson MS is in St. Bernards Parish, which was among the areas hit hardest by Katrina, and now the BP oil spill is adding to the community's woes. We want to help.

ReadThis is an awesome all-volunteer non-profit that promotes access to books (public schools without libraries, troops overseas, hospital pediatric wards, homeless shelters); we heard about them and the NOLA drive through our pal author Jeffrey Rotter (The Unknown Knowns).

Here's how you can help:

1. Bring middle-school-level books to the Flea on Saturday and drop them off at the ReadThis table. (They'll ship them to the school.)

2. Buy a new book for the school from Fort Greene's Greenlight Bookstore, which will also have a table on Saturday.

3. Send books yourself—email ReadThis for more info. (Use that email if you want to help staff the Flea table too.)

Thanks!

What: Mel and Steve's Fresh Squeezed Limeade Soda: a delightfully sharp and tangy thirst-quencher, modeled on the Vietnamese lime/lemon "squash" sold alongside street food.

What else: Asia Dog provides seven Asian-inspired toppings for \ beef, chicken, or veg dogs. Try the "Mash," a spicy ketchup, jalapeno, mustard, and crushed potato chip explosion. Delish!

How much: 3 bucks for a pint.

When+Where: Every (every!) weekend at both Fleas, at every SummerStage concert in Central Park, and online at asiadognyc.com.

Finally, winners both days! It was hot, but the Hunters kept their cool. They also got in early to beat the heat—and all you late-sleeping Scavengers.

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

From left (click to enlarge):

Saturday: Tessa (with the winning dolphin/anchor/lighthouse tie) lives in Clinton Hill, and is a recent transplant from California. Rob asked how the Flea stands up to the left coast, and she said we do OK, especially the yummy food. We'll assume she meant it as a compliment.

Tessa is next to Travis Sylvester (second from left—she also dragged a couple of her friends into the photo at the last minute), who is a staple of the Flea's mens-vintage suite. Check tall Travis for blazers, trousers, vests, shoes, and of course his nice rack of meticulously arranged ties, which has been photographed a million times. Travis is less trendy, more affordable and utilitarian, giving the people what they need, which is why he's popular week in-week out. He's also not afraid to rock lime-green pants with a pink oxford, yellow tie, and red cap. Where's Travis? He's in W39 every single Saturday.

Sunday: Ariel (right) says she Fleas all the time, which is easy for her since she lives a block from the Fort Greene market. She ventured further afoot Sunday to One Hanson, and found the leather wrap bracelet before 11am. Here's what we know about Ariel: her birthday was last Friday (woot!) and she plays the Japanese drums. She's probably a pretty cool person based on that.

She's alongside the lovely (seriously) Holland, who works jewelry designer Elma Blint's booth at the Flea. Elma's been at the markets since Day One, and her elegant but affordable necklaces, rings, and bracelets are always at the cutting edge of Brooklyn style. She's got quite the following, and even opened her own little sliver of a shop, Baubles + Thorn, down the block from the Fort Greene market, at 111 Lafayette Ave., near S. Oxford St. Find Elma (and Holland) in Fort Greene (B2) and One Hanson (#50) every darn weekend.

For those who missed ze Flea this week, we bring the people-watching to you. Check it.

A midsummer Hunt's scheme: Style on Saturday, sass on Sunday.

Note: The Fort Greene outdoor market happens every Saturday; One Hanson is on Sundays indoors. Both 10am-5pm.

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 (click to enlarge):

1. Saturday: Vintage necktie with stripe/maritime pattern. Vintage

2. Sunday: Multi-wrap leather bracelet with hammered gold balls. Handmade

Summer is a good time to revisit the Flea, because when regular vendors go on vacay, fresh faces take their place. Here are some of the many newbies aboard the Good Ship.

Christine is a friend of Flea faves City Owl, and her industrial/modern/repurposed metal type-letters, oil tinkers, and the like (above) land in the wheelhouse of marketgoers. She calls her biz The Gifted Putterer, and by day she's an event and interior designer as Stromer and Sass. Maps, industrial gears, antique crates and boxes, vintage fans and prints—all the right stuff. FG/Sat, E32

Candyrot is Jenny's Grand St. Williamsburg boutique (btw. Berry + Wythe), and she's bringing her combo of antiques (right) and clothing line to Fort Greene on Saturdays. Antiques lean toward the primitive: wooden assembly trays and wheel molds from Trenton factories, anatomical study prints, a bit of taxidermy, and some small furniture. FG/Sat, L16

Rachel recently inherited a household of antiques and has to clean out ye olde storage space. She's got: small dropleaf tables, a Victorian gaming table, spindleback chairs, gilded mirrors, silver, China, boxes of hardcover books, plus some old photos and linens. She's a librarian by trade, vintage buyer by passion, newby Fleaster on Saturday. Rachel's dubbed her nascent biz Cat + Fox. FG/Sat, E24

It's possible that first-timer Joshua Friedman may be selling a bit of literally everything this weekend. Onetime Maine boat-builder, longtime cabinet-maker, restorer extraordinaire, and now Flea vendor, Joshua has accumulated a lot of things over the years. Among those he mentioned to us in his application: slab boards, glass shelves, carpenters tools, wooden bowls, tweed coats, rooster ties, maps, etchings, paintings (of architecture, cities, dogs, boats, the outdoors, among others), and "veneers burled and figured." Whew! He'll also be offering free advice to all buyers of his goods, based on three decades of experience. Help make Joshua a regular! FG/Sat, W38; 1H/Sun, #24

Nora and Sara live in Bed-Stuy and their artsy stuff runs the cool gamut: silkscreen T's with cool graphics, fishing-fly earrings, driftwood necklaces, orange-slice light-mobiles (right), potted plants in vintage kitchenware. Taken together, it's all got a look. Have a look-see. FG/Sat, W24

Tanesha is a Bluefly.com (designers!) stylist by day, mini-terrarium maker by hobby. (She's also a Most Stylish New Yorker in Time Out this week.) Her Small World Terrariums helped spur the Times' terrarium craze feature last month, and she's essentially debuting them at the Flea on Saturday. Tanesha is sharing a booth with Christina, whose new Craven Home biz focuses on fun and functional vessels for the home, including some hosting Tanesha's botanic beauties. FG/Sat, W46

Catherine and Tara are new to the market biz, having tried out a couple of area sales in City Island and a Jersey JCC. They're called Maddie's Yard, and their all-vintage collection is modest but meticulous: a bit of clothing, pottery, jewelry, leather boots, belts, art, lighting (right)—archetypal bric-a-brac. Check 'em out, see what fits. FG/Sat, E23

Food Zone:

A new thang from an old standby: Rick's Picks' latest jar of joy is the "Hotties," crinkle-cut pickle chips, made spicy by sriracha and habaneros (right). Do like a desert-dweller and cool down with a hot chip. FG/Sat, W31; 1H/Sun, #65

Rob and co. run Brooklyn Salsa Co., an upstart local brand that's already in 15 NYC stores and growing fast. Each of their 5 varieties is named for a New York borough—the "Brooklyn" is the hottest, with a tinge of mango—and they're all organic too. Take a dip. FG/Sat, E5

They won't be at the Flea this Saturday, but we hear that The Good Fork started serving manchego cheese fritters in addition to their scrumptious dumplings and mini-meatloaf sandwiches. See you on line next week.

What: Alphavillers Steve and Gary's Original and Unused Vintage Sunglasses. Shady in the best way.

What else: Hand-picked and mostly unopened toys, movie paraphernalia, and decorations from the '40s, '50s, '60s, and '70s—all in excellent condition. Their items, all chosen with an eye toward aesthetics and feeling, will transport you to another time, where Wooly Willy was your best buddy.

How much: Eyeglasses range from 18 to 45 bucks.

When+Where: Every Sunday at One Hanson (booth #38), or online at www.alphaville.com

What: Cayenne-dusted mixed fruit at the Vaquero Family stand, of the Red Hook Food Vendors. Generous hunks of fresh, sweet mango, watermelon, papaya, a grape or two, and salt if you desire. A healthful and thirst-quenching snack on a hot summer day.

What else: The Vaqueros' elotes are legendary: Mexican corn on the cob, charred on the grill, cheesed, spiced, limed, and served on a stick. Arriba!

How much: 3 bucks! Yup—all that fruit, ready and cut for 3 measly dollars.

When+Where: Every Saturday in Fort Greene next to the pupusas and huaraches.

Flea fought off the rain (yet again) this weekend, and both markets thrived, with a slight tailoff Sunday due to some soccer match. No one found the awesome artist lithograph then either! But we did have our first child Hunt winner.

Saturday: Young Matt (right) was visiting from Massachusetts (go Sox!), already had his Brooklyn T-shirt on. He found the small cactus inside the vintage Colt 45 can pretty early on—it was pretty distinctive, after all. We have no idea what he'll do with it, but the Flea did make the executive decision to allow Matt to win the Hunt as a minor, despite the item's earlier incarnation as an alcoholic beverage. It was prickly there for a minute though!

Matt's alongside Brittany, half of the Welles + Graham duo, who pop up at the Flea from time to time, going back to last year's Gifted holiday market. They repurpose found Pop vintage items like oil cans and bug killer into cute clocks, flasks, and other affordable take-home items. It's a fun project, and their stuff has a rustic feel at home in your typical Brooklyn pad. Say hi to Kristen and Brittany next time they're at the Flea.

Did you know that hangin' at ze Flea at One Hanson is a great way to stay cool during the heat? These folks do—look how cool they are!