Brooklyn Flea

Giddyup!

Note: The Fort Greene market happens every Saturday outdoors; One Hanson is on Sundays indoors on 3 floors. Both are open 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: Incredible Hulk (7-Eleven, 1977) and Jabba the Hut ('83, Burger King) drinking glasses. Vintage

2. Sunday: Leather gun holster, made in Oklahoma by Don Hume. New/Handmade

What: Fort Greene designer (and vendor since Day One) Nina Z's Swedish-made platform clogs, sandals, and boots with leather tops. Each shoe is handmade with gently treated leather and natural wood, with tacks applied by fifth generation clog-making hands.

What else: Grab yourself a pair in red, black, beige, or brown; polished or matte; high or low heel; braided or solid; buckled or slip; winter or summer; dainty or sturdy—whatever style, the solid construction will make these shoes lifers.

How much: $85 to $225, a steal considering the import, the materials, and the individual attention to each pair.

When+Where: Every Saturday in Fort Greene (W32) and online at ninaznyc.com.

Where does all the vintage/antique stuff come from? Every week new vendors from the universe's bottomless well somehow find the Flea. God bless us.

This was the entirety Eddie Lopez's vendor application: "I have antiques to sell. I would like to try fort green if available." Truth to be told, these folks often end up becoming our best, most dedicated vendors, but the only way to tell is by giving them a shot and checking out their stuff in person. Eddie eventually got us a few photos, including the assemblage above, and here's hoping he develops into a lifer. E28, FG/Sat

Michael Zentman and his wife have been in the bizness for 20 years, vets of 26th St., etc. They do Midcentury design ('40s-'60s), lighting, small furniture, objects, art (right). We're psyched to see what they bring for their double booth. W1, FG/Sat

Eric Dargenio specializes in vintage eye- and sunglasses. He also donates lots of glasses to the Red Cross. Glasses are his thing. Reasonable prices, huge selection, nice guy. W17, FG/Sat

Aurelio is a pal of Sarah and Damian's (aka prized vendors All Seeing Eye Vintage), and his Tumblr reveals everything from Vision skate sneaks to Harley T's to duck-hunting jackets to Swiss-military saddle bags. Yum. He's called El Dorado Deluxe. W39, FG/Sat

Ambrose Bull is Diana's vintagey vendor name for her foundry patterns and architectural pieces, Midcentury China and glass, carnival/circus memorabilia, advertising displays, and more. She's done Chelsea, Upper West, Upper East—plenty of practice for the big stage in Brooklyn. G-33, 1H/Sun

Lager + Tangled Hair (right) also falls into the only-in-vintage name category. Here's some of what Kelly brought her first week: bound sheet music from the turn of the century (1900), an LP of the original King Kong score, Victorian vintage clothing, taxidermy (whose proceeds go to Wildlife Rescue), a chunk of a demolished Lower East Side building, and some tourist guides from the '20s and '30s. She's got furniture too. G-28, 1H/Sun

Food Zone:

Mama Mancini's is Daniel from southern Brooklyn's new meatball cart, which he's testing out/launching at the Flea the next two Saturdays only. They're his Bay Ridge Italian grandma's recipe—Mama Mancini's Sunday Sauce and Meatballs is the supermarket product name—and, well, we hope you like 'em! E3, FG/Sat

We can't wait to taste the "Ghost Pepper," purported to be the hottest pepper on the planet. Named for the Bhut-Jolokia variety, Jay Sheldon's Bhut Pepper biz came about after he moved to Bushwick from Kansas City with an MFA in Sculpture. That's about all we know, and really the only question is can you stand the heat? G-6, 1H/Sun

The TV show White Collar filmed some scenes at the Flea's Sunday location at Skylight One Hanson, and the actors and location scout made this cool "On Location" webpage with info about the various high-class heist sites around the city where they shot. According to the location scout, apparently you can get everything from Maine lobster rolls to fish tacos at this fabulous Flea!

BTW: Did you know you can rent the bank where the Flea happens every Sunday for events? You totally can.

The third annual Superstar DJ Record Fair is coming Sunday, Sept. 19, to the vault at Skylight One Hanson. So if you want to unload some old 12"s, LPs, 45s, or even CDs, we still have room for more vendors.

We'll have 30-40 vendors this year, including faves from past years like Other Music employees, Halcyon, DFA Records, and all sorts of DJs parting with their bloated collections. And we're bringing back the Buy that Record game, where vendors DJ for 20 minutes, with every song they play for sale on the spot. Fun.

Wanna sell? Just drop us a line and we'll fill you in on the details.

Photo courtesy Kate Glicksberg/Interstatial.

What: Sigmund's organic, hand-rolled, freshly baked Bacon and Scallion Pretzel. It's chewy with bits of scallion on the inside, smooth and golden on the outside, topped with strips of real bacon, and twisted into a roll the size of a softball—a delectable (and literal) twist on the traditional soft pretzel, updated with porcine punch.

How much: 3 bucks, with all the sauces you can squeeze.

What else: Put dollops of Honey Mustard, Horseradish-Beet Mayo, or Wholegrain Mustard on your pretzel, then treat yourself to some more! Other savory and sweet varieties include Mini Blue Cheese and Walnut Pretzels, Salted Soft Pretzels, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip–Hard Pretzel Cookies.

When and Where: Every Saturday inside the backstop in Fort Greene (next to People's Pops), online at Sigmundnyc.com, and at their cute East Village shop on Ave. B at E. 3rd St.

Happy Hunt faces all around.

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

From left (click to enlarge):

Saturday: Sarah (left) basically got lucky: liked the colors of the vintage sundress, didn't really know she was winning anything. She was pleasantly surprised.

The other Sara, also in stylish shades, is the brains and brawn behind Saraz Closet, her line of vintage and repurposed "Eco-Friendly Fashion for the New Millennium." Sara's booth is always a hive of cool kids fiending for her affordable finds of the week, which she works hard to separate from the pack at the Flea—no easy task. In the Closet you'll find lots of dresses and some fancy eveningwear too, and not much clutter; Sara goes selective/curated rather than the rummage route. She's in B24 in Fort Greene every Saturday.

Sunday: Mom Mary (middle) and daughter Bizzy (left) found the owl welcome sign early in the morning on Sunday, and they veritably hooted with joy. Mary's from Rochester, NY, and Bizzy lives in Greenpoint, and we don't know much more about them, other than they have a headturner of a new welcome system.

Susan Walker (right)—"Sparkly Susan" if you read her website—has been Flea'ing since November 2008, bringing a broad array of fine midcentury items at excellent prices from oer yonder in Rhode Island (where she's a champ roller derby competitor). Small furniture (lots of kids' stuff), cutting boards and other wood pieces, lamps galore, vintage jewelry, trunks and luggage, she's got all the stuff you want. Check the vendor layout to find Susan next, as she moves around a bit.

The heat finally broke, and it was two simply stellar days of Flea. Did we see ya there?

Eye-opening Hunt items this week.

Note: The Fort Greene outdoor market happens every Saturday; One Hanson is on Sundays indoors. Both are open 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: Reconstructed yellow flower-print sundress, '90s. Vintage

2. Sunday: Three-owl welcome sign, circa '70s, plastic. Vintage

The Rhode Island School of Design's Graphic Design MFA class just graduated, and they've formed a little crew to sell the products they've designed and developed, called Make, Do. Original books, posters, tote bags, 3D letters (?), stationery of the 50 states (above), skateboards, giant cutout letters in their fonts, all kinds of fun stuff. Catch a glimpse on their Flickr page, and find them on Saturday in Fort Greene. Onetime only!