Brooklyn Flea

Remember summer? Yeah, us too. Here's a selection of photos from the last month or two of the outdoor markets, sunshine and all.

We'd love to feature your Flea photos here! Send them in to our Flickr photo pool, or get at us via Facebook or Twitter.

Many thanks to the photographers who contributed to this week's lineup: travthesplendid, Kingandgrove, _rwang, AstroFunk88, Beartooth Longboards, Cindy {K} and Gina Herold.

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 Tuesday. You can only win once per calendar month. Items posted every Friday.

From left (click to enlarge):

Saturday, October 29 (Fort Greene): 1950's sewing box. Vintage

Sunday, October 30 (Williamsburg): Star earrings. New

Note: The Flea happens outdoors every Saturday in Fort Greene and every Sunday in Williamsburg. The markets are open every weekend, 10am–5pm, rain or shine. For maps/directions, click here. If you are a vendor and would like to participate in the weekly Scavenger Hunt, email Evan.

As the outdoor Flea takes advantage of its last few weeks outdoors, we continue to deliver new vendors with great products, from handcrafted furniture and lighting to small-batch chocolate bars and vanilla beans. We are especially excited to welcome Printed Matter, the Chelsea-based book-arts nonprofit, making its Flea debut in Fort Greene on Saturday.

Saturday, Oct. 29 (Flea in Fort Greene):

Madécasse Chocolate - As Peace Corps volunteers in Madagascar, the founders of Madécasse Chocolate learned the finer points of the country's chocolate and vanilla production. Their super small-batch bars feature such additions as pink peppercorn and citrus, and they also offer Madagascar vanilla beans and extracts.

Montgomery Rag - This brand-new Brooklynite buys, sells and restores Americana and primitive quilts from down south, as well as jacquard-weave type textiles, french linens, rug remnants, pillows and folk-art sculptures.

Printed Matter - Printed Matter is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of publications made by artists. They operate a storefront in Chelsea (pictured above) with over 15,000 titles; for their first time at the Flea, Printed Matter will bring the best of their book-based projects,including zines and other affordable publications by both well-known and emerging artists.

STORnewyork - Marcelo Melamed produces two separate handmade furniture styles: mid-century-modern inspired pieces and another line of original pieces made of old furniture parts such as drawers, doors, boards and boxes (like the credenza pictured at right). STORnewyork will be at the Flea both days, in both Fort Greene and Williamsburg.

Sunday, Oct. 30 (Flea in Williamsburg):

Tanya Knapinsky - From an antiques dealer with two decades experience, this collection consists of paintings, art pottery, folk art, small primitive furniture, dolls/figurines, textiles and vintage jewelry.

Raaka - Clinton Hill–based Raaka makes a bean-to-bar virgin chocolate using a low temperature, hands-on process that is designed to preserve the natural flavors of the cacao bean. They offer several different dark-chocolate bar options: dark with sea salt, blueberry lavender, vanilla rooibos, cask-aged bourbon and hazelnut maple.

Urban Sherpa - Urban Sherpa sells upcycled and recreated lighting and home decor items. All wiring is new and to UL standards. Vintage items are repurposed and turned into newfangled home decor such as planters and kitchen containers.

This week brings a great nonprofit to the table, and a new round of extraordinary foods: lamb lard, homemade kimchi, artisanal s'mores. Only at Smorgasburg, people, only at Smorgasburg.

Saturday, Oct. 29 (Smorgasburg in Williamsburg):

Brooklyn Cured - Though not new to the Flea, Scott Bridi's Brooklyn Cured will be at Smorg for the first time, where he'll be getting into the holiday spirit with pork-sage sausage stuffing with smoked ham-hock gravy, chicken-apple sausage stuffing with apple-cider gravy, and root vegetable stuffing with bourbon-brown butter gravy.

Charlito's Cocina - Charles Wekselbaum makes yes, artisanal lards, and produces a selection of unusual charcuterie like chorizo and fig salami. His infused lard flavors include white truffle, sage, rosemary, and a ridiculous lamb-fat lard too!

Mrs. Kim's Kimchi - A veteran restaurateur from NYC's Koreatown, this new kimchi vendor (Mrs. Kim, natch) serves her spicy, pickled vegetables in the classic Korean style.

Smore Bakery - It's not every day at the Flea that you can purchase something called the S'moregasm. As made by new vendor Smore Bakery, this item is made of toasted vanilla-bean mallow, clover honey and cinnamon spiked graham with semisweet chocolate ganache (the marshmallows are pictured above). Expect other mind-blowing chocolate/marshmallow treats at this booth.

The Culinary Trust - The International Association for Culinary Professionals (IACP) is a professional organization that serves the needs of culinary industry. Their annual conference—an incredible confab of everything interesting in food—will be held in NYC in the spring of 2012. In anticipation of the conference, and as a way to promote the good works of their nonprofit foundation, The Culinary Trust (TCT), IACP and TCT will be at Smorgasburg on Saturday with a cookbook raffle and other fun activities. The Culinary Trust achieves its mission through scholarships and grants for students and professionals, cookbook preservation and restoration, educational programs and grants for hunger alleviation. For more information on the Culinary Trust visit them at theculinarytrust.org.

There's history here—as kids, partners Mike Dellosso and Frank Fazio lived up the block from each other in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, but didn't meet till many years later. Today they live on that same street and revive the past every day through their custom furniture, design and restoration company, Frank Fazio Design. As artists and dealers they show a reverence for the story behind each piece, and a reluctance to let beautiful things go to waste. "We give new life to things that need a second chance before they get discarded," Mike says, while Frank emphasizes the importance of an object's "feel and touch—I'm old-fashioned that way." Frank Fazio Design joined the Flea in its first season in 2008, and took some time off from the markets before settling in again earlier this year.

The antiques and furniture restoration business is often a second career, and Frank (formerly a banker) and Mike (advertising) are no different. "I got hit by the downsizing craze in the '90s," Mike says. "We tried many different businesses before landing on this." What started out as a children's painting project—custom murals and furniture—evolved into the larger decor and design business they operate today. "We work seven days a week almost every week but we love what we do," Mike says.

Custom work—repainting, rebuilding, reupholstering, rewiring—is what keeps it interesting and exciting, they say. "No piece is ever the same. We now have a customer who is looking for four dining chairs. One every other week, all different from each other in style and color. She gives us a color and we do the rest. It allows us to play and create. It's the best part of what we do."

Mike and Frank have fun with a mid-century, kitschy aesthetic and a serious dose of the absurd (case in point, the pennant flags Mike made from cereal boxes and then inscribed with funny sayings—"a conversation piece," Frank says). A philosophy of "re-do, re-use, re-purpose" is integral to their collection: there's a crocheted afghan folded up on a newly painted chair, a restored lamp sharing space on a table with peachy-pink Depression glass. Between Frank's keen wiring skills and Mike's talent with a paintbrush, they've got the situation covered.

When asked about their favorite aspect of selling at the Flea, it comes down to two very important things: "All the wonderful people we have met. And the pizza. Definitely the pizza."

Spies and artists frequent the Flea, so our Scavenger Hunt items this week were apropos, no?

As always, check back on Friday for this weekend’s items.

From left, click images to enlarge.

Saturday, Oct. 22 in Fort Greene: It was Susan Welti (left) of Queens who won the spy scope, Erica from Species by the Thousands reports. "She's going to use it to spy on cute guys at the Flea." She's wearing a perfect spy trenchcoat, even! Smart shoppers, these Flea ladies.

Species by the Thousands is a beloved jewelry, T-shirt and accessory line that's been with the Flea since Day One. Erica Bradbury uses sustainable, recycled materials to craft her punky, vintage-inspired clothing and jewelry—this is a girl who makes even dreamcatchers cool. Her stuff has been featured in a million magazines and is sold in boutiques around the world, but you can find her every week at the Flea.

Sunday, Oct. 23 in Williamsburg: We have another mystery winner here (identify yourselves!), but the folks at art magazine Carrier Pigeon, who donated a copy of their publication, told us that "they were really excited. They hadn't known about the magazine before, but were very interested in learning about it." That's the best part of the Hunt, discovering new things.

Carrier Pigeon, a quarterly magazine of illustrated fiction and fine art that gives full creative control to its contributors, is a new addition to the Flea as of this summer. They just released their fourth issue, and will be celebrating their one year anniversary with a reception at the Blackburn 20|20 Gallery on Friday, November 18. The show will consist of artwork from past issues of Carrier Pigeon, including pieces by Frances Jetter, Bruce Waldman, Stephen Fredericks, Ellen Peckham, Avraham Eilat, Matt Barteluc and many others.

Husband-and-wife duo John and Ariel Covello, the team behind Little Gardens, are urban plant-whisperers. John, a fine jeweler, and Ariel, a former events planner for a small bookstore, have been tending to their own gardens for years, but just recently turned their attention to plants full-time. These two have cultivated some seriously green thumbs. The Covellos pot their plants in cool containers, like antique Hudson River bricks they find in their Bensonhurst backyard. The hearty alpine succulents, including the aptly-named sempervivum, Latin for “live forever,” are “perfect for people who forget to water their plants,” says Ariel. It would be hard for even the most negligent plant parent to butcher one of these tiny, low-maintenance gardens. We asked Ariel and John to teach us about planting succulents—and keeping them alive. Click here to read the how-to.

You’ll need:

• Succulents
• Soil (try cactus mix)
• Pebbles
• Flowerpot or other container with drainage hole
• Pencil

Here’s what you do:

1) Line the bottom of the flowerpot with a few pebbles. (This will help the soil drain.)

2) Fill the flowerpot with porous soil. John whips up batches of his homemade, sand-heavy mixture, but you can buy cactus mix from a garden center. Just make sure that the soil is designed for cacti or succulents.

3) Use a pencil to make a little hole in the soil. Rest the roots in the hole and gently pat more soil over the top. (Unlike other kinds of plants, these succulents don’t need to be placed deeply in the soil.)

4) Water thoroughly. Ariel recommends the “total immersion” method: fill up the sink, tub, or bucket with water, and then gently submerge the pot or other container—this prevents the soil from being blasted away by the stream from a faucet. Make sure that the plant drains fully before you place it in on a saucer or back on the windowsill—excess moisture causes the roots to rot.

5) Place the plant in direct sunlight—the brighter, the better.

6) Water again when the soil feels completely dry. Depending on the strength of the sunlight, this could be a week or more. Ariel recommends “letting the plants get bone dry, then drenching them.”

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 Tuesday. You can only win once per calendar month. Items posted every Friday.

From left (click to enlarge):

Saturday, October 22 (Fort Greene): A brass spyscope necklace. Vintage

Sunday, October 23 (Williamsburg): Limited edition art and illustration magazine. New

Note: The Flea happens outdoors every Saturday in Fort Greene and every Sunday in Williamsburg. The markets are open every weekend, 10am–5pm, rain or shine. For maps/directions, click here. If you are a vendor and would like to participate in the weekly Scavenger Hunt, email Evan.

Do you like to eat? Do you like to sew? Do you like to shop? Then this weekend's Flea is just for you!

Saturday, Oct. 22 (Flea in Fort Greene):

Apotheke Soaps - Based out of Clinton Hill and Bridgehampton, New York, this soapmaker produces oversized 5 oz. bars made from organic oils of coconut, olive and palm. They harvest their own lavender, calendula and oats from their farm in Bridgehampton. They also produce a soap just for dogs!

BPeace - These visiting retailers from Afghanistan are at the Flea for one day only with hundreds of bracelets, necklaces and earrings from Afghanistan, many with genuine Afghan lapis. They'll also have high-quality, uniquely designed DOSTI soccer balls hand-stitched by Afghan women. Every item sold helps Afghan families support themselves with trade, not aid. Thanks to BPeace and Alexis and Jenni from Blue Marble for coordinating and extending the invitation.

The Cookie Guild - The Cookie Guild is four high-school friends who love to indulge in and refine baked goods. The starting menu includes chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, cranberry orange and a honey graham biscuit. Down the line, look out for new cookie recipes every month.

Olga's Underground - From a killer real-estate deal came this booth: when the vendor purchased a property as-is, the house was filled with the treasures of a Ukrainian seamstress, the objects of a life spanning 80 years. Those treasures are now for sale.

The Regal Vegan - This new vegan vendor might be familiar to Smorgasburg shoppers, since her delicious Faux Gras (a walnut-lentil paté) was available from the good people at Market Share all season. But now the Regal Vegan has her own booth on Saturdays at the Flea, where owner Ella Nemcova serves up a vegan banh mi and also promises vegan cheeses, spreads, salads, creamy soups and her famous Bonita AppleBombs.

Sunday, Oct. 23 (Flea in Williamsburg):

Munrowski and Mit's Vintage Lovelies - This is a special offering of buttons, sewing notions, patterns (pictured above) and fabrics from the '40s, '50s, '60s, and '70s, as well as vintage clothing, kitchen accessories and hats. A collaboration between Erika Munro, a New York based costume designer, and her friend Miye Bromberg, the stock is from Miye's Japanese grandmother’s epic collection. Erika will also be offering sewing and tailoring services—depending on the item, repairs and small sewing could be done on the spot, or taken to the studio, repaired, and brought back for pick up the following week.

Short Order Eggs - A manager from the popular Mexican spot Calexico branches out to huevos with his new venture, Short Order Eggs. His menu includes a ridiculous BLT with avocado, hardboiled egg and bacon-fat aioli on challah; meatloaf sandwich with sriracha ketchup and a sunnyside egg on brioche; and the Red Egg: poached egg in tomato sauce on roasted-garlic toast.