We bid a bittersweet ciao to ze outdoor Fleas this weekend, so come and Scavenge one last time. Just the one item this week. (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.

1. Art Deco 1930s-40's Bakelite chain with mother-of-pearl shells. Vintage (Fort Greene/Saturday)

Posted by demby at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

This 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?
Aaron: My name is Aaron Osborn.
Carla: Carla Venticinque-Osborn.
A: Our business name is Osborn Design Studios.
C: We're married.

Where are you guys from?
A: Philadelphia.
C: Teaneck, New Jersey. Now we live in Greenpoint.

What do you sell?
A: We sell handcrafted shoes and art prints, but our inventory is always changing as we come up with new design ideas. But shoes and prints are the staple. We do bootie slippers, a bunch of puzzles, things for kids, scarves.

And how long have you been selling it for?
C: We have been doing it at the Flea for two years. We were here on the first day. And our business has been branching out ever since.

What's your specialty?
C: Art.
A: Design.

What keeps you coming back to the Flea?
A: It's a great market and community. They do amazing promotion, just great opportunities have come out like magazine features.
C: And being here, everyone who is everyone comes through the Flea so you get people who are scouting major stores and smaller boutiques so there is opportunities for growth. And it's just really well-curated.
A: I really like the community of the Flea. All the vendors are great.

What do you do for fun?
A: Make shoes.
C: Think about our business.

Where can people find you online?
C: We have a website, Osborndesign.com

What else do you want the good people to know about you guys?
A: I am most excited about the business because we employ 28 people full-time who otherwise wouldn't have any work in Guatemala, that's where my family lives. Twenty-one of them are single moms. It gives it a lot more meaning than just selling something "cool."
C: Our shoes are fair-trade and it's a microeconomic project, and it really works!
We'll also be at Gifted with a lot of new prints, more art, more shoes. We are really growing.

Posted by JessicaBK at 9:44 AM | Comments (0)
Categories: Vendor of the Week, blog

Go 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?
Eric: Protection! For walking down the street!
Martina: No! We bought a a candelabra.
E: Yeah, because we are trying to save on energy. Electricity is very expensive. So this is us becoming greener and greener.

Is that true?
M: No. Ha. We need something tall for the table that really sticks out. So it's perfect.
E: But we both like a lot of candlelight.
M: We'll put candles in here—this is not something for just decor.
E: And use it for holiday parties.
M: Yeah, holiday parties.

When's your next holiday party?
M: I'm from Italy so we always have friends coming over in December and January.
E: We are also going to have 120 people over for a Brooklyn Youth Chorus Parent Party.

That's a lot!
M: Yes, we have a lot of people all the time, very informal though.

Do you live in the area?
M: Yes, we live up the hill over there [ed.: the Heights].

Do you come to the Flea often?
M: This is his first time, but I have come several times. I have been to the Fort Greene one too, and when it was inside in DUMBO.
E: We are also friends with the lobster roll people.

Red Hook Lobster Pound?
E: Yes, I had a lobster roll today! They are fabulous. It's all lobster, hardly any mayonnaise, the bread is very light. So you can eat like 3 or 4 of them!
M: I already had 2 today!

Thanks guys!

Posted by JessicaBK at 4:00 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: BFF, blog

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.

The lucky winner was none other than Monkey (center), of WrecordsByMonkey—the record-vinyl-recycled bracelet/clock guy and all-around excellent chap—who apparently is really into Haitian art. Who knew?

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.

Posted by demby at 2:30 PM | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by demby at 12:13 PM | Comments (0)

Stools, 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!

Posted by JessicaBK at 2:24 PM | Comments (4)
Categories: Slideshow, blog

Wondering 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.

Posted by demby at 3:20 PM | Comments (0)

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:
1. Handcrafted and -painted wooden bowl from Haiti. New/handmade (Fort Greene/Saturday)

2. "Quail": 8"x10" limited-edition print, signed and numbered. New/handmade (Brooklyn Bridge/Sunday)

Posted by demby at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

Our man with the mustache David Sokosh has some wonderful tintype photographs in the Times this week, in a Thursday Styles section story about tweed and 1890s fashion looks. Great stuff, very Flea.

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,
great old books, housewares, photographs, all sorts of funky stuff. Can't miss David either—he rocks a handlebar moustache and, well, an 1890s-style tweed look!

Posted by demby at 10:16 AM | Comments (0)

We 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?
My name is Joseph Sipos and my company is Estate of Art Vintage Lifestyle.

Hometown?
New York City. Bay Ridge Brooklyn to be exact.

What do you sell and how long have you been selling it for?
I sell vintage clothing and accessories and I have been selling for about 20 years.

What's your specialty?
Vintage accessories.

What's your most memorable sale?
Selling shoes to Debbie Harry.

What keeps you coming back to the Flea?
The image and vibe is really good and high.

What do you do with your time while not Fleaing?
I'm a prop stylist for TV and movies during the week. For fun, I cook and eat.

How can accessory-driven people contact you?
Anyone can find me at the Flea. [Every weekend: B15/Fort Greene; F-11/Bridge.]

Anything else we can expect from Estate of Art Vintage soon?
I'm starting to sell a lot of World War II army surplus—I'l be doing that over the winter [at 81 Front St.]. And vintage accessories for women, shoes especially.

Posted by JessicaBK at 3:07 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: Vendor of the Week, blog

Who 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?
It's an old children's block set and you can use these modules to make your own letters. They call it "victory" colors which I guess means faded yellow, blue and grey. The vendor has a whole bunch of antique blocks for kids. [Ed. note: She sure does: Blue Jet Toys has all kinds.]

What are you going to do with your new purchase?
I'm going to use them for some projects. I have a website called Friends of Type where I do a lot of lettering and this is going to become work instead of fun. Haha.

What's the website all about?
It's a blog my friends and I have where we just challenge each other with different lettering and type design, sketches, you know.

So do you come to the Flea to find stuff for your projects?
Sometimes that. Sometimes just to see what's going on. As an alternative to a bar or something.

Are you a local Brooklynite?
Yeah, we aren't too far from here. We've been in Prospect Heights for the last 5 years.
Michigan before that. We are graphic designers and there are more opportunities for us in New York.

Thanks Aaron!

Posted by JessicaBK at 10:10 AM | Comments (0)
Categories: BFF, blog

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!

Posted by demby at 12:43 PM | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by demby at 6:00 AM | Comments (0)

Not much boo! in the Hunt this weekend, but it was a treat for the winners.

Clockwise from top left:
Kara (left) and Konrad (not pictured) had been meaning to Flea from Harlem for months, finally made the trek. They checked the blog before leaving, caught a glimpse of the Hunt items, happened upon the funky hematite chicken-leg tongs in the morning and we're happy to win. Konrad told Amy (right) that his grandma once gave him a nutcracker in the shape of ladies' legs, "So now we have a pair." Stunning. Amy and Alen's Birdhouse Jewelry remains one of the most popular booths at the Flea, and they never miss a date. C7 in Fort Greene, I-2 under the Bridge, Gifted too.

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.

Posted by demby at 10:50 PM | Comments (0)

This 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.
Meal/snack/drink: Snack.
Tasty with: A cold glass of milk or a frothy coffee.
Where else can this be found: Nunu has a shop at 529 Atlantic Avenue (btw. 3+4 Ave.) in Brooklyn where all the chocolate is made! (Fellow Fleasters Nightwood are tricking out the interior of the space, which will also have a groovy wine bar—ganache with panache!)
Eat now/eat later: Grab for a quick snack or buy a box for a gift.
Cost: $7 for 4, $15 for 9, $20 for 12.

Posted by JessicaBK at 10:52 AM | Comments (0)
Categories: Jess Bites Flea, blog

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:
1. Ice/sugar tongs: 5" long, 1" wide, shiny hematite plating over brass. New/handmade (Fort Greene/Saturday)

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)

Posted by demby at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by demby at 11:49 AM | Comments (1)

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

Posted by demby at 10:44 AM | Comments (1)

Amidst 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?
No, it is not.
Do you come often?
Yeah, I live in the neighborhood so I try to check it out when I can.

What did you buy today?
I bought many scarves.
For?
I use them when I dance. I'm in a dance company and I use them to tie my hair back.
What kind of dance do you do?
Ballet and modern.

So you you're not going to use them in your Halloween costume tonight?
Unfortunately, I have to work for Halloween—so no costume.
Where are you working?
I also wait tables because I dance in a dance company. Haha.
You can't dress up while you wait tables? Not even as a dancer? I bet your customers would love that.
I wish!

Alright, thanks for talking to us, Rebecca! Happy Halloween.

Posted by JessicaBK at 5:00 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: BFF, blog

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:
Lena Corwin: Lines + Shapes journal, pillows, prints (Weekly)
Deadly Squire: Textiles, housewares (below right) (Weekly)
Hikaru Furuhashi: Knits, stationery (below left) (Nov. 21)
Maptote: Totes with maps (Weekly)
Moontreee Letterpress: Stationery, letterpress, journals (Weekly)
Odette NY: Jewelry (below center) (Nov. 21)
Wayne Pate: Prints (including the awesome Design Co-op poster, above left) (Weekly)
Claudia Pearson: Prints, calendars (above right), illustrations (Nov. 7)
Christopher David Ryan: Prints (Weekly)
Simply Photo: Photographs (Nov. 14)

Posted by demby at 1:00 PM | Comments (1)

Like Meb the Marvelous Marathoner, the Flea food contingent is finishing strong as we head down this season's stretch. (Which reminds us: The last outdoor markets of 2009 will be Nov. 21+22, before we head indoors to 81 Front St. in DUMBO again for the winter, starting Dec. 5+6. And of course the Gifted holiday market kicks off Nov. 27 in Manhattan.)

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.

Posted by demby at 11:14 AM | Comments (1)

Carter 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
My name is Carter Wilson Anderson. Goodness gracious, business names. I have gone under Anderson's Audacious Antiques, Big Time Antiques, Demolicious Antiques when I was in L.A., West of Eden, now I'm going under Artifactual. I just got in bed with some friends and we're doing a new website and a new enterprise together and we're here to clock it deep.

Hometown?
Washington, D.C., the city that kills people.

Where do you live?
I live in Alexandria, which is just outside of D.C. and I have a showroom and warehouse in D.C. as well.

How long does it take to get here?
It's about 3 and a half hours if no one wants to go to the bathroom. Three hours 40 minutes maybe, that's doing 75/80 miles per hour.

What do you sell and how long have you been selling it for?
I have been selling for 22 years. Anything from trash to decorative arts. We like to call the good stuff "eye candy." We like to call the stuff that pays for the good stuff "clutter." We try to bring a mix of both up here, make it accessible and bring a little power—you know, get their attention, rock their world.

What's your specialty?
Industrial and Victorian Garden. I like to sell Garden because it attracts beautiful women. And I like to sell Industrial because it attracts gay men and they pay the most for everything.

What's been your most memorable sale?
That's totally easy. In my early 20s I used to sell at the Chelsea flea market on 26th Street. I would leave the nightclub around 1am and get up to Chelsea around 5am. I used to sell a lot of Architectural and pull down a lot of buildings. One time we pulled all the ceiling tin down from this old supermarket and put it on a box truck. When you buy 2-3000 square feet of ceiling tin and you pull it off, you are left with a pile of lead paint chips. That very same week I bought 94 baby bottles from the '20s. So we are sitting around smoking pot (I did that then), trying to figure out what to do with these baby bottles. And we started putting the lead paint chips in the baby bottles, and I thought, You can always sell cynicism and sarcasm in New York. We were selling those paper weights for 40 bucks each. All 90 of them.

What keeps you coming back to the Flea?
Pretty women and I love Eric and it's just a great Flea with a good vibe. We are trying to get our name out here because New York is the best marketplace in America. It's the center of the world, the only city in America.

What do you do for fun?
I skate board—42 years old and I still skate. And I have a beautiful, wonderful kid and I spend as much time with her as I can.

Got a website?
Artifactural is the website [ed.: we're working on this]. We try to come up every couple of weeks, try to keep it fresh and try not to bring up anything more than twice.

Posted by JessicaBK at 3:10 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: Slideshow, blog

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.)

Posted by demby at 10:50 AM | Comments (0)

A 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.
Meal, snack or drink: Snack/light meal.
Eat with: Spoon.
Goes with: Peanut butter brownies, free with purchase.
Local? Lobstahs carted down fresh from Maine every week, made in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
Now or later? Eat on the go!
Other uses: Warms and fills belly while perusing the Flea.
How much? $8.

Posted by JessicaBK at 12:30 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: Jess Bites Flea, blog

Not much boo! in the Hunt this weekend, but it was a treat for the winners.

From left:
Margaret (right) came from the East Village in search of the bicycle print, and found it by 11:30am at—where else?—Taliah's Bicycle Paintings booth. A-doy. Taliah has been Fleaing since Day One, and we bought a T and print from her one year at the Dumbo Art Fair, pre-Flea. She's always creating new takes on her first love: finding cool/weird bikes to depict, creating a bicycle coloring book for kids, going upscale with commissions. Her rise in popularity has corresponded with the recent uptick in NYC cycling, but we credit her talent and acumen not the trend. She's a vicious cyclist! L12 in Fort Greene, F-14 at the Bridge pretty much every weekend.

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.

Posted by demby at 10:50 AM | Comments (0)

In 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!

Posted by JessicaBK at 11:16 AM | Comments (0)
Categories: Slideshow, blog

Welles + Graham Workshop is a new sister-duo biz who make cool clocks (above) and flasks from vintage materials out of their Red Hook studio. Brittany and sis also make and refurbish furniture and lamps which they'll be rolling out if the Flea goes well. I-24, Bridge/Sun

We believe there can never be enough records at the Flea, or any flea. Steve has a retail shop called Iris Records in Jersey City and does fairs all over, now runs his own, the Record Riot, which happens at Warsaw. He's got mostly vinyl, some CDs, no bootlegs, and comes from the comprehensive school, which means heaven for diggers. (For a few boxes of expertly chosen "out" stuff, head to Nick Kass-Johnson's booth, both days.) I-54+56, Bridge/Sun

Sean's background is graphic design, gal Kristy's in fashion—put their heads together and (literally) tapped into Kristy's family's upstate slate quarry, bring the stuff back here, cut it themselves into cheese plates (right), trivets, and the like. Cool clean look to the blue, red (who knew?), and purple slate, which is fairly priced and (we think) poised for the bigtime. They're called Brooklyn Slate, duh. E16, FG/Sat

David Makowski and his lady love auctions and The Hunt, not quite pros though. They like the mid-century, '60s/'70s furniture/lighting (who doesn't really?), Buddhist icons, and handwoven rugs from the Stans. They have a shop called Twice Upon A Time in cute Brattleboro, VT, making their debut trek to ze Flea tomorrow. Welcome them warmly! L13, FG/Sat

More antiques. Randy has been in the game for 15, own shop in CT for 12, daughter lives on Washington Ave., so she knows the Flea. Her biz Stockintrade runs the gamut—vintage jewelry, clothing, housewares, pottery, furniture, and on and on. V16, FG/Sat

Tanesha Smith works at Bluefly.com, right near the gal who handles the Project Runway "Bluefly.com Accessories Wall" (choose wisely!). On the side she's started making terrariums (right), which seem to be all the rage and we hope find a regular home at the Flea. As a fashionista, she'll be augmenting with a few choice vintage-clothing pieces, naturally. W15, FG/Sat

Kallie is in town for one weekend only, so she'll be hawking the jewelry from her 31 Bits non-profit Saturday and Sunday. The snazzy pieces are made from recycled paper by women in Uganda, and the proceeds provide income/jobs and community-building opportunities. Do right. E14, FG/Sat; I-41, Bridge/Sun

Couple new furniture designers in the mix under the Bridge this Sunday:
Kin ichi Ogata is a veteran Japanese designer who is literally entering the American market via the Flea. Insane. His wood furniture (left, below) combines smooth polish with a sort of organic texture that looks like leather or other soft materials. Really cool stuff. Ken works the booth, reps lots of arty types, and found us when he saw one of the Japanese TV Flea shows! F-33, Bridge/Sun

Bret Cavanaugh builds modern furniture out of recycled and new materials, looking for new venues to sell, especially for the lower-priced line he's rolling out. He's also moving studios and has some floor models to part with, so you should find good deals on serious pieces like the gorgeous bed (right, below) and some nice coat racks. F-9, Bridge/Sun

Posted by demby at 3:00 PM | Comments (0)

Fun, useful, pretty things this week. Don't be so scared you don't Scavenge—you can trick, treat, and 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.

1. Bicycle screenprint, matted, 9"x12". New/handmade (Fort Greene/Saturday)

2. Vintage brass shark pendant on 18" chain. New/Handmade (Brooklyn Bridge/Sunday)

Posted by demby at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

The Flea hopes to add to Fort Greene's rep as Brooklyn Halloween Central, with the Great Pupkin contest in the park (go Shuggie!), 313 Clinton's annual insanity, and just general neighborhood ghoulishness.

Flea vendors know they're a no-brainer source for unique costumes and accessories, so they'll be bringing out the dead (stock) to wow the life out of you. And trick-or-treaters should totally make the rounds of food vendors—Liddabit, for example, is concocting baby caramel apples among other special sweets for the day.

We're dying to see the scene unfold!

Posted by demby at 11:05 AM | Comments (0)

Last Sunday the Flea's snazzy Design Co-op switched to Sunday to impress Miss M with their craft-tastic wares. We caught up with one lass purchasing some notecards from Maptote. Welcome Alice.

Where are you from?
California, Orange County.

And you're here visiting?
Yeah, just for the weekend.

Are you staying in Brooklyn?
Uh, we're staying in Times Square.

Did you not know that Brooklyn was the place to be before you booked?
Ha ha. No I didn't. I love this place!

So how did you find out about the Flea?
A bunch of friends told me about it.

What did you buy here?
I got a got a couple of map notes. Of Paris and Manhattan.

What are you going to do with them?
I'm probably going to frame them and put them in my house.

Did you know that Martha Stewart is here today?
Yes I know! I took lots of pictures of her.

What was the last crafty thing you did, the last thing that would make Martha Stewart proud?
Oh, I made a bunch of birthday cards using ink stamps and yarn.
Good one!

Do you think you'll be coming back to Brooklyn anytime soon?
I'll be in Connecticut for the next couple months working, so yeah, I'll probably come back to the Flea as much as I can.

Then we'll see you again! Thanks Alice!

Posted by JessicaBK at 2:00 PM | Comments (1)
Categories: BFF, blog

Jaron was a sales and marketing executive at a major record label for years. Over the last 10 he started collecting antiques on the side, slowly filling his garage in Kensington (which he likes to call "South Slope"). When it started to burst at the seams, he knew what he had to do. He had to sell. And sell he did.

Dubbing himself "Jarontiques" (where everything is "Jaronteed!"), Jaron's first public foray into "the business" was Day One of the Flea, and it was nothing less than inspiring. For the next he year plotted his transition from Executive to Dealer, closing the deal this spring and going full Flea.

When Jaron was a wee tween, he scoured with his grandparents—they collected antiques, he baseball cards. Now fully bearded, Jaron specializes in mid-century modern Blenko Glass—brightly colored, clean lines, highly sought-after pieces—decorative arts, table clocks, and other perfectly unique pieces for the home.

J-Rock always comes correct at the Flea: constantly switching up his booth, giving 110% on his display (all yellow one day, all wood another, grouping random things together), and dedicating himself to the art of collecting in a way that makes him a leader of sorts among the Flea's next-gen coterie. (He's even got a super-snazzy new website now, too.)

And owls. Part of marketing and selling is paying attention to the market—and in this one, owls dominate, says J. He's gone deep into research on the habits and variations of owls, and the quality and quantity of owl items in his booth never ceases to amaze.

Check out Jarontiques in Fort Greene (V5) and under the Bridge (F-12) pretty much every durned weekend. He's a hoot!

Posted by JessicaBK at 10:43 AM | Comments (1)
Categories: Vendor of the Week, blog

We're just quoting Martha, not being cocky! OK, maybe we're milking this a little, so sue us.

In advance of her Nov. 10 TV show on Brooklyn, Martha blogged her Sunday visit to the Flea, complete with a 40-photo slideshow, including this snapshot with Pizza Moto Dave.

Photo Credit: The Martha Blog

Posted by demby at 12:37 PM | Comments (2)

More cross-pollinating among Flea vendor-pals, as Flux Productions has designed the latest fabric for Osborn Design Studio's groovy shoe line (above).

Many Fleasters have introduced a Flux T or hoodie into their wardrobe, whether it be designer Ryan's tree-silhouette, undulating-wave, intertwined-leaves, or other abstract-cool pattern—his stuff is practically de rigueur around Flea HQ. In fact, Senor sported a Flux tree T pre-Flea that he bought from Ryan's (still) regular Prince St. spot in Soho. His shoe design is printed on Japanese denim btw.

Carla and Aaron started out as Heartisans last year—their felt squirrels were and are well-loved—and have since evolved into the more sophisticated Osborn Design Studio. In addition to the line of shoes now featuring Flux, Carla produces intricate, magic-tinged drawings that are very "Brooklyn apartment," and also often has these giant fungi that look like driftwood and/or elephant ears, which she scavenges down in her native Guatemala. She and Aaron have all their crafts—shoes included—manufactured by a small women's cooperative there, which thrives on their sales up north here. Looks good, feels good.

Both vendors will also be at Gifted, naturally.

Posted by demby at 10:11 AM | Comments (0)

Posted by demby at 1:43 PM | Comments (0)

Uber-foodie and crafter Martha Stewart graced the Bridge Flea with her presence on Sunday, and we were humbled. She was really nice! Her niece Sophie, a proud Brooklynite, came along for the ride too, and was equally sweet and down to earth.

Martha was shooting part of her TV show's upcoming hour-long special on Brooklyn, which focuses especially on the food scene Fleasters know and love so well. It's scheduled to air Tuesday, November 10—don't worry, we'll remind you.

Here's Mr. B and Senor bantering with Miss M before our interview. She was talking about being stuck in bridge traffic, and how she hadn't eat all day in anticipation of the Flea, except for some carrot puree she's working on for Thanksgiving. Then she ate like 4 lunches including Pizza Moto, pupusas, lobster rolls, Asia Dog and more!

Posted by demby at 3:12 PM | Comments (0)

The Flea is doing its "Gifted" holiday market again this year--in the big ole borough o' Manhattan. Yes, it's true, and yes it's gonna rule.

Remember the old Tower Records Annex, at E. 4th St. and Lafayette? We're doing it there. (There's a halloween store there now.) We'll have room for about 50 vendors, and we'll be open 5 days a week (Wed-Sun) until Christmas, after launching the Friday after Thanksgiving, Nov. 27.

We're working with Lucky magazine on Gifted: Their editors will do a rotating Curated Corner all month featuring their favorite cool designers and makers, and the mag will help us get the word out in that foreign land across the river, and beyond....

So what to expect as we step it up? An alternative to big-box stores for one. An affordable option to high-priced boutiques for another. Way better stuff than blah gift markets--for sure.

So far we've got everything from Lotta Jansdotter to Brooklyn Brew Shop home beermaking kits to 19th Century nature prints to Lacroix vintage jewelry to awesome design objects to super-cute letterpress stationery to hipster T-shirts to pretty terrariums to a full range of maker-made jewelry. And we've only just begun.

We've left a few spots open to welcome new vendors into the Flea fold, so if you've got what it takes and want to sell at Gifted, drop us a line. We'd love to hear from you.

Finally, we're planning a cool window display/installation, likely featuring the digital reindeer on the right as Gifted's mascot. What do you think of this cute creature?

Posted by demby at 2:57 PM | Comments (2)

Yes, the nutcrackers ARE for sale. Maybe Martha had some crafty ideas for them during her 3-hour tour of the Bridge Flea on Sunday (postponed from Saturday for weather). One of the Flea's finest hours yesterday, thanks to all for coming out. Relive it here.

Posted by JessicaBK at 5:00 PM | Comments (1)
Categories: Slideshow, blog

We're a bit overwhelmed here at Flea HQ this week. We'll get the Scavenger Hunt and vendor layouts up soon, but in the meantime we just want to let you know that the special guest you may have read about coming to the Flea this weekend--she's coming on Sunday instead of Saturday. Yep.

For this reason, coupled with the millionth crappy Saturday forecast this season, Sunday is packed to the gills with the best mix of vendors the Bridge Flea has seen in its brief tenure. The Flea Design Co-op is hopping over to Sunday from Saturday, as are loads of regulars and newcomers--too many to list here. And we've carved out extra space to squeeze in virtually every food vendor in the Flea family on Sunday as well, many of them shacking up together for a sort of one-day stand.

So come, fly into the mystery, and we'll see you on the other side.

Posted by demby at 2:05 PM | Comments (0)

Pretty special item this week--special enough in fact to compensate for Saturday's non-item. Happy Hunting!

When you find the item 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.

1. "A-Light" accent lamp, with shade inspired by dilapidated NYC building facades and Japanese wabisabi. New/handmade (Brooklyn Bridge/Sunday)

Posted by demby at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

Don't call me a third wheel. Who wouldn't approach a hot pair, looking all in love, to be their bestie? Welcome Jamie and Jeff!

So, what did you buy here?
Jamie (right): We bought an awesome dresser from a store called My Little India. They actually have a store but they just closed down. And then we got this chandelier.

Did you also get that from My Little India?
Jamie: Oh, yes.

What are you going to do with it?
Jamie: We just moved in together, so the dresser is going in the bedroom to replace the Ikea furniture--you know, movin' on up. This is going over our soon-to-be-purchased dining room table.

Cool, where are you getting your table from, somewhere at the Flea? I hear Long Island Eddie makes a mean table.
Hopefully.

Have you been to the Flea before?
Jeff: Yes, I have.
Jamie: I haven't.

So you guys are making that big step together?
Jamie: Yeah, we are.

Did you move in the neighborhood?
Jamie: No, Greenwich Village, about a block away from where we live.

How are you getting your dresser home?
Jamie: Those awesome moving guys are going to help us. (Ed. note: Word up, Eddie Rock.)
Cool, well enjoy the love nest, and come back for some plates and picture frames and stuff.
Jamie: OK Thanks!

Think I'll get invited to the housewarming? I would totally bring something awesome like a grapevine from Groundworks or maybe a clock made out of vinyl from Wecords By Monkey (hint hint). Thanks Jamie and Jeff!

Posted by JessicaBK at 2:00 PM | Comments (0)

Saturday is a big day for the Flea, with special guests galore. Among them will be a troop of about 40 budding marketeers from across the country attending the "How to Create Successful Markets" conference put on by the excellent non-profit Project for Public Spaces.

The marketeers tour New York's "great markets" in addition to attending seminars and the like, and the Flea is apparently one of those now. We're pretty sure folks just wanna eat lunch at our yummy vendors and peruse the antiques and clothes, which is fine, so if you see Senor holding court with a bunch of huarache-juice-spilling out-of-towners by the bleachers around noon, tell 'em how much you love the Flea!

Posted by demby at 10:52 AM | Comments (0)

The weather, um, could have been more awesome this past weekend, but somehow Saturday held up enough for the Flea to flourish, if modestly. Hunters persevered nonetheless, naturally. We only have info on one winner, awaiting the other...

Kate (left) just moved from Indiana to Brooklyn Heights, where she works as a nanny. She's never won anything before, so she was pretty psyched to find the cute earth-mover onesie in Brooklyn Junior's booth. She's gonna send it to a good friend back home in Richmond, Indiana, who just had a baby. Nice. She's with BK Junior's Nadia, she of the fire-red hair, who churns out stylish, versatile kids clothing over in B1 every darn week. Nadia also just launched a new shop of her own, after 2 years of success at the Flea, over on the corner of Myrtle + Clinton Ave. Do check it out!

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

Posted by demby at 3:00 PM | Comments (0)

It might have been a bit rainy in the morning, but the sun, shoppers and happy vendors took over the afternoon. If you missed it on Saturday, check the slideshow.

Posted by JessicaBK at 3:22 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: Slideshow, blog

Plenty o' news bites to go around of late, figured we'd do a little gray-day roundup. Not least among them is Lonely Planet, whose homepage splashes (above) on the Flea with an informative Q+A with Senor. Hopefully lots of global backpackers and adventure travelers will take heed!

Some other cool hits:

Stylecaster peruses the Fort Greene Flea, tries on a fur stole, ogles a turtle-shell purse, plays with a Stormtrooper action figure, visits Charlie the Child Swami.

The Daily Obsession drools over Kumquat Cupcakery, like so many before them. Sweet.

Heart Fish's Hijiri cruises the Flea, also extols the virtues of our new Design Co-op.

NBC NY also digs the Design Co-op.

The Voice's Robert Sietsema returns to the Flea food fold and discovers (relative) newcomers like Liddabit and Asia Dog. Also acknowledges the Salvatore ricotta "toasts" as out of this friggin' world.

Senor is quoted in the Times Styles section as helping redefine the word "curate." Silliness.

Longtime vendor Brooklyn Junior has opened a new shop of their own at Myrtle and Clinton. Congrats!

NYU Local, the big U's unofficial news site, hearts the Flea.

The Daily News gets hip to Boiled in Brooklyn's Goober Peas. Boiled peanuts, yum. (Unfortunately, Katherine and crew are done for the season we just learned! :-()

Posted by demby at 1:00 PM | Comments (0)

Supposedly it may rain this weekend--if you believe weatherpeople we've got a bridge in Brooklyn.... Anyhoo, two quite nice handmade items of a very different sort on offer this weekend for hearty Scavengers. Happy Hunting!

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:
1. Really cute soft cotton onesie, printed with eco-friendly, non-toxic inks. New/handmade (Fort Greene/Saturday)

2. Two tri-pod candle holders, made of three metal rods hand-tied with wire rope. New/handmade (Brooklyn Bridge/Sunday)

Posted by demby at 12:00 PM | Comments (1)

There's nothing finer than the intra-Flea connections that spring up around the markets. A ricotta-and-granola combo here, a handmade sweater photo shoot with a jewelry vendor there, and a Blue Marble sundae with Nunu caramel everywhere.

Lillian Crowe (left) and Darlene Estremera, together known as Fringe + Feather, met at the Fort Greene Flea last summer (2008) and decided they liked each other so much, they would just share a booth from then on, pairing original jewelry and vintage clothes. Nice.

Lillian's two cast-jewelry lines are Shipwreck and Anatomical. The former features items like driftwood and squid pendants; the latter's signature piece is a human rib cage that Lillian fashions into gold, silver, and brass necklaces, and she's got other body parts too. They're a big hit at the Flea. About half her stuff is made from salvaged goods and dead stock, because not creating new waste is important to Lillian. So are her cats, Buffy and Cuthbert Cut Throat.

Darlene, originally from Long Island and doing the fashion thing for a few years now, has the vintage. She sells boots, belts and bags, scarves, skirts and dresses, and even one or two ponchettes (Ed. note: term coined at the Flea, check the images below, you'll see what we mean). Her picks are very cute young sophisticated stylish gal in her 20s--not unlike Miss D. And if you see Darlene in the morning, don't be surprised if she's rocking a new outfit that afternoon. She's got it like that.

In addition to Flea biz partners, Lillian and Darlene are also friends. They try to match their outfits (until the plan is black and white, and Lillian shows up in bright yellow) and give each other feedback on their wares. Aside from the business, they chill, and at their first sleepover, Darlene found a cuddle buddy in Cuthbert Cut Throat while sleeping on the floor. Hence, another shared interest found in Lillian's cats.

Fringe + Feather can be found at both the Fort Greene and Bridge Fleas most Saturdays and Sundays. Pop in, and ask about the ponchettes.

Posted by JessicaBK at 10:17 AM | Comments (0)
Categories: Vendor of the Week, blog

Who doesn't like some good political discourse with a BFF? When I saw dude checking out a book at Nick Kass-Johnson's table, holding a camera and what seemed like an awesome motorcycle switch knife (no, he wasn't holding up the place, he had just bought it, too), I thought, He looks fun: book, camera, knife, and all! Welcome Mikey.

Have you been to the Flea before?
No, this is my first time, actually.

Is that 'cause you're always home reading?
No, I came here to get a book. I'm a computer nerd, so I'm usually at home on the computer during the weekends. I want to read more. That's why I'm here.

And where is home?
About a block away. You see that building there? That's me.

You live that close to the Flea and this is your first time? Wow.
Yeah, I thought I should finally come and experience it, and experience the neighborhood.

Damn right. So, what'cha got there?
I bought this book [Aristotle's Politics] because of the sad state of affairs now--I guess I wanted to read about what it was like before now. Or, I guess, before government! Before the Sarah Palins of the world. Ugh. I just can't understand what some people believe in these days. Anyway....

So are you going to go home and read then?
Actually I'm going home for a dinner party. Potluck style! We'll probably have roast chicken, pasta, a really good salad.

Sounds delish! Can I come over? After I eat the fish taco, I mean.
Sure!

I never actually made it over for din, but felt like I created a solid bond with my BFF anyway. Thanks Mikey!

Posted by JessicaBK at 10:21 AM | Comments (0)
Categories: BFF, blog

Our friendly pals at fun-loving blog/email Brooklyn Based are taking over the Curated Corner at both markets this weekend, and they've done a bang-up job--perhaps our most dedicated and cohesive effort yet. The potential of the Curated Corner is being realized less than a year after it was launched at the Winter Pop-Up Market in DUMBO, which is nice.

Nicole and Chrysanthe of BB have compiled a full breakdown of the 12 snazzy vendors they've lassoed this weekend, everything from muffins on a bike to hula hoops to a vintage-portrait photobooth. Curated Corner crammed with quality and cool. Cosmic.

In what's now a Corner tradition, a percentage of sales proceeds will go to the St. John's Bread and Life soup kitchen and food pantry in Bed-Stuy. Nice!

Here's some of the fun stuff the gals have procured for your perusal:

Saturday
Kristiana Parn: Prints perfect for the little people in your life.

Maid Marian Muffins: Marian is making 3 kinds of muffins--apple-chocolate-pear, cranberry-orange, and cranberry-orange-corn, which she'll be selling off her bike. (She's usually in Prospect Park.)

Jezebel Letterpress: Flea veteran Leigh Batnick's line of stationery and 14 karat "ant" necklaces and rings.

Mama O's Kimchee + The Meat Hook: Meat main man Tom Mylan brings a taste of his soon-to-open butcher shop with some homemade chili. Yummy kimchee.

Miss Ellie Jewelry + Brooklyn Based totes: They'll be joined by BB contributor Alicia Kachmar’s super-cute crocheted creatures, including the mother-and-daughter pumpkin set above.

Tiburon: Anne O'Neil's Red Hook shop will be selling her shirt dresses made of flannel and corduroy men's shirts, as well as ties made from men's dress shirts. (Her label is Archibald Leach.)

Sunday
Spring will feature a sampling of wares from their awesome DUMBO design shop: Deborah Bowness bookshelf wallpaper, the arrow hanger featured in the Times, an egg-carton stool, and more.

Circle Candy Custom Hula Hoops: Made by Elaine Tian makes custom hoops for indie rockers like Sufjan Stevens, and for regular folks too. Jen Bleier will give a "hoopilates" demo at 12:30 pm. (Sign up and head to the park for the demo.)

Kenspeckle Designs: Nerdy Brooklyn-inspired t-shirts for men, women, and kids.

Anarchy in a Jar + bundt: Are mini bundt cakes the new cupcake? Decide for yourself with bundter Andrew Sessa's pumpkin, Guinness-ginger, chocolate-chile, and other flavors. Anarchy jammers are preservationists of the highest order. Bundt for a hit!

The Meat Hook + Brooklyn Kitchen:: Tom Mylan's back, joined by Flea vets Brooklyn Kitchen, who will be hawking cool vintage kitchenware.

Shootbooth: Get your shot snapped with a large-format camera inside an updated century-old photobooth. Really fun!

Posted by demby at 3:30 PM | Comments (0)

The Flea's Design Co-op, curated by Lena Corwin and managed by Moontree Letterpress' Rebecca Kutys, was a big success in its Saturday debut, and we took some pics to give you a slideshow snapshot. The tent was full all day with curious shoppers, most of them pleasantly surprised by the cool art, design, and home objects on offer.

The Co-op is back this Saturday and every week from here on out, head on over if you haven't yet.

Posted by demby at 10:21 AM | Comments (0)

Charlie, the 7-year-old wunderkind who basically rules the Flea, struck out on her own Saturday with a fortune-telling booth (in her parents' Anodyne booth, near the lobster rolls) that did a brisk business all day. With the recession-proof price of a quarter, Charlie displayed a mastery of economics that spilled over into the realm of soothsaying.

Quite possibly the cutest girl in the world, Charlie was dead serious in both her channeling of the higher planes of consciousness--and her swami style sense. (Leopard hat!) It goes without saying that this addition to the Flea has a bright future.

Posted by demby at 3:21 PM | Comments (1)

Fleas in full effect this past weekend, pretty much the way we dreamt 'em up way back in November '07. Thanks to all for coming out! Hunts were over quick, as the items were awesome.

From left:
Monica (left) lives in Clinton Hill, avidly reads the Flea blog, but this was her first visit to the market. Hmmm. She beamed with delight after coming early to scope out the booths and then spotting the "Manhattan Cleaners" laundry bag in Three Potato Four's snazzy booth. Here she is with Stu, who came up from Virginia with all those letters and numbers. Three Potato's back Oct. 24.

Jessica (left) lives in Bushwick, she's a photographer from Houston. Jess has been looking for a Hunt item since the beginning of the summer, finally scored it. Not sure the Bearded Man baby T will fit her perfectly, but certainly a toddler in her life will be made happy sometime soon. She's with Erica of Species by the Thousands, whose groovy designs feel Brooklyn hippie and yet simply chic, from her T's and sweatshirts to her jewelry and accessories. She's at both markets most weekends, discover her for yourself.

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

Posted by demby at 11:32 AM | Comments (3)

As Mr. Rogers said, it was a beautiful day in the neighborhood. In case you missed it, watch it on FleaVo.

Posted by JessicaBK at 11:20 AM | Comments (0)

What did you find at the Fleas? Or, anything you were looking for but didn't find? We love to know.

Posted by demby at 8:30 AM | Comments (1)

Co-headliners this week, and another gaggle of new vintage/antique dealers. We're approaching some sort of Golden Age here it seems....

Andy and Chery are veterans of 26th St. and longtime antique show exhibitors. Andy co-founded Lin Weinberg Gallery which was in Soho 1994-2004 and now he and Chery run Mix Gallery in Chelsea, and they'll be transporting their Mid-Century Modern/Industrial Design/Folk Art/Deco/Machine Age furnishings, art, and housewares (above) to the Bridge for a try out this Sunday. Fleasters beg us for this kind of stuff--show us you mean it and get in the Mix. I-48, Bridge/Sun

Yet another top dealer gets hep to the Bridge Flea this week. Dina and Rob run Satyricon out of the Center 44 Midtown showroom, focusing on Mid-Century furniture, lighting, and art (above). Yum. They'll be bringing all that, plus ceramics, glass, industrial curiosities and architectural remnants (!), rare books, vintage wines, and oh so much more. Leave some time to explore this one. F-29, Bridge/Sun

Chad Dziewior is a furniture designer who collects same on the side. Nakashima, Knoll, Kartell, Heller, 1984 Macintosh--you know the names, come see the real deal. (Check out his sales webpage, mighty impressive.) Chad's also got plenty of knick-knacks for the casual Fleaster, he's no dummy. W15, FG/Sat; I-16, Bridge/Sun

Susanna Moore is an accomplished woman of letters (In the Cut, One Last Look, I Myself Have Seen It) and a writing professor at Princeton. She also collects clothing and textiles, much of it in the antique realm from China, and of course she has an enormous trove of books. Please help her dispense with these material items on Sunday--and meet a great writer while you're at it. F-39, Bridge/Sun

Stylist Sale Alert: Nikia Nelson is a costume designer and production designer; her friend is a magazine editor. They're one-timers with clothes/home stuff/jewelry/shoes. Go git 'em! E17, FG/Sat

Bill is a friend of Maurice's, from the old school (26th St., etc.). He just called us last-minute for a spot, coming in from the East End to try out Fort Greene, which he's heard a lot about out there. His biz is Worldwide Auction Catalogs, with a focus on vintage auction catalogs (everything under the sun), collectible books, and reference books of all kinds. Serious collector stuff! C7, FG/Sat

Gary is another 17th St. longtimer, has all kinds of crazy antiques. Last week he had an amazing rocket-ship coatrack, bizarro vintage toys, wood cuttings--like, real flea market stuff. Serious character as well. W27, FG/Sat; F-25, Bridge/Sun

Marie Nadege Paul lives in Ditmas Park, training as an architect, born in Haiti. Has all sorts of cool Haitian artifacts: clay figurines, paintings, iron work (right), all kinds of cool artifacts, old and new. W35, FG/Sat

Magasin Totale is Michele's DUMBO showroom (below) where she reps product designers, jewelry makers, artists, and more. She also has a cool side biz called Clutter for Cash, which means she has nice, well, stuff of all kinds as well. I-11, Bridge/Sun

Posted by demby at 2:45 PM | Comments (0)

Everyone loves Stu and Janet's modern take on vintage housewares at Three Potato Four, so whenever they make the trek up from Virginia (!) we try to let folks know. Lots of letters, numbers, symbols, bright colors, and impeccable taste. (That's a Russian girl doll, above.)

They'll be in V2 in Fort Greene on Saturday, and might grab a spot at the Bridge on Sunday too.

Posted by demby at 12:28 PM | Comments (0)

Thar's gold in that thar yard! Shiny stuff Saturday, soft stuff Sunday (from a previous rain-out for those playing at home). Should be perfect weather for Fleaing, and Scavenging, of course. To the Hunt!

Note: two items this Saturday.

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.

Happy hunting!

Clockwise from top left:
1. Pair of '50s 24k gold-painted vases. Vintage (Fort Greene/Saturday)

2. '50s industrial laundry/dry cleaning bag from "Manhattan Cleaners." Vintage (Fort Greene/Saturday)

3. Organic cotton "Bearded Man" baby tee. New/handmade (Brooklyn Bridge/Sunday)

Posted by demby at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

John Murphy is "that really cool artist guy" you've seen at the Flea since Day One, with the super-saturated ornate frames surrounding vibrantly colored, intimately detailed photographs of miniature sets he constructs in his Philadelphia studio, usually featuring small birds and flowers. They feel like 2-D dioramas of Candy Land or some other fantastical technicolor world.

John is a longtime art curator who now focuses solely on his own work. His pieces aren't what you'd call typical "flea art" in any way, and ever since he started out with the Design*Sponge section in April '08 we've seen scores of Fleasters ooh and ahh over his gorgeous work, deservedly so. For a unique edition like what he brings to market, it's right up Affordable Lane, especially when you think of the frame and print as two pieces combined.

John also sells unframed photo collages that are sourced from 19th Century etchings, then combined with his own photographs and printed on archival paper in limited editions. (Check the slideshow below.)

Although his photos and frames are of a single piece, John will soon start selling the frames separately. He's also launching a new stationery collection that's pretty and cool. And don't miss his ostrich drawings, which will be finding their way onto Baby Flea's wall very soon.

John does the Saturday and Sunday Fleas, but he's been focusing on the Bridge market lately, including this Sunday, Oct. 11. He's usually in F-41 along the back fence near the pupusas, chillin' and chattin'.

Posted by JessicaBK at 10:14 AM | Comments (0)
Categories: Vendor of the Week, blog

Manhattan User's Guide (aka "MUG"), a top shopping blog, crosses the bridge for its latest "21 Under $21" feature, finding a range of items at the Flea as diverse as the market itself.

To wit: maple marshmallows ($6, Whimsy + Spice), a vintage GE travel iron ($15, Reclaimed Home), Itty-Bitty Mieko Bowls ($19, Alyssa Ettinger), Gramercy Rail Pendant ($20, Citybitz), and, well, 17 more great things. Check it out.

Posted by demby at 10:50 AM | Comments (0)

This Saturday, Oct. 10, we're launching a new "Design Co-op" of top local artists and designers, curated by textile designer and illustrator Lena Corwin, under a single big tent every week in Fort Greene.

It's a big step for us in terms of logistics and quality, but we figured that if so many folks love the Flea's local food, we should capture that same spirit with Brooklyn and NYC's excellent craft/design scene.

You'll find the Co-op in its own double-booth up front every Saturday (B19+20 on the vendor map), featuring top Brooklyn artists in design, painting and printing, ceramics, letterpress, and more. (We'll have a webpage with all the vendors later this week.)

Confirmed Co-op vendors for October include Lotta Jansdotter, Laura Normandin, Marcie McGoldrick, Moontree Letterpress, Sesame Letterpress, MAPTOTE, Wayne Pate/Good Shape Design, and Lena Corwin. Additional vendors will be added for November, and for the Flea’s upcoming Gifted holiday market, starting November 27.

Individual vendors will make appearances at the Co-op on a rotating basis, and special events and guests will be scheduled as well, such as a limited-edition poster designed by Wayne Pate (above) available for $15 at the October 10 launch.

Check it out!

Posted by demby at 3:05 PM | Comments (2)

Sun showers on Saturday attracted the savvy collectors, knowing they'd have the run of the place, while Sunday's picture-perfect day brought out the masses. Either find yourself Where's Waldo-style here or check what you missed in this week's slideshow.

Posted by JessicaBK at 11:42 AM | Comments (0)
Categories: Slideshow, blog

Saturday was going great until the R word showed up and drenched us. Sal chipped his tooth that morning but still managed to come through for the Hunt. Respect!

From left:

Nicole (left) lives in Hoboken and she and her sister had "Wendy" dolls as girls in the early '80s. She fondly remembered playing with her mullet for hours on end, so cute. She found the tracksuited doll in Sal's Tincan Trading Post booth before noon. Sal is new to the Flea but already feels like a regular, trekking down from Sullivan County with all kinds of antique goodies. He's got stories in spades too. He noted how Wendy's mullet and soft perm hair was extra-enhanced and fluffy from all the humidity Saturday. Ha. He's around L15 on Saturdays.

Debra (right) saw the psychedelic Woodstock poster --more far-out than groovy--on sunny Sunday, and moments later it was hers. Lovely Cara had trucked it in from Detroit for the debut of her Dolly Rocker's Detroit Vintage booth last weekend, where she had a blast and got right into the spirit of the Flea. Her dad is Carl Lundgren, whose rock posters (including this one) are legendary and gorgeous. Cara sells digital prints of those, plus cool rocker vintage clothing, and her friend's great architectural salvage. Nice mix!

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

Posted by demby at 8:08 AM | Comments (0)

As is customary on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, I was thinking about what was going to fill the belly when I saw two words I didn't understand together: Goober and Pea. I thought this nice chick could help me out. Meet Adriana.

Where ya from, Adriana?
I'm originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, but I've been living in Greenpoint for 6-1/2 years.

What do you do?
I'm an interior designer.

Have you been to the Flea before?
No.

No?! I would think as an interior designer that this would be your thing!
I know, I know. I went to Pratt so I really should be going to the Fort Greene one.
Mmm hmm.

So, have you heard of Goober Peas before?
Yeah! I'm from Tennessee! But I wasn't expecting to see them here. So, it was a nice surprise.

People might not know that a Goober Pea is a boiled peanut and think it's something weird or gross. What is the weirdest or grossest thing you ever ate?
Um, I guess a whole prawn. It's not that terrible, but with the head and everything? Yeah, gross.

And what is your favorite food?
Pasta.

Pasta? I thought you were going to say some awesome BBQ or something.
Being a good southern girl of course I love southern food, but pasta is amazing and there is so much good pasta in New York.

Good point. Guess we need a pasta vendor.

There ya have it, the culinary surprises of a southern transplant. Thanks Adriana!

Posted by JessicaBK at 10:16 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: BFF, blog

Fleaster Steven sent us this pic of his darling daughter Sophia in the wicker chair they bought in Fort Greene on Saturday avant le deluge. It was $30 from Phyllis at Reclaimed Home, who by the way has awesome new stuff for fall.

Send us your Flea pics, we'll post 'em here and on our Facebook page.

Posted by demby at 11:47 AM | Comments (0)

Click here for the weekend's layout every Friday at noon. (Scroll down for the Bridge Flea.)

Jes Minardi and pal Brooke have dealt in antiques for awhile, including a shop up in Cold Spring, then Jes did a stint as an artist, and now back to the 'tiques. They have housewares (like Russell Wright stuff, above) and a little furniture and seemingly quite good taste. I-15, Bridge/Sun

Many rug merchants have tried to Flea and but ended up fleeing instead. If you like vintage rugs, we'd love to have a permanent vendor, and father and son duo Zia and Zach of ZZ Imports want to be those guys. They're sweet, helpful, honest, and bringing rugs you can afford that are really nice. Worth a visit. F-35, Bridge/Sun

Cara is a friend of TJ's from Detroit, and she runs Garment District New and Vintage out there in Roseville, goes by the nom de vendor Dolly Rocker. Reformed New Yorker, got a hankering for the Apple, driving in for the weekend with everything from cast-iron architectural salvage to wooden casting patterns (from the D's "industrial revolution") to b+w blues photos by Leni Sinclair to amazing rock and roll posters (wink wink). Strong. L12, FG/Sat; F-5, Bridge/Sun

Liz and her Re-In-Vint biz does a lot of online selling, but she'll be squeezing her vintage housewares (like four-suits ashtrays, right), small furniture, and hardcover books into an 8x8 spot in Fort Greene. Keen eye, curated look. E31, FG/Sat

Maurice aka Mick just showed up last week with a truck full of antiques spanning a spectrum of styles, and he was a big hit. He'll be back in the Clermont/Lafayette corner on Saturday. C2/L2, FG/Sat

Anthony Franck had a carpentry and antiques shop on E. 4 St. in the city for awhile, then on E. 10 St. that he said was open mainly at night. Hmmm. He's got tons of stuff, we're curious to know what he has too. B8, FG/Sat

Upscale stoop sale alert! Kira Dixon and Adam have some vintage furniture (right), some construction tools, some lamps, some smalls. Adam ran a design-build firm for 10 years, has a bunch of stuff in storage they need to split with now that they're in Tucson, and their collector pal Joe is sharing the booth. Kira manages a public market there, so she's gung-ho to experience the Flea. Welcome them warmly. B7, FG/Sat

Michael Davis happened upon the Bridge Flea recently and as a collector is taking turn on the Other Side. He's a retired swimming coach with lots of smalls, housewares, glass, all in great shape. F-43, Bridge/Sun

Rain-out newbies from last week:
Soft Maps are Emily Fischer's invention: laser-stitched quilts of organic cotton between layers of silk patterned on street maps. Genius, as evidenced by her double victory on Apartment Therapy's Design Showcase this week, where she garnered the most votes from both editors and readers. Emily's map quilts include Fleaster neighborhoods like Fort Greene (above), Carroll Gardens/Cobble Hill, Dumbo--you get the picture. Haptic Lab, the biz name, is just launching, with the Bridge Flea as her exclusive retail outpost starting this Sunday. Map it! I-3, Sun/Bridge

Natasha Diggs is another 17th St. flea refugee, with a specialty in rare records, vintage jewelry and watches, and antique bric-a-brac. She's a longtime dealer making her Brooklyn debut, she's friendly, show her some love. V14, FG/Sat

Posted by demby at 4:00 PM | Comments (0)

Red Hook Lobster Pound--aka the "Lobster Roll people"--are rolling out a new lobster bisque and lobster grits on Sunday under the Bridge. We're not aware of too many other fleas with lobster bisque available--it's almost funny how classy the Flea can be and yet still maintain its salt of the earth vibe. High/low, baby.

And just sayin' that if you haven't been to the Bridge Flea on Sundays yet, we have to say that it's really hit its stride over the last few weeks and has become a really high-quality market with a distinct identity from Fort Greene. This Sunday it's full to the brim with awesome vendors new and old, and the sun might even come out. You can also check out the progress on the new Brooklyn Bridge Park at Pier 6 this Sunday, which is scheduled to open in January. (The Bridge Flea is technically part of the same park btw.)

Posted by demby at 12:27 PM | Comments (0)

We're really into this week's Hunt, with two stellar vintage items in the mix, each special in its own way. Scavenge away.

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.

Happy hunting!

From left:
1. '70s girl doll with mullet hairdo and red satin tracksuit. Vintage (Fort Greene/Saturday)

2. Commemorative Woodstock poster by Carl Lundgren, 13"x19". Vintage (Brooklyn Bridge/Sunday)

Posted by demby at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

Madewell pal Lisa Schulner shouts out the Flea on Luckymag.com as one of her favorite vintage shopping haunts in New York City, which we appreciate. Not that Lisa wasn't a vendor last summer with hubby Michael (they were cutely called Morris + Tweed) and isn't 100% objective, or that the Flea and Madewell didn't team up over the summer, but still, it's nice to be in the (virtual) pages of Lucky.

This Japan thing is getting weird. The Flea shows up in this month's GQ Japan (above, with Brad Pitt on the cover), in a big Brooklyn-heavy NYC feature. We bow politely toward Tokyo.

And finally, commenter prezanon was correct that Alexa Chung digs the Flea in the new issue of Vogue, in a piece that only seems to exist in the print realm. Thanks Alexa!

Posted by demby at 3:19 PM | Comments (0)

Charlie (above), who keeps the spirit of his old Vinylmania shop alive at the Fort Greene Flea every week, gets some well-deserved play in the Times story today about the afterlives of former record stores. Great read, including some other Fleasters like Rich of Etherea, who was at the Superstar DJ Record Fair.

Meet Charlie in the flesh in his regular W3 spot on Saturday, and every Saturday after that.

(Photo by J.B. Reed for the New York Times.)

Posted by demby at 3:09 PM | Comments (1)

Apparently Long Island Eddie got hated on by his women when he bought these two chairs to sell at the Flea. But he got his retribution when they both sold within the first couple hours. I tracked down one of the buyers to see how she felt about the debated chair. Turns out, the buyer was such BFF material, I asked Rei to be our BFF this week!

Do you come to the Flea often?
This is my first time. To Brooklyn.

Wow. Where do you live?
Manhattan. West Harlem.

And what do you do?
I work in advertising. I'm an art director. [Ed. note: two points for Eddie and the chair.]

So if you've never been to the Flea, what brought you out? You think the chair was calling?
I saw it in an ad in my local Japanese paper. I had always been curious.

Why did you buy this chair? What are you going to do with it?
I fell in love with this chair as soon as I saw it. [Another point for Eddie.] I'm going to put it in my bedroom and read in it.

Did you get anything else?
And I bought a little dress from Aissatou. [She runs Tessan Boutique.]

Where are you going to wear your dress?
I haven't thought about that yet. Only about my chair.

Damn, you love that chair. Alright, I'm going to take your picture.
Alright, let me look like the queen I am.

Yes, ma'am. Nothing like a woman in her chair who knows she's queen. Thanks Rei!

Posted by JessicaBK at 1:50 PM | Comments (2)
Categories: BFF, blog

This Sunday the Food Network show The Best Thing I Ever Ate will be filming part of its upcoming McClure's Pickles feature at the Bridge Flea. We couldn't agree more on that description of McClure's' garlic dills, hot and spicys, and mustard--simply mahvelous.

They'll be shooting before we open Sunday morning, but you can trickle in early for a sneak peek if you like. It's possible Senor Flea will be standing in for Mr. Allen as guest host.

Are we jumping the shark?

Posted by demby at 10:54 AM | Comments (2)

Mr. B. made another nice video last weekend, this time of the Brooklyn Bridge Flea on perhaps its best day yet. Enjoy!

Posted by demby at 1:40 PM | Comments (0)

All hail Fernando and Jolanda Martinez, makers of the venerable huaraches, tacos, quesadillas, and horchata at the Flea and Red Hook Ball Fields--and now 2009 Vendy Cup winners! Rafael and his perfect pupusas took home the Cup last year, so the Red Hookers are on a serious roll--to almost no one's surprise frankly.

We're happy as jalapenos to be snuggled inside the tortilla of love and deliciousness that is the pupusa/huarache/elote trinity, and hereby vow never to rest until every Brooklynite--nay, New Yorker--has basked in their handmade, saucy sopa de sabor glory. Que fuerte!

Posted by demby at 9:46 AM | Comments (0)

It rained on Sunday's Hunt (tired of that refrain), but Saturday was just perfect. Thanks for comin' out!

Cutie Amy (right), a Flea regular and Fort Greener (one and the same?), snatched the handmade pillow from the City Owl booth a little after noon, a fine fall find. Ashley (left) and her hubby's vintage biz, one of our '09 faves, focuses on industrial items for the cool Brooklyn shoebox apartment: foundry molds, metal assembly-line baskets, and a new focus on end/coffee tables, chests of drawers, and chairs made from reclaimed wood and metal items they find. The stuff is super-cool and affordable, check it out. Don't miss their awesome wire lamps and b+w paintings by the hubby. E37 every Saturday (by the pupusas), Bridge Flea some Sundays.

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

Posted by demby at 2:31 PM | Comments (0)

There's nothing like a crisp fall day to delight the shopping senses. From vintage toys to new locally designed jewelry, the Flea had it all this past weekend. In case you missed it, these are a few of our favorite things.

Posted by JessicaBK at 9:04 AM | Comments (0)
Categories: Slideshow, blog

Soft Maps are Emily Fischer's invention: laser-stitched quilts of organic cotton between layers of silk patterned on street maps. Genius, as evidenced by her double victory on Apartment Therapy's Design Showcase this week, where she garnered the most votes from both editors and readers. Emily's map quilts include Fleaster neighborhoods like Fort Greene (above), Carroll Gardens/Cobble Hill, Dumbo--you get the picture. Haptic Lab, the biz name, is just launching, with the Bridge Flea as her exclusive retail outpost starting this Sunday. Map it! I-3, Sun/Bridge

Dara Yoon just got a puppy. This is good for you. An ex-"sneakerhead" with a bunch of exclusives on ice (right), Dara also has clothes, art/design books, records, art, and "a bunch of random cute things I've accumulated throughout the years from different places in the world," but she's gotta part with them before the puppy chews them first. She's got a blog too. E23, FG/Sat

Natasha Diggs is another 17th St. flea refugee, with a specialty in rare records, vintage jewelry and watches, and antique bric-a-brac. She's a longtime dealer making her Brooklyn debut, she's friendly, show her some love. V14, FG/Sat

It's refugee weekend apparently. Chris has done the Garage for a decade, couldn't do the Flea last year, finally coming onboard tomorrow. His biz is Blue Jet Toys, here's a sampling: Victorian board games, '50s Dick Tracy rubber-stamp set, '60s Dream Date game, Darth Vader lamp, plus a nice $1/$2 table. Let the games begin. V10, FG/Sat

Sal feels like a character who's been prepping his whole life to become a Flea vendor. Born in southern Brooklyn, high school in the '70s Slope, managed major downtown clubs AREA and MK in the '80s (hired Michael Alig as a busboy!), moved upstate to Sullivan County and started selling antiques out of a trailer. Thus was born Tin Can Trading Post (right), which Sal says right now features "a Florence Knoll storage cabinet, a Civil War-era body basket, industrial pallets, and an Edison/Mazda light bulb that works." Lots of wood, industrial metal, boxes, you get it. L13, FG/Sat

Nick Kass-Johnson, also born to Flea. Just 27, he's in a band (Acorn Chainsaw), delivered coffee for Porto Rico, amassed his book collection working at the Strand, writes poems, makes art, collects stuff on cross-country road trips. He's got: "Silver Age" '60s Marvel Comics and other rare indie imprints, rare books, paper ephemera, obscure vinyl and CDs, vintage toys. Classic, get over there. E29, FG/Sat

Chris Schenk, self-described "writer/inventor/furniture-maker/restorer," created the "Wrap-a-Nap" (below), which he says is essentially a "blindfold pillow." He handmakes each one. He also restores Eames lounge chairs, hopefully he'll bring an example or two for you to ogle or buy or lounge on while Wrap-a-Napping. Ah the nonstop cavalcade of characters. E26, FG/Sat

Posted by demby at 4:18 PM | Comments (0)

More lovely shopping weather on tap for this weekend, as well as some tip-top Hunt items. When autumn leaves begin to fall, we Scavenge.

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.

Happy hunting!

From left:
1. Crocheted pillow. New/handmade (Fort Greene/Saturday)

2. Organic cotton "Bearded Man" baby T. New/handmade (Brooklyn Bridge/Sunday)

Posted by demby at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

You know when you just know? Like, the moment you lay eyes on you future husband or wife, or the first time you see that 1984 something or other for which you've been saving all your paper route money? Yeah. This was how it was for me when I saw these two gals getting two bikes from Hudson City Antiques debut booth at the Flea. Twas love at first sight. Meet Andrea and Tracy.

Where are you from?
A: We are from Minnesota. But originally Arizona. Woo-hoo! AZ!

Alright. And what do you do?
A: I'm a marketing consultant.
T: I work in buying and planning for Macy's.
A: And I also work for Uptown magazine doing marketing.

And where are you going to go on your new bikes?
A: Right now, we are going to stop by a block party and later we are going to a boxing party/BBQ.
T: We'll also use the bikes for errands around our neighborhood.
A: Oh! But first, first, we are going straight home to take pictures of our new bikes to send to our parents and other sister to make her jealous!!

Good one.

Enthusiastic, bike-riding, Flea-going, jealousy-producing, hot sisters. You see why I come here? Thanks Andrea and Tracy!

Posted by JessicaBK at 1:50 PM | Comments (3)
Categories: BFF, blog

House hottie Olivia Wilde digs the Flea, according to her "25 Things You Don't Know About Me" feature in the new US Weekly. In addition to fleas, she's also obsessed with miniature horses (we're sure Flea vendors have these around), loves Kurt Vonnegut, and had a childhood crush on Slash. Sounds like a cool chick to us. Thanks Olivia!

Also thanks to reader Diana for hipping us to the clip--and even highlighting #21 where the Flea shows up.

Posted by demby at 10:21 AM | Comments (0)

There will be a casting tent for the new Jerry Seinfeld-produced reality show The Marriage Ref at the Fort Greene Flea this Saturday. We know, wacky.

On the upcoming NBC show, various celebs will act as refereees for real-life disputes between spouses, deciding who's right and who's wrong. Cute idea.

Basically you and your partner can go to the tent on Saturday and "pitch" your favorite/classic marital argument or point of contention--parenting, pets, fashion, money, in-laws, housework, friends, sex, etc.--and if they like you who knows!?

The Flea is only a host for the casting call--we ain't got nothin' else to do with it.

Have fun!

Posted by demby at 1:35 PM | Comments (0)

Hunt didn't take long this weekend, what with the sun and breeze. We heard Orlando Bloom was in Fort Greene Saturday, can anyone confirm? That would be cool.

From left:

Pretty Nancy, a self-proclaimed "vintagista," found the enamel brooch in the Happy Hill Vintage booth, where daughter-mom duo Daphra and Ann have been having a ball for the last month or so. They do the high/low-brow clothing and accessories thang, and live nearby so they love to hang--they're even making videos of the Flea now. Daphra works by day at DonorsChoose.org, an e-commerce website that connects public schools in need of resources with donors, which we figured deserves a plug. They're in E35 on Saturdays.

Sunday's winner was a doozy. Monkey (left, he of WrecordsByMonkey) decided to hide his recycled-record-vinyl bracelet in Lionel and Constant's booth nearby, since all Monkey makes is record bracelets. Cassidy, new to New York via Montreal and attending Senor alma mater The New School, was at the Flea for the second time and was scouring the Bridge market for the Hunt item. For hours apparently. She found it, she was really happy, we were happy too. Monkey plays in W28 Saturdays and I-25 Sundays.

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

Posted by demby at 5:00 PM | Comments (0)

The Brooklyn Brew Shop kids, Stephen and Erica (above), have been a huge hit at the Flea since their late-spring launch, and we're proud papas. They've been showing up in the press pretty much once a week since then, and this week they made the Times so we figured we'd share the very cute piece. Love the town halls closer!

Posted by demby at 2:00 PM | Comments (0)

The Flea shows up on the much-loved Neighborhood Map in New York mag this week, for being featured on Japanese TV twice now. Random but cool!

We also popped up on the Times' The Moment blog yet again today, this time in a blurb on the cool Le Fooding Paris-New York foodie happening at P.S. 1 that our pal Alex is putting on this weekend.

Posted by demby at 1:42 PM | Comments (0)

Folks love Flea food, ain't no doubt. Sweet, savory, Asian, Latino, baked, grilled. Yum.

Our new pals at Gourmet noticed, and invited the Flea to take part in the annual Gourmet Institute's Marketplace, where foodies from all over come to taste what's good and what's next. Fort Greene mainstays Whimsy + Spice, Liddabit Sweets, Hot Blondies Bakery, and Miss Amy's Preserves are all taking part, and we hope they get discovered by top tasters far and wide--they deserve it.

The Gourmet Institute takes place Friday to Sunday, Oct. 23 to 25, and the Marketplace happens Oct. 24 and 25 at the Altman Building in Chelsea. In addition to the Flea food pod, they've got locavore yummies, artisanal tastings, wine and booze pourings, celebrity chef signings and all that kinda stuff. It's $20.

We just noticed that Gourmet http://www.gourmet.com/restaurants/2009/09/new-york-street-food rounded up its favorite NYC street-food vendors, with the wise inclusion of 3 Fleasters: Pizza Moto, Red Hook Lobster Pound, and the Red Hook Food Vendors. Grazie!

Posted by demby at 8:00 AM | Comments (0)

We were hoping for the best and we got it this weekend, as both Fleas emerged from their summer cocoons as full-fledged beauties packed with just insanely cool merch and thousands of ogling shoppers. A sampling of the joy below...

Posted by demby at 12:54 PM | Comments (0)

If there were such a thing as perfect weather for the Flea, this weekend is it. Let's usher Miss Fall in properly, with a nice combo of vintage and unique/handmade items at the Hunt Saturday and Sunday. Hunt, peck, rejoice.

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.

Happy hunting!

From left:
1. "Tickle Me Blue and White" '60s feather brooch. Gold-plated with enamel. Vintage (Fort Greene/Saturday)

2. Recycled record-vinyl bracelet with double Brooklyn and Manhattan cityscapes. New/handmade (Brooklyn Bridge/Sunday)

Posted by demby at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

It's tricky to differentiate amongst Fleas, but let's just say that this weekend is shaping up as a doozy. For regulars, we've got a nice crop of fresh faces at both markets as well as the return of several vendors from summertime sabbatical. Never been? See what a full Flea looks like in picturesque Fort Greene or dramatic DUMBO, and get what it's all about. Frankly, we haven't figured out what it's all about yet, but suspect it involves magic.

Doris sometimes shares a booth with other vendors, but this Sunday she strikes out on her own, complete with an awesome new name: Hippie Danish (as in Denmark). Tablewares, modernist toys, textiles, an Aalto (a Finn) umbrella stand (!?), vintage American flags, a Schwinn, and more. Stuff you want (above). I-61/Bridge, Sun

Sandra and George run the lovely little shop Hudson City Antiques on Ninth Ave. in Chelsea, and they have a fine eye for 19th and early 20th Century furniture and items. They'll be bringing mostly smalls on Saturday, as well as some Brooklyn-theme paperweights and cards they've created. Some Manhattan folks going for the big time in the BK! W6/FG, Sat

Graf heads alert: Evan Browning has hundreds of photos his dad took of NYC subway graffiti in the '70s (right), mostly in Brooklyn--the golden era. He's been scanning them and also has some originals, check 'em out. Word/life. E36/FG, Sat

Randi Ehrhart is coming in from North Adams, Mass., for the first time Saturday. She's a longtime dealer with "a storage room full of Indian clothing, antique bric-a-brac, art, jewelry, tons of beaded necklaces, beads, genuine stone, handblown glass, etc." Mostly she wants to sell face-to-face instead of online. So leave some time to sort through her treasures and have a chat. E28/FG, Sat

Planted landscapes and cards made from wallpaper (right) is where Justine is headed with her Earth Crammed with Heaven business--how could we say no? A self-described "landscape architect/graphic designer/maker of beautiful things/trapeze artist," Justine is just waiting to be discovered by all you crafty/design types. E17/FG, Sat

The Mac Support Store over on 7th St. in Gowanus is doing a little clearance sale on Saturday, with stuff like a $5 mouse, a $30 real wood keyboard, and an $80 PowerBook battery. Gearheads, see you at the iFlea. W15/FG, Sat

Akanke Watu is trying to raise some extra cash by parting with her closets full of gently used clothing, shoes, artwork, hats, toys, and more. Cash for clutter! W24/FG, Sat

Bronnie ran the Gallery for Wearable Art in Manhattan for 25 years, then got out. Starting tomorrow you'll have access to her "lifetime collection of antiques, mostly embroidered textiles, laces, antique children's books, a few dolls, unusual antique and vintage clothing of a very sophisticated variety plus many collectibles in all categories." Um, sounds really good! L15/FG, Sat

Christine runs the Shawnee Gallery down in Pennsylvania where she reps a bunch of great rural woodworkers, blacksmiths, and jewelers. We especially liked Richard Weber's "Spheres of Influence" earthenware (right). I-48/Bridge, Sun

Kara Krupnick lives in the 'hood, checked out the Flea for the first time in July, told us she wanted to sell her housewares and vintage duds. Done. V13/FG, Sat

Posted by demby at 11:00 AM | Comments (0)

Cool thing alert. Karen and Al (above) of Antiquinaires are among our most dedicated team players, always working to make their booth more attractive and relevant to Fleasters, helping out fellow vendors, dropping hints to Senor and Rob to lift up the market as a whole. We like.

They've started a fab new service at the Fort Greene market where every Saturday between 2 and 3pm they'll appraise any vintage/antique item you bring in for the "price" of $1. Wondering if your grandma's candy tin is worth selling on eBay? Got a nice Deco lamp that seems valuable but you're just not sure? Bring it to Karen and Al in booths W19+21 (on the center aisle) and they'll let you know.

They run an auction and antiques shop out in Nassau County and have been in the "business" for decades, so they know this from that and bric from brac. Plus, Karen and Al are sweethearts of the highest order and you'll have fun while learning the flea-market ropes. Who knows, maybe you'll realize your stuff is ready for primetime at ze Flea!

Posted by demby at 9:46 AM | Comments (1)
Categories: blog

Brothers (in the literal sense) Lionel and Constant sell at the Flea as Nenenn155. They have a really cool take on vintage shoes, clothes and jewelry, as well as paintings, that they've honed to a sharp edge for the Flea crowd. Most of their stuff comes from their native Haiti.

The friendly upbeat bros are also accomplished painters and musicians, and recently released a funky tribal jazz album as Vodu155. In the '80s they made the scene as a sort of hip-hop/freestyle crew called Unity 2. (You must check out their hilarious music video for "Shirlee" (she's my little girlie!), directed by a young Matt Dillon and starring a young, hot Veronica Webb.) Lionel and Constant see their Flea booth is a sort of extension of their art, merging Haitian and American culture, but Fleain' wasn't always the plan.

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. As you can imagine, it changed everything. In order to take care of their newly found responsibility, they launched Nenenn155 and have been importing Haitian goods to NY to sell at the Flea ever since. Their business has slowly grown since (cute blog/website now up), which has in turn created jobs for the family back in Haiti. (They go home every 3 or 4 months to check in too.)

Every vendor's got a story, and this is just the tip of Lionel and Constant's iceberg. Next time you Flea, chat 'em up--and any other vendor who seems interesting. That's what it's all about.

Posted by JessicaBK at 8:38 AM | Comments (0)

Records everywhere and tunes aplenty, you better believe the vibe at last week's Record Fair was packed with coolin'-out happy folk. No doubt the sun, the vintage duds, the smell of Pizza Moto wafting and People's Pops dripping down the faces of babes all contributed to make this a fair to be reckoned with. Found this dude would agree. Meet Lee Rubenstein.

Will you be my BFF?
Sure! I subscribe to the blog and I came all the way from Harlem for this.

Cool! What do you do?
I'm an internet guy. I maintain a website for an e-commerce company. I recently fell in love with vinyl. My roommates thought I was crazy for coming all this way. I go around the city looking for vinyl but no place has as many records as this.

What are you going to do with your new records?
I'm going to clean 'em first, then I'm going to listen to them, then I'm going to digitally archive them.

Song of the summer?
This summer? This summer is all about Michael Jackson. I hear it everywhere--in cabs, in stores, on the street, especially in Harlem. Harlem and MJ have a special relationship.

And what's your favorite record of all time?
Weezer. The Blue Album. It's a perfect record.

That didn't take you long to answer.
No. It's a perfect record.

Word, Lee. Enjoy your music and thanks for the chat!

Posted by JessicaBK at 1:52 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: BFF, blog

The Flea was recently featured in its second Japanese TV documentary, and it's kind of a cool segment. The program "Global Vision" focused on three "markets of the world," in Korea, Morocco (Marrakech), and Brooklyn. There are some pretty amazing juxtapositions--the chicken/poultry vendors in Korea followed by Salvatore Bklyn cannoli in Fort Greene--and they did a really good job of capturing the vibe at the Flea. Great behind-the-scenes shots of some of your favorite vendors too.

The Flea segment starts at 28:56.

Posted by demby at 11:15 AM | Comments (1)

Just one winner (again!), since no one found the Tiny Tim LP. Unfortunate.

Ariel (above) lives around the corner from the Flea, comes here often as they say. She found the lovely "Autumn Leaves" necklace in lovely Maya's Very Cool Jewels booth, which is always full of her simple, delicate, elegant handmade necklaces and earrings. Maya comes down every weekend from Woodstock with her awesome daughter (who's starting to rule the yard with Charlie from Anodyne btw), and she's got a singing career in the works as well. Chat her up about it. E15 in Fort Greene and I-21 at the Bridge every week.

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

Posted by demby at 2:11 PM | Comments (0)

Yet another Flea vendor in the Times' sights, as Joe Heidecker (known to Fleasters as Jaybird Antiques) gets some love for his artwork on The Moment style blog. He refashions found images with beads, sequins, thread, and other sparkly bits to beguiling effect. Where does he score most of the vintage photos? At flea markets, naturally.

You can find friendly Joe and his groovy antiques in Fort Greene in L13 some Saturdays, and I-10 at the Bridge every Sunday. Great guy.

Joe's show is up at Johnson Trading Gallery, 490 Greenwich St. (btw Spring + Canal St.) in West Soho, through Sept. 30.

Posted by demby at 1:09 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: blog

The record fair and vintage bazaar had just the right vibe yesterday: very European, with a little Marrakech thrown in for good spice. You could get lost in the fashion bazaar, and happening upon the record fair was a lovely surprise. Just ask Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese Witherspoon, who joined sister Maggie and Peter Sarsgaard (and little Ramona), who strolled through, People's Pops in hand. (No pic of them unfortunately.)

Posted by demby at 10:44 AM | Comments (0)

While Senor and Rob were moving giant planters and directing traffic, Mr. B had time to make this cool video yesterday! Thanks for coming out, it was a great day for the Flea. (The tune is Beck's cover of "Run, Run, Run" from The Velvet Underground & Nico.

Tell us if you found any awesome records or vintage pieces in the comments.

Superstar DJ Record Fair 2009 from Mr. Brownstoner on Vimeo.

Posted by demby at 9:58 AM | Comments (0)
Categories: blog

Fall springs into action at the Flea this weekend, the beginning of our peak season presaging the peak foliage. We're celebrating with a nice full Saturday Fort Greene Flea (weather be damned!) and a record fair and vintage fashion bazaar under the Manhattan Bridge Arch on Sunday.

Note: No Brooklyn Bridge Flea this Sunday only, back next week.

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.

Happy hunting!

From left:
1. "Autumn Flowers" charmed necklace in bronze and brass. New/handmade (Fort Greene/Saturday)

2. Vintage vinyl copy of With Love and Kisses from Tiny Tim: Concert in Fairyland, his rare/unreleased 1968 second LP. Vintage (Manhattan Bridge Arch/Sunday)

Posted by demby at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

Some really cool new vendors at Fort Greene tomorrow, check 'em out.

NuNu Deng (above) is the daughter of a Sudanese diplomat who has created a jewelry social business called Ma'at Nuri to benefit women's issues in Southern Sudan, as well as the women who make the gorgeous rings, necklaces, and earrings. It's gorgeous stuff, both traditional and contemporary, and Ms. Deng is coming up from DC just to do the Flea. Shop and save (Sudan). E14/FG, Sat

Jill ran the well-loved Nolita vintage boutique I Heart until its too-soon closing this past spring, a great shop 'twas. But don't despair! She's reviving the Heart this weekend at the Flea, including a booth at the Vintage Fashion Bazaar on Sunday. She'll be hawking top clothing pieces by Samantha Pleet, Dirty Librarian chains, and vintage vinyl from her DJ pals Language, Doug Lee, Brennan Green, and purported surprise guests. A happening 10x10 scene to be sure. W22/FG, Sat; Pearl St. Triangle/DUMBO, Sun

Monica's Fancy Antler Vintage biz mixes clothes and records, which made her a perfect fit for our Sunday extravaganza. She ran record shows down in Pennsylvania before she moved to the NYC, so that stuff will be awesome. Monica figured she'd try out Fort Greene on Saturday as well, and we bet she'll be a regular before long. B22/FG, Sat; Archway/DUMBO, Sun

Fumihiro and Eiko's new vintage-collecting biz is called Brooklyn Bug, and their blog/site, though all in Japanese, convinced us that they're gonna have cool stuff. Fumihiro, who's also a really cool works-on-paper artist, described their wares as "60% of vintage glass wear, 20% of Zippo ligther, 10% of lighting, 5% of vintage furniture, etc (not jank!!!)." Cuz the Flea ain't no place for jank yo. B10/FG, Sat

Lauren and her mom (who'll be Fleaing soon too) specialize in mens and womens costume and estate jewelry as well as vintage Whiting and Davis hand bags. They're longtime Chelsea vendors, including the now shuttered 17th St. + 6th Ave. flea (RIP). Bedazzling. V2/FG, Sat

Posted by demby at 11:54 AM | Comments (0)
Categories: What's New?, blog

Starting this Sunday at the record fair/vintage fashion bazaar we'll have our fab Flea Bags for sale again, for a paltry $10. In addition to perfectly fitting LPs and 12"s, Flea Bags are an easy way to show off how snazzy you are: on the subway, sauntering Brooklyn high streets, or cycling Manhattan bike lanes.

Loyal longtime Fleasters Loyalty + Blood designed the Flea Bag for us, culling from their awesome series of fancy letter tote bags. Dave and Maggie from L+B will have the bags for sale every weekend at their booth: B3 in Fort Greene, I-12 at the Bridge. We'll have a bunch at the Archway on Sunday too, of course.

Posted by demby at 10:53 AM | Comments (0)
Categories: blog

We're just putting the finishing touches on the Superstar DJ Record Fair + Vintage Fashion Bazaar, checking out the new electricity and benches in the Archway (above), making sure there's room for Pizza Moto, Red Hook Lobster Pound, Blue Marble, and People's Pops in the Pearl St. Triangle near the vintage fashion vendors, primping the sound system for the Buy that Tune vendor/DJ game (every record they play is for sale on the spot!). Ya know, Flea stuff.

Quick update on the goings-on this weekend in case you missed it: There is no Brooklyn Bridge Flea this Sunday, Sept. 13. The Bridge Flea will be back every week as normal next Sunday, Sept. 20.

So instead, we put together the record fair/fashion bazaar under the Manhattan Bridge, at Water and Pearl St. in DUMBO. (Map below.) Luckily, folks like New York mag, the Times, Daily Candy, New Release, and NY Press noticed and helped us spread the word.

There's a lot going on in the hood this weekend: Brooklyn Book Festival (not to be missed!), our partner/pals' Halcyon's 10th anniversary throw-down (Saturday) at South St. Seaport, Harbor Day, make a day of it.

Some nice new blood has come onboard since we announced last week. One special guest is Babi Floyd, who has sung on hits with the likes of Gwen Guthrie ("Ain't Nothin' Goin' On but the Rent"!), Nile Rodgers, and Max Romeo. Holy moley! Think of the possible records he's got. His wife Jennifer is also a Flea regular with Spotted. Musician Guillermo E. Brown, who's played with David S. Ware, Anti-Pop Consortium, and now Billz, has crazy vinyl plus musical instruments and artifacts. Top hip-hop mag Wax Poetics is coming with a crate of "Golden Era" hip-hop and all kinds of goodies. DFA told us they'll have the first hand-stamped white label vinyl of the four upcoming LCD Soundsystem remix 12"s of 4533--get 'em quick!

On the fashion side, Treasures + Pleasures have a special trove of unique pieces they scored from a longtime Christian Lacroix jewelry designer, which they'll be unveiling this Sunday for the first time. Fancy!

Come on down.

View Larger Map

Posted by demby at 12:39 PM | Comments (0)

Scavenging shouldn't count as work, which you should avoid at all costs this Labor Day Weekend. But by all means feel free to Flea at will. Just one item this week--very similar to last Saturday's btw.

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.

Happy hunting!

1. Lee Fifth Avenue hard-straw hat with sash on the brim, '30s/'40s. Vintage (Fort Greene/Saturday)

Posted by demby at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

Just a few newbies this holiday weekend, but they're good 'uns.

Matt and Lauren are global residents, collecting ephemera everywhere they go. "We collect the common and the exceptional and present them together. We see uniqueness in the mundane of an exotic land," Matt wrote back in April when they were originally accepted to the Flea. They're back from India now, with matchboxes, tin mess kits, religious ephemera, hand-selected scarves, tailored cotton shirts and linen pants (above). Less trinkets, more everyday living items. They're called Matchbox, check 'em out. E19/FG, Sat

Shusei Sugawara has been a furniture and cabinet maker for the last six years in Brooklyn, now setting up shop in Clinton Hill. He does all custom work, but he'll be unloading some prototypes and samples on Saturday, along with a few plants for good measure. Nice stuff. B23/FG, Sat

Crystal's biz Oh So Glossy is a combo of upcycled vintage items, especially denim, and groovy vintage shades (right). She seems nice too. E17/FG, Sat

Posted by demby at 11:05 AM | Comments (2)

Afrobeat smoothies, pitchforks, and old-school scales. This and more at last week's Flea.

Posted by JessicaBK at 10:00 AM | Comments (0)
Categories: Slideshow, blog

At first I was afraid. I mean, the pitchfork they were carrying was taller than both of them. I saw Carter Anderson was selling a mess of them. But I had to find out more about the people that were buying. Welcome Athena (left) and Anna.

Hey guys. So thanks for taking the time to talk to me. What are you doing at the Flea today?
Anna: We come often. Athena will be selling soon. She makes bracelets, hats and sock puppets. She donates the money to different charities.

That's awesome! What is the charity you are currently donating to?
Athena: I am doing the Brooklyn Breast Cancer walk on October 16th.

Have you been doing this for a long time?
Athena: Yes.

Where have you been selling?
Athena: Just to friends.

Do you want to be a designer when you grow up?
Athena: I don't know yet.

How old are you?
Athena: I'll be 12 soon.

Where do you guys live?
Anna: We live in Bay Ridge.

Do you come to the Flea often?
Anna: Oh yes, since last summer. And we also got this painting from Dustin. He made an owl because Athena was represented as an owl in Greek mythology.

Nice. You learn something new every week with the BFF. Pitchfork-wielding, charity-giving BFFs. Thanks Athena and Anna!

Posted by JessicaBK at 4:00 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: BFF, blog

They weren't even planning on going into business so soon. Sure, Jen and Liz knew in culinary school they worked well together and got along super-duper, but they didn't think it would all happen so quickly....

Jen and Liz both graduated from the French Culinary Institute in SoHo about a year ago. While working their respective food-related jobs (Jen cooks and delivers food and Liz works for Roni Sue, the Essex St. Market chocolatier), they were still finding time to cook, eat, and talk about food while cooking and eating. One day they decided to make a candy bar--you know, for fun. And then The New York Times article came out. You know, the one with Eric in the center of Brooklyn's hottest foodies? Jen and Liz thought, "Hmmm. Let's bring our new candy bar to the Flea and just try to sell it." They brought him some samples at Flea HQ, including their insane honeycomb treat, and got the coveted go-ahead.

From candy experimentation to full incorporation of their business, Liddabit was up and running in a couple months after their launch at the Flea in April. (A New York mag plug before they started didn't hurt.) Their signature King Bar is filled with all sorts of goodness like brown sugar/brown butter cookie, peanut butter nugget, and fresh banana ganache. They also rock a coconut lime bar, beer-pretzel-and-salt caramels (omg, i want that), a perfect peanut-butter-and-jelly bar (healthy!), and that honeycomb thing, just to name a few.

But that is really just the tip of the of the sundae. Their products change seasonally and week-to-week based on whimsy and random inspiration, so your tastebuds will always have a surprise treat. (Listen to this Hey Brooklyn online radio interview for a candy-science dissertation.) And they use all biodegradable packaging so you can gorge guilt-free.

Check Liddabit at the Flea every Saturday in Fort Greene in E6 and soon at fine artisanal stores like Greene Grape Provisions.

Posted by JessicaBK at 3:10 PM | Comments (1)
Categories: Vendor of the Week, blog

The Flea's Superstar DJ Record Fair returns Sunday, Sept. 13. Yay. Since it's also Fashion Week, we're combining it this year with a rad Vintage Fashion Bazaar. Double yay!

Because we can't hold the normal Brooklyn Bridge Flea that date (due to Harbor Day festivities), we're doing this special double-whammy at The Archway under the Manhattan Bridge, just down Water St. in DUMBO, and in the adjacent Pearl St. Triangle plaza. (Apparently we have an affinity for Fleaing under bridges.) We'll have about 30 record vendors under the Archway and 15 vintage clothing/accessories/jewelry dealers in the Triangle. Plus a few special Flea treats of course.

Lots of friends are helping us make the event great, including Time Out NY and the Dumbo Improvement District, and old pals Halcyon (whose doorstep we're on) and Other Music (who partnered with us for last year's record fair). Rollin' deep!

Brass tacks: So who all is selling stuff?

Record vendors:
Al-Bums (Western Mass. shop), Will Briski (Flea vendor), DFA Records, Robbie Busch/DJ McBoing Boing, DJ db + DJ Dara, DJ Ese/Def Jux, Ghostly International, Halcyon, Mikey IQ Jones (Other Music), Rich Kim/Etherea Records (former Ave. A shop), Phil Lanigan/Addicted to Vintage (Flea vendor), Athan Maroulis/Sepiatone, Doug Mosurock + Friends, Piotr Orlov (journalist/DJ), Andrew Parks/Self-Titled magazine, Bert Queiroz (Other Music), Record Grouch (formerly of EAT Records), DJ Rekha (Basement Bhangra) + DJ Chew Rocks, Alex Stimmel/Unbreakable Records, Alison Tara (Turntable Lab dance buyer), Elliot Taub/DJ Ulysses + John Selway, Aaron VanDeursen (indie vendor), Lamar Vannoy/Aaron Aardvark + Sons (Flea vendor).

You got your techno, your house, your bhangra, your soul, your obscuro, your dirge, your indie, your classic rock, your worldy vibes--you got it all basically. We still have room for a few more record vendors if you or anyone you know is interested. Just email us.

Duds and baubles:
Estate of Art Vintage Lifestyle, Funky Fanny's, Hairy Mary's Vintage, Melissa Halverson, Marilyn Hitchcock, I Heart NYC, Jellyroll Vintage, Madalin Antiques, Papushka Vintage, Treasures + Pleasures, Tutek, Mara Vernaza, Jamie Viano, Vintage Loft NYC, White Dove NYC, Zazalooie.

See you at the Fair!

Posted by demby at 1:44 PM | Comments (0)

Just one winner again this week after Saturday's washout.

Emily (left) and Nick (right) are Fort Greene-Clinton Hillsters who made their first trek to the Bridge Flea on Sunday, and walked away lucky! They found the pretty triple-branch necklace at Birdhouse Jewelry, the stalwart weekend home of jewelry-making couple Amy (center) and Alen. Birdhouse is one of the Flea's most popular vendors, because their work is delicate, versatile, beautifully made, and spans an affordable price range. Plus, Amy and Alen are sweet as honey, and they love to chat. So go, gander, and gab. C7/Fort Greene, I-2/Bridge (literally) every week.

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

Posted by demby at 1:42 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: blog, scavenger hunt

Summery, simple, Scavenge, that's this week's mantra. Now go forth and Hunt, paying no mind to this Danny fella!

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.

Happy hunting!

From left:
1. Lee Fifth Avenue hard-straw hat with sash on the brim, '30s/'40s. Vintage (Fort Greene/Saturday)

2. Triple branch necklace. New/handmade (Brooklyn Bridge/Sunday)

Posted by demby at 1:47 PM | Comments (0)

As usual, you could barely see into the booth of Flux Productions, what with all the shoppers copping their soft and stylish wares. But one emerged from the crowd, looking satisfied as hell, and I thought, he looks like a happy man. And what more do you want for your BFF than happiness? That, and maybe a Flux Productions T-shirt. Meet Tariq.

What do you do, Tariq?
I'm an artist.

What's your medium?
Music. Hip-hop. I also own a clothing store in Massachusetts called B.xclusive.

Is that where you're from?
Yeah, I have a house out there and also in Atlanta, Georgia. But I'm originally from Mass.

So, what are you doing in New York?
I have a music conference at Club Torch.

Are you going to wear your new shirt?
Nah, I'm going to save it for a later date. I love the material.

There you have it people. A man on the move. Thanks Tariq!

Posted by JessicaBK at 10:00 AM | Comments (0)
Categories: BFF, blog

Last week Hideya Sagawa was our Vendor of the Week, this week he finds himself on the Times' coolest blog, The Moment. Fancy that.

Melissa Ventosa Martin highlights a few of Hide's (HEE-day) meticulous, chunky turquoise jewelry pieces on the blog, and gets in a little of his back story at What Goes Around Comes Around, where his longtime interest in vintage Western and Native American jewelry began, as well as his upcoming collaboration with Kenji Kawasaki of Amoskeag XX.

Hide is the nicest fella you'll ever meet; he sets up in V12 in Fort Greene and F-8 under the Bridge every week.

Posted by demby at 9:38 PM | Comments (0)

Fleasters are ubiquitous even in the blogosphere, where we came across Nathalie of People's Pops' ruminations on The Atlantic site about launching a small business, Flea-style, in the big city. A cool peek behind the scenes at one of our best-loved vendors, where it literally takes a lot of lemons to make lemonade--or organic lemon-basil shaved ice, as it were.

Nathalie's a real journo in her own right, but along with Joel and David they've taken the big leap into full-on popsicledom. If the lines at the Fleas (they do both markets weekly) and the volumes of press they keep getting are any indication, things are heating up, or cooling down--whatever's better for a popsicle basically. So read about the traffic jams, dry-ice mafioso, and leak-inducing potholes that go into that little frozen fruit pop--and then enjoy a "Crazy-Ass Sweet-Cream-Corn + Blackberry" or whatever else they concoct this weekend.

People's power!

Posted by demby at 1:42 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: blog

Slow news week wha? Fleasters abound in media large and local alike in the last week, all of it well-earned as always. We're proud papas!

The Nightwood gals, Myriah and Nadia (above, left and right), are a Flea success story. They gave their new biz making minimalist craft furniture from reclaimed wood parts (like the cool dresser above) a go at Day One April 2008--they started with an 8x8, but have since moved up to a snazzy front 10x10--and haven't looked back since. (Nadia also makes awesome pillows like the geometric pattern on the chair in the photo, as well as the Zodiac signs.) This week they get a nice look from the Times Local/Fort Greene blog, which recaps their story thus far. We know the gals have big things in store from here on out--get a piece now and say you know 'em when. They're in B9 at Fort Greene right up front every other Saturday, including this week.

We're not sure anyone works harder than Dave (above, right) and his deservedly heralded Pizza Moto oven/booth. Dave is chef at Lunetta on Smith St. by day, then slaves over his hand-built brick oven every weekend, braving the 900-degree peak temperatures (as well as rain and cold) to serve you perfect pies. Pizza guru Adam Kuban of Serious Eats' Slice blog reviews the Moto 'za this week, and you can color him impressed. Dave's back by the Fort Greene bleachers and at the Bridge Flea every damn weekend without fail--thank goodness. (Also join Dave's Facebook group for amusing pre-Flea weekly missives.)

The hits keep comin' for the Brooklyn Brew Shop kids, with a full fawning-over in last week's NY Observer. Brew on!

We love the fashionista blogs, like My Dad's Happier Than Your Dad (?), which reveals the kind of obsessive shopper that keeps the Flea's vintage-clothing vendors in business. Nice pics!

That Budget Travel shout-out was picked up by CNN.com yesterday--let the crowdswell begin!

Posted by demby at 1:56 PM | Comments (0)

Although it was wet for about 30 minutes, it was a beautiful Saturday at the Flea. Check out what you missed or find yourself in these pics. See y'all next week!

Posted by JessicaBK at 3:00 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: Slideshow, blog

August Fleaing is for troopers, so we're appreciative of every vendor and shopper who makes the trek. Hopefully the Hunt makes the journey a little easier. Just one winner this week.

On Sunday Diane (right), visiting from San Francisco with her family, found the two-sided glass pendant featuring a tree branch on one panel and the Brooklyn Bridge on the other in Joan's always happenin' Citybitz booth. Diane "read about the Flea somewhere" and knew she wanted to visit on her 9-day NYC visit. All of Joan's glass work grabs "bitz" of our city and transforms them into jewelry, decorative windows, and more that are part art part keepsake. Joan's in W43/Fort Greene, I-26/Bridge most every weekend.

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

Posted by demby at 4:00 PM | Comments (0)

Just one item this week, presumably due to the threat of Monsieur Guillaume L'Hurricane Saturday. To wind and rain we say, like a postman, peshaw! Hardcore Fleasters (and vendors) know the inclemence translates to dollars and cents. (Oy vey.)

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.

Happy hunting!

1. Glass pendant features two NYC images--find it to reveal the second image. New/Handmade (Brooklyn Bridge/Sunday)

Posted by demby at 10:10 PM | Comments (0)

Hot on the heels of Planet Green's naming The Flea the #1 flea market in the U.S. come more props from Budget Travel: The popular magazine just included the Flea near the top of its list of America's Best Flea Markets. Here's what they had to say: "In less than two years, this sale in a Brooklyn schoolyard has attracted a large enough following to justify a second location and seasonal spin-off events. Shoppers come for the mix of vintage clothing and jewelry, architectural salvage, and decorative objects like modernist table lamps and metal desk fans dating from the early to mid-1900s. Alongside the secondhand-goods sellers, you'll find booths from local designers of reclaimed-wood furniture, handmade shoes, and more. The food stands are just as diverse: Celebrated taco vendors, cheesemongers, and bakers all make weekly appearances."

Posted by Brownstoner at 2:42 PM | Comments (4)
Categories: blog, news

As I was strolling, I noticed a woman carrying a Blue Marble Ice Cream in one hand, and in the other, a very large painting of a tiger with some people dramatically and painfully draped over a rock in the middle of violent waters. I was a little bit scared and very much intrigued. I also wanted to know which vendor was bringing the goods. Meet Sheba.

Where did you get that painting? Might want to pick up one for myself.
It's mine. I brought it here.

Oh! Are you selling it here?
No. I'm taking it out for a walk. I was in my studio and I wanted to get out and talk with people - get a response or some feedback on the painting.

Wow. Ok, well you caught my attention. Is your studio close to the Flea?
It's where I live, in the Upper East Side.

So, you left your studio, with your painting, with the intention of taking it on a walk at the Flea?
Yes. And I met an amazing artist on the train on the way here. He showed me a painting he made and it is incredible. You never know who you are going to meet. I'm thinking about getting a t-shirt made that says "Meet The Artist" so when I walk around with my art, people know I'm the artist and they can ask me about it.

That's a good idea. What is this painting?
It's a painting of Gustav Dore's Deluge, which is his illustration of the bible.

So there you have it folks. A roving art gallery, from Flea shopper Sheba Ross Delaney.

Posted by JessicaBK at 1:40 PM | Comments (8)
Categories: BFF, blog

When Eating A People's Pop, Avoid Sticking By Licking Lips First

Image taken from real-life events.

Posted by JessicaBK at 10:50 AM | Comments (1)
Categories: blog

Behold the huarache. Maybe you knew what you were getting into when you ordered one for the first time, maybe you just followed the lines/masses and got what they got. The Martinez Family piled high meat, cheese, veggies, guac, crema, and hot sauce on a double-tortilla situation, you paid your (modest) 6 bucks, and you proceeded to drip huarache juice all over the Fort Greene Flea, eventually plopping down on the bleachers to devour diverse flavors new to your palette, and then settling into a euphoric midday food coma. We've all been there--it's become a rite of passage at the Flea.

Now it's time to show some love. Before the Flea opened in April 2008, the fate of the fabled Red Hook Food Vendors--with the Martinez huarache/taco stand among the most beloved--was unclear. The Flea provided a temporary home for them, as well as Rafael Soler and his pupusas and Everardo Vaquero and his elotes, jugos, and horchata. (That's grilled corn, fruit juices, and that yummy milk/cinnamon drink.) We were as proud then as we are now to host such homegrown "real" food made by such wonderful people.

Last year Rafael narrowly missed garnering the Vendy Street Vendor Award. (The site's been down all morning.) This year his pals Fernando and Jolanda Martinez are again the sole Brooklyn contenders for the Vendy, so spread the word and let's get BK on the map!

Posted by demby at 3:12 PM | Comments (2)
Categories: blog

Some big props for The Flea! Cree McCree, who literally wrote the book on flea markets (Flea Market America) and is a veteran herself of ye olde Broadway + Canal flea, launched her new presence as the "Flea Queen" on the Discovery Channel website Planet Green with a round-up of the Top 5 markets in America.

Some classic long-running markets on the list: Rose Bowl, Woodstock Mower's Saturday, G-Town in D.C. But some year-and-a-half-old newbie came out on top, the Brooklyn Flea? Never heard of it.

We love our little markets, glad to know you do too. See you at the Flea!

Note: Feel free to fawn over the Flea on Trip Advisor, which has a new Flea thread.

Posted by demby at 11:42 AM | Comments (8)
Categories: blog, news

Back on track at the Hunt, with some shiny, happy winners at this weekend's Hunt, all locals. Thanks for braving the heat to Flea!

Pictured: (Left) Neko Case on stage at All Points West and Flea Scavenger Hunt Winner Valerie (Right), both wearing a Squid Attack tee from Gnome Enterprises (http://www.gnomeenterprises.net)

Valerie took her scooter to Fort Greene from Cobble Hill bright and early Saturday morning and was the first (of many) to spot the Squid Attack tee in Ezra and Joshua's Gnome Enterprises booth. (That's her on the right, next to Neko Case wearing the same T.) Valerie just graduated from nursing school and is on the hunt for a job (anyone hiring?). It was her first Flea and she was giddy with excitement--she said she never wins anything, insisted on wearing it immediately.

Gnome is Brooklyn-based, does hand-silkscreened T's for men, women, and kiddies culling inspiration from old-school video games and eco/political stuff. They're off the rest of August but back Labor Day, promising a new T design every week from then on. W22 in Fort Greene.

Jeremy and Leah moved to Brooklyn Heights from Detroit a couple weeks ago, first Flea Sunday. They were psyched to find the Belgian fishery poster in Rebecca's (right) always awesome Bid Brooklyn booth. She's got obscure foreign posters galore, immaculately curated smalls, and really just the best eye for Brooklyn home stuff. Always worth a gander. Around F-40 at the Bridge most Sundays.

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

Posted by demby at 1:55 PM | Comments (0)

From photos and paintings to pops and papusas, the Flea was rammed with the goodness this week. Check it all here, y'all.

Posted by JessicaBK at 11:05 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: Slideshow, blog

Really strong mix of new vendors this weekend, including some tried-and-true dealers, some new vintage businesses (Star Wars!), organic milk chocolate, and a slew of stoop salers. See you at the Flea.

Adam Rogers (above) just showed up at the Flea one day and started selling all these cool old-fashioned clothes, desks, shoes, suitcases, and stuff. He also looked plucked from 1920s London (he's a recent Brit transplant). We generally discourage folks who "just show up," but turns out Adam's got a finely curated blog called the Antiquated Mindset (where he accurately dubs himself "The Modest Adonis"), and is basically legit. He's a stylish insider too, so chat him up and see what's what mate. B5/FG, Sat

[Yoda voice] A fine new vendor, Gary is. One-bedroom apartment, wife, full-time jobs, and a big ole collection of Star Wars toys--it's not a trash compactor closing in on you, but it does call for drastic action. So Gary's new biz is Far Far Away Toys, and he's got your Princess Leia action figures (right), your Japanese Storm Troopers, and a bunch of other collectible toys. The Force is strong in this one. E29/FG, Sat

Koichi is the latest Japanese fella from the East Village scene to Flea. He's a veteran of the Hell's Kitchen market, and also works at Argosy on E. 9 St. He's a classic vendor: lamps, bikes, clothes, belts, housewares--whatever he's got that week. W19/FG, Sat

Julio Flores has a furniture-rental business in Red Hook and also smartly rejuvenates old doors and other furniture with a nice eye (right). Say hi to Julio down by the schoolyard. F-32/Bridge, Sun

Jen + Todd live in Brooklyn Heights and collect all kinds of stuff that they were thinking of opening a vintage shop in Ditmas Park with but decided not to. They saunter down to the Bridge Flea a lot, and this week they'll be on the vendor side with everything from couture Hello Kitty to Chanel slingbacks and groovy tchotchkes. Take a gander! I-4/Bridge, Sun

Sammy Davis Vintage is a pal of Tessi and June's from White Dove NYC. She works by day at Esquire.com and The Daily Green, and like T+J she's got affordable, highly-selective clothes and accessories, like glittery dresses and high-waisted pencil skirts. Like H+M, but real and cool. W42/FG, Sat

V. Germy is Vanessa's colorful and zany plush change pouches, and we think they're really cute and simple and nice. E17/FG, Sat

Apparently our "Clutter for Cash" NY1 segment last week (the Flea's version of Cash for Clunkers) has inspired some locals to turn their closets into duckets this weekend.

Chiara Di Palma is leaving Fort Greene for points unknown next month, and as a frequent Flea visitor she's going out in style, by unloading her stuff at the market. She collects antiques, furniture, clothing, and books, and will also be selling her house plants. Bargain hunter alert! W43/FG, Sat

Brenda is moving from a 3BR/2BA to a 2BR/1BA, has to downsize yo! Her items will include but not be limited to: Books, storage baskets, mirrors, handbags, glass shelves, vacuum cleaner, tables, lamps, and "favors." Start snoopin'. E20/FG, Sat

Mona Shay is similarly slimming down after a move to Brooklyn (yo!). I'm an actress/writer and recently moved to Brooklyn and since I downsized I have a lot of stuff that I need to sell. She gots: stereo system, clothes, hats, designer handbags, espresso machine, shoes. Aw yeah. E21/FG, Sat

Posted by demby at 1:49 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: What's New?, blog

Great slate of items to be Scavenged this weekend, nice cross-section of the Flea. And a rarity (as of now): 0% chance of rain on Saturday and Sunday!

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.

Happy hunting!

Clockwise from top left:
1. 11x14 vintage Belgian poster ad for the fishing industry, from the 1950s. Vintage (Brooklyn Bridge/Sunday)

2. Frosted-glass figurine of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, approx. 7" tall. Vintage (Brooklyn Bridge/Sunday)

3. "Squid Attack" T-shirt, as worn by Neko Case at the recent All Points West music festival! New/handmade (Fort Greene/Saturday)

Posted by demby at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

A quickie note that newbie vendor Alex Brown (Brooklyn via Britain) has been setting up an impromptu photo booth at the Flea on Saturdays, in addition to selling his stylish framed prints. It's over in W5, near the Sand Pit.

It's $5 per portrait, $8 with props, for an instant 3.5" x 2.25" print (similar to a Polaroid) that takes 30 seconds to develop. Some of last week's portraits are above, including tie-dyed vendor Bill Larsen, and is that Charlie in the wig and unicorn SF T-shirt?

The gal in the yellow shirt with the bird's beak coming out of her ear is Jordana Zeldin, a nice gal and fine photog whose fascinating Flea photo project of her own is nearing completion. You can read and see all about that on Jordana's website and Here Is My Today photo blog, which gets all groovy and metaphysical about the Flea. Good stuff.

Posted by demby at 5:00 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: blog

As a wee teen in Japan, Hideya Sagawa would watch the telly, (specifically, Footloose) lovin' the style and culture of old American movies and TV. He would eventually make his way to the U.S., to work in vintage stores in Chi-town, where he would learn English, and then NYC where he worked as a buyer for 10 years at legendary vintage shop What Goes Around Comes Around.

It wasn't until a couple years ago that Hide (HEE-day) decided he had enough cool stuff of his own to start selling his collection of clothing and accessories. And cool, indeed. You can find snakeskin cowboy boots, silver and turquoise cuffs and necklaces, select mens clothing, a Native American-made bag constructed from a turtle's shell, prints and paintings, and knick-knacks, all in Americana style ranging from the 30's through the 70's.

Hide will soon be partnering with Kenji of Amoskeag XX, the LES denim boutique and big-time supplier. Kenji will sell some wares in Hide's booth and Hide will sell some of his items at the shop. It's this type of partnership that Hide appreciates about the Flea.

While in his booth, Hide is always taking account of what people are wearing and selling, as a sort of informal anthropological study--probably preparing to take over the world. But he doesn't remove himself. His OTHER favorite part of the Flea is the selection of people socializing and the partnerships he builds. As he says, "You never know who you are going to meet."

Meet Hide in V12/Fort Greene and F-32/Bridge every weekend.

Posted by JessicaBK at 3:00 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: Vendor of the Week, blog

Hilarious mention of the Flea in today's Styles section of the Times, where Guy Trebay (hi Guy!) notes the proliferation of "Ralph Kramdens"--i.e., potbellys--among young Brooklyn dudes, citing the line for lobster rolls (above) at the Flea as evidence. For more newly coined terms like "coolios," "coolsters," and "poor-geoisie," read "It's Hip to be Round."

Which reminds us: lobster rolls (the owners, not the lobsters) are on vacation from both markets this weekend, but you will be able to find yummy Choncho's fish tacos in Fort Greene for the first time this Saturday. The "green" (guac'd) tacos are delish.

Posted by demby at 1:57 PM | Comments (8)

I approached this chick because of her fly hat. Turns out she's BFF-worthy for so much more. Meet Emily.

Is this your first time at the Flea?
No, I come on and off.
What are you doing when you aren't here?
Exploring. Or working.

What do you do?
I do a variety of things.

Tell me some of them.
There is ShopWellWithYou.org, which is a not-for-profit resource for women with cancer. We focus on helping women to use clothing as a wellness tool in order to improve their self-image and quality of life.

And I have a blog called Sentimental Value. I collect stories people leave on eBay about the clothes they are selling. I'm interested in the history behind clothes and accessories.

And I am the director of a start-up that focuses on social innovators and creative changers called dowser.org.

What's a dowser?
A dowser is a tool used to locate water underground.
Ooh. I get it.

So have you bought any vintage clothes here today? What do you have there?
Not yet. I was just asking my mom what I should do to keep my hat from flying off my head and she said to get a hat pin. I turn around, and they are being sold right next to me! I tried to buy it but the woman gave it to me for free!

That's Carolina at Humble Beginnings [kids furniture]. That's nice of her.
I know!

Dudes, just goes to show y'all, you get what you give in this world. After talking with Emily, it's pretty clear why she's our BFF this week, isn't it. Thanks Emily!

Posted by JessicaBK at 9:30 AM | Comments (0)
Categories: BFF, blog

Some hardcore Fleasters all up in the big media this week. Longtime staple Jessica De Carlo pops up in the editors' picks page of shopping bible Lucky (left) this month (p. 100), where her gold arrow lariat necklace takes center stage, where it belongs. Check out Jess' fancy website for a better view. Jess holds it down every single weekend, E22 in Fort Greene, I-51 under the Bridge. She's cute too.

Carla and Aaron (right) of Osborn Design Studio (formerly Heartisans) get some nice ink in this week's Time Out Designer Spotlight (courtesy of Flea pal Erin Wylie), highlighting the technicolor shoes and booties they design in Greenpoint and have made by a cobbler in Guatemala. Carla also paints gorgeous super/natural scenes and often sells these crazy giant mushrooms that look like driftwood. Out til Labor Day, but usually in every week at W12/Fort Greene, I-20/Bridge. They're both cute.

Around town:
The Vintage Shopping Guide blog highlights Flea mainstays WrecordsByMonkey, alchemists of vintage-record vinyl into stylish accessories like bracelets and now clocks. Monkey himself swings around at W28/Fort Greene and I-25/Bridge weekly. He's pretty cute too.

(Stay tuned for news on the Flea's second annual Superstar DJ Record Fair Sunday, Sept. 13 at the Manhattan Bridge Archway. This year with a Vintage Fashion Bazaar for Fashion Week too!)

The Flea is featured in a new book called Snapshot Brooklyn, published by PFSK. We haven't seen it yet, but we seem to be in good company.

Posted by demby at 8:00 AM | Comments (0)

Kyle is our Sunday Bridge Flea manager. We met him through a job posting on this here blog, his dad is an old-school flea dealer (Brimfield, etc.), and Kyle stuck with us through the chilly winter market days and has become a favorite of our vendors. Now if he could just keep track of his keys a little better...

So we were shocked (shocked!) to see Kyle's beaming mug in the Brooklyn Paper today--as the winner of their Brooklyn Burger contest! He now moves on to the NY Food + Wine Festival's "Burger Bash" this fall in Dumbo, with Rachel Ray as MC. The Flea always remains neutral, but let's just say we'll be rooting for Kyle as first among equals.

Bonus: Here's his recipe. Portuguese muffins!

Posted by demby at 4:15 PM | Comments (2)
Categories: blog

The Hunters were quick to the kill on such a pretty weekend. We, however, were not as speedy or effective in our reportage, for which we apologize. We have one photo of a winner, and no names or info. We'll totally get on that from now on.

Thomas and Liza (above, left and right) found the chocolate-swirl soap in Eddie (center) and Megan's Australian Scent booth on Sunday. Thomas and Liza are from Battery Park City by way of Toronto, and it was their first time at the Flea. They weren't even looking for the photo, but Thomas saw it on Friday in some email update and recognized it immediately--serendipitous! The AS kids are the Flea's mainstay homemade body product folks, concocting soothing and healing lotions and potions that are all organic and small-batch. They're sweethearts too. W41 in Fort Greene and I-24 at the Bridge, every friggin' week.

The other items were as follows. (Looking for info on both those winners if you're out there.)
The suede ID holder was courtesy of Matthew of Steel Cake (and Pratt U.), whose chunky-sporty watch and tag-clock designs attract cool-hunters of all stripes to Fort Greene on Saturdays (he's in E17 or thereabouts). Matt's up and coming, check him out.

Photographer Amy Burchenal stepped up to the Hunt in her Flea debut--a noble effort. Her symmetrical black and white photo of the Brooklyn Bridge (that's a propos for those playing at home) was snapped up at like 11:01am. Amy also sells her groovy NYC photo-poem books, search 'em out to learn more. She'll be back at the Bridge this Sunday.

Posted by demby at 3:13 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: blog, scavenger hunt

We try to get there in time, snap a pic, find a pen, get all the info, and then find the scrap of paper we wrote it all down on. Usually it works, but last week it didn't. Luckily the friendly winners phoned in to our home office with their info, and voila. Finders/keepers indeed.

Hillary (center, left) and Bryan love fleas, made their first double-river crossing from Cranford, NJ, to the Flea and were actively on the Hunt. They scored the GDR nutcracker in friendly Karen's Vintage Closet, home to purses, accessories, and knick-knacks galore. Here's Karen (left) looking lovely, as she does every Saturday in ye olde V2.

Danielle (center, right) from Prospect-Lefferts Gardens found the magic ribboned box at 11am in the always happening Liddabit Sweets booth. Inside were Liddabit's scrumptious caramels, including the insane beer-and-pretzel and sea-salt varieties, which are soul-enhancing. Liz (left) and Jen (right) are like candy scientists, reinventing classic candies using local/artisanal ingredients and their French Culinary Institute pastry-program prowess. (Check out this "Hey Brooklyn" interview for more info.) Recently they've used potato chips in one candy bar, and roasted barley in their honey lollipops. To paraphrase Hollywood Shuffle, it's conceptual chocolate! It's also yum. They're in E4 or E6 every friggin' Saturday, and they're nice.

Posted by demby at 11:20 AM | Comments (0)

Splendiferous days to Flea--Saturday with the perfect temperate weather, Sunday with the rain holding off magically to create an ideal atmosphere of hardcore dealers and shoppers under the Bridge. In case you missed it...

Posted by demby at 1:44 PM | Comments (0)

Back on track with items at each market this weekend, including a bonus item at the Bridge in light of last week's vacancy. Going the handmade route this week, as folks love the Flea artisans.

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.

Happy hunting!

Clockwise from top left:

1. Mint-green, suede two-pocket ID holder. New/handmade (Fort Greene/Saturday)

2. Matted 8x10 black-and-white photograph of the Brooklyn Bridge. New/handmade (Brooklyn Bridge/Sunday)

3. Chocolate swirl...what is it? Seek and ye shall find (out). New/handmade (Brooklyn Bridge/Sunday)

Posted by demby at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

Mid-August, dog days of summer, rain up the wazoo, recession, health-care reform struggling--does it any of it stop folks from selling at the Flea? Hells no.

Damian and Sarah (All Seeing Eye Vintage) are among our coolest couple collectors. Young, cute, devoted, they're next-gen Flea all the way, and the stuff they've been bringing out this summer has been spot-on: pop-culture vintage T's (all over the MJ moment), nice cache of records, and dresses and clothes for the budget-minded. Don't be surprised to see a Pee-Wee Herman doll sitting on his hand sofa (above) among Japanese thrift-store paintings and Star Wars action figures. We never did What's New? for them, so for their first Fort Greene foray here they be. C15/FG, Sat; I-8/Bridge, Sun

On the more refined end, Alison has an antiques shop called Emily's Treasures on Myrtle Ave. (near Taaffe Pl.), and she's been scouting the Flea and meticulously planning her debut with porcelain tea sets (right) and vintage housewares for the home as well as the collector. Welcome her warmly. L10/FG, Sat

Gigi and Lori Anna are known as Texas Girls, and they're focus to start is vintage sunglasses (timely!) in the mode of Dior, Chanel, Lanvin, and Police. Good start. Add some housewares and a few garments and you've got a classic Flea newbie concept. But will it live up to the hype? E16/FG, Sat
Note: These gals just had to cancel at the last minute.

Couple of new local shutterbugs on the scene this weekend. Amy Burchenal is multi-faceted, with a mix of black and white photos, these cool "photo poem books," and handpainted photos, which are especially pretty. She's been itching to Flea for months now, we're psyched it finally worked out. F-40/Bridge, Sun

Alex Brown is a Londoner now transplanted to Fort Greene. When we saw his photo credits included Office Depot, Vice Publishing, and the NYC Mayor's Office, how could we not be intrigued? His color-popping portfolio of portraits and edgy scenes (right) sealed the deal. Smile! W5/FG, Sat

Senor and Senora did the Blueprint Cleanse last year, really liked that feeling, if fleeting. Best part of the cleanse's 6-drink per day regimen? Aside from the raw-cashew milk, it's the spicy lemonade, hands down. BPC is local and all fresh, and this Saturday they'll be starting to serve up a lemonade of the week (watermelon, mint, cucumber) with an 8 oz. bottle of the spicy lemonade. 10% off if you sign up for the cleanse on the spot. E3/FG, Sat

Melanie works at Zoe near Flea HQ, loves the Bridge market, felt like joining the fruckus. She makes turban headbands and silk-wrapped stacked bangles under the name Mela, which sell at Flea faves like In God We Trust, Catbird, and Some Odd Rubies. She'll throw in some top vintage duds for atmosphere as well. F-39/Bridge, Sun

Mollie Dash has wowed Fleasters with her vintage-inspired jewelry, she's so good. Now she's venturing into the curating realm and tapping everyone from Huichol Indian beadworkers from L.A. markets to Japanese incense pots in the shape of wooden cottages with smoke coming out of the chimney (right). Mollie's got a unique eye, and her new biz is called Everbrite Mercantile Co. Where will it debut? Ze Flea. I-23/Bridge, Sun

Last-minute addition: Charlotte Pinson is a multi-layered artiste we're proud to welcome. Her elegant and slightly whimsical portraits adorn very stylish T's, and her artwork is vibrant, a little mythical, and finely detailed. Check out her site, great stuff. E13/FG, Sat

These two folks got rained out last weekend:

Boland Studio is artist Ben's storefront on Atlantic Ave. + Washington, where he displays and sells his ceramics, paintings, and wall sculptures, all of which run a gamut of modern styles. Check out a sampling and meet ze artiste. L13/FG, Sat

Kristen runs Deluxa (right), over on Degraw between Henry and Hicks (where pioneering Fleasters Go Fish! once called home), displaying her mostly mid-century taste in furniture, clothing, housewares, and decoratives. She worked at Martha Stewart, does styling, will likely have great stuff, folks! F-42/Bridge, Sun

Posted by demby at 7:00 AM | Comments (0)

Nina Z has been working the Fort Greene Flea since Day One, and this year she's become a regular with a growing following over in E38 (near the pupusas). Our ears perked up when Senora Flea was checking out a cool pair of clogs (all the rage we hear) at Thistle + Clover last weekend that turned out to be Nina's. Really nice classic look made in Sweden (like Nina), well-made too. The Lena (above) is real popular.

Check out Nina Z in E38 in Fort Greene every Saturday.

Posted by demby at 3:00 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: blog

So business reporter Tara Lynn Wagner's NY1 segment on the market went online today, in advance of the "loop" on-air tomorrow. Check it out. And thanks to onetime vendors Lisa and Lana for being perfect talking heads for the Flea!

Posted by demby at 2:56 PM | Comments (0)

Some nice praise for vendors in the past week in the media, plus a shout-out from The L Magazine for the Flea.

Also, we'll be on the NY1 loop all day tomorrow (Thursday) as part of their "Clutter for Cash" business series.

Urban Art + Antiques caught on to Heather's new Focused Vintage booth, which, um, focuses on all things photographic: vintage cameras, piles of old photos, classic viewers, photo albums, all that great stuff. You can get lost in the most mesmerizing way in her booth of images from every era. Archetypal Flea. Special bonus: Heather is one of the 200 guitarists in the world-premiere performance of Rhys Chatham's "A Crimson Grail, for 200 Guitars," at Lincoln Center Out of Doors this Saturday, Aug. 8. So cool!

The L named the Bridge Flea one of the past year's best store openings, which we will humbly accept on behalf of the hundreds of vendors who make the Flea so stellar every goddam week.

Late addition: Asia Dog continues to collect press clips the way a retriever hordes bones. Japanese food blog Pecopeco said, well, we have no idea what they said to be honest. If anyone can translate let us know. But we're sure it's laudatory of Mel and Steve's stellar franks topped with bulgogi, banh mi, kimchi, and the like. Hot dog!

Posted by demby at 1:54 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: blog, news

Banner day Saturday, oodles of Fleasters, great stuff from vendors, sun sun sun. Sunday not so much. Loads of atmosphere, crowd vibe, cuteness--ya know, Flea flavor. Enjoy.

Posted by demby at 1:36 PM | Comments (2)

The Flea happens in every kind of weather--just like a real flea market. Seasoned buyers know that funky weather makes for stellar shopping, and we've seen it proven every time it sprinkles. Plus, it stays pretty dry under our beautiful Brooklyn Bridge.

See you at the Flea.

Posted by demby at 11:15 AM | Comments (0)
Categories: blog

Cool stuff this week, with a bit of mystery. Turns out that both items are for Saturday this week, so no DUMBO/Bridge Hunt Sunday.

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.

Happy hunting!

From left:

1. Wooden nutcracker figure (works), from former West Germany/GDR. Vintage (Fort Greene/Saturday)

2. Wrapped box with ribbon. What could it possibly be inside? (Fort Greene/Saturday)

Posted by demby at 1:35 PM | Comments (0)

Some great folks set sail upon the good ship Flea this weekend. Do your best to welcome them aboard warmly!

You may have noticed some experimentation among this summer's crop of new vendors, as we try to keep things fresh and test the limits of the concept of Flea. To wit: Diaperkind is a new NYC cloth-diaper/delivery service, and what with all the new babies (and their poop) and parents (and their eco-guilt) about town, their timing is certainly prescient. Liz will be there both talking up and selling cloth diapers and giving parents the straight poop. Bombs away! E21/FG, Sat

Electric Literature should spark interest among the Brooklyn literati with their booth representing local indie presses and literary mags. They're a cool anthology of short fiction, as well as a new node for all those good Brooklyn words. Say hi to Andy. E14/FG, Sat

Boland Studio is artist Ben's storefront on Atlantic Ave. + Washington, where he displays and sells his ceramics, paintings, and wall sculptures, all of which run a gamut of modern styles. Check out a sampling and meet ze artiste. L13/FG, Sat

We mean this in the nicest possible way, seriously. We dipped our toes into the realm of the unknown with Cool Gadget, based largely on an email response from a pre-registered vendor named Yilih, who wrote, "the animal keychain look like a simple animal keychain but when you put off the animal head it's a pen. Second example, the big bun is exactly smell and look like a real bread but exactly it is not is a keychain or arm rest. Another thing i'll selling are pet accessories." Senor was skeptical, but Rob couldn't resist the bread part so we said what the hey. W24/FG, Sat

Kristen runs Deluxa (right), over on Degraw between Henry and Hicks (where pioneering Fleasters Go Fish! once called home), displaying her mostly mid-century taste in furniture, clothing, housewares, and decoratives. She worked at Martha Stewart, does styling, will likely have great stuff, folks! F-42/Bridge, Sun

Speaking of mid-century, the fact that Michael of CooCooU is coming down from Buffalo is kind of a big deal for us. He's a big-deal dealer in serious modern furniture and antiques, and he's bringing down a truckload to dazzle us jaded New Yawkers. Collectors, start your engines! I-4/Bridge, Sun

Diana called us last night because the nice flea on 17th St. + 6th Ave. in the city is having difficulties right now. (We wish them the best.) Her biz is TZ Light Design, with vintage furniture and lighting, and of course a little bit of everything. Give her a nice Brooklyn how-dee-doo. C5/FG, Sat

Terrell is studying fashion at FIT, interned at Flaunt, and got his start in a New Orleans thrift joint. He's dubbed his vintage clothing and accessories biz JQ Vintage, and he's serious about making the fashionistas happy, so look out! C14/FG, Sat

Alex Agranov works in technology by day, collects gadgets by night. He said he's got "typewriters, collectibles, floral arrangements (faux), childrens toys, videos, original paintings by my talented wife, you name it." How could we resist? L14/FG, Sat

Sinead Corwin has three kinds of items to sell this weekend, and she's got a few dozen of each: vintage metal factory stools, chairs (right), and work tables. Come 'n git it! B1+2/FG, Sat

Connie and Dominic have just launched Greenpoint Vintage, a combination blog/furniture-sales site, which is morphing into a storefront in, er, Greenpoint at 15 Monitor St. this weekend. They figured they'd co-launch at the Flea too to get the word out. Their stuff (top) is right up Fleasters' alley: modern, clean, reasonable, and utilitarian. C2/FG, Sat

According to their email, here's a smattering of Bill and Jim's stuff: antique furniture, decorator items, art, dish sets, glass and bric-a-brac, fine china and silverware patterns, antique tools, locks and blacksmith-made items, musical instruments, LPs and 45s, a dozen or so nice turntables and other audio equipment, radio/audio tubes, optics and opto-mechanics. May or may not have a sound-proofed generator with them, presumably for the opto-mechanics. B7/FG, Sat

Ranae sounds awesome. She describes her aesthetic as "Audrey Hepburn meets today's rockabilly/burlesque scene," and she seems really psyched to Flea tomorrow! She's old-school too. B20/FG, Sat

Hudson Valley Living is Eben's vaguely country-style collection of lamps, furniture, silver, and other slightly upscale items. (Love the globe at right.) They've heard good things about the Flea upstate, so prove 'em right. W3/FG, Sat

Posted by demby at 11:55 AM | Comments (0)
Categories: blog

When you're waiting for your Blue Marble ice cream inside the Lafayette entrance, you probably find yourself bopping your head to some old-school soul and funk, maybe a smattering of Latin and reggae. That's 'cause Larry of Shout Shimmy, in tandem with Jellyroll Vintage, is tempting you to purchase his $5, hand-selected, meticulously-sequenced mix-CDs. If the infectious music doesn't get ya, the cover art will, as it's all culled from items Larry (aka DJ Einstein Q Rockafeller aka member of Anyday Parade) finds at the Flea.

So now you're lured in. Then you realize you're in a whole throwback environment that Larry and better half Amy have curated. After growing up in and on thrift stores, Amy realized she had a talent for buying, and now her regulars have her hunt for them. (Did you know Flea vendors were so pro?) Her eye tends to the colorful, flowery, well-preserved, and always affordable for the everyday gal. (Larry always proffers a keen-eye rack of guys vintage too.)

Since Amy's education (and other passion) is in painting and framing, she recently had the bright idea to sell vintage arts and crafts supplies. Now in addition to stocking your iPod and your closet at Jellyroll, you can pick up vintage textiles, knitting needles, dyes, spools, patterns, craft guides--anything you can find at Joanne's Fabric except way way more stylish and a fraction of the price. Such great stuff, and an oft-requested element from Fleasters.

Been readying your Readymade or Craft magazine and got the handmade bug? Join the club. Now knock the style factor up a notch and make it vintage.

Jellyroll + Shout Shimmy are in B16/17 Fort Greene every Saturday, and I-5 under the Bridge every Sunday.

Posted by JessicaBK at 11:00 AM | Comments (0)
Categories: blog

So I'm chilling at FDR to JFK, chatting with Paula, thinking about getting a vintage apron, when I notice this dude scrutinizing all the goods. He makes me wonder: Is he a dealer? Is he an artist? Is he an obsessive compulsive? I must find out.

So Mark, where ya from?
I'm from Houston, Texas.
Are you visiting?
I have been a neighbor of the Flea for a year now.
Why'd you come?
I came for a woman.

Have you been to the Flea before?
I come as often as I can.

So, what do you do?
I'm a consultant in crisis management, investigation research, and international intelligence.
Um, wow. OK.

So, what do you have there?
I just bought this here. See, my girlfriend is turning 29 years old. And the 29th element on the Periodic Table of Elements is copper. So, I'm buying a selection of copper items to present to her in August. We will also do things on her birthday that relate to copper, like go to the Statue of Liberty, and things like that.

Wow, that is damn sweet. Romance lives. Good luck!

Thanks Mark!

Posted by JessicaBK at 1:54 PM | Comments (6)
Categories: blog

Go to the Flea any Saturday or Sunday morning and you'll see tons of photographers snapping away closeups of all kinds of tchotchkes, necklaces, coffee tables, etc. (If vendors had a dime for every snapshot of their merch....) These folks, it's become clear, are known as bloggers, and they seem to write about the Flea on a daily basis. We love them for this, and will be rounding up fun posts every week from now on. (Have we created regular features and abandoned them in the past? Possibly.)

Here are some of our faves from the past few days:

Those Extra 4 Inches (provocative name, fawns over Pierre Cardin dress find)

Yummy in the City (loves Choncho's fish tacos, no-brainer)

Urban Art + Antiques (hails Flea as "new breed" of market, attracting next generation of collector--i.e., you--likes Divine Chair Co. (right) and John Murphy (on cell in background))

Where the Style Things Are (nice bargaining tips)

Going Back to Brooklyn (good eye for nice pieces in their snapshots)

Posted by demby at 1:53 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: blog, press

We left it to the vendors to photograph themselves with the winners and interrogate them—with mixed results.

From left:
Ashley from Williamsburg found the cool knit earrings in her second visit to the Flea, this time with her parents visiting from Akron, Ohio. Here she is with Melody of Melody's Addiction, who's gone from the non-profit world to full-time jewelry-maker. Courageous! Melody grew up in the same rural Central Maine community as Senor Flea--she's from Creep City, Senor from South Solon--and we're proud as punch that her work is starting to get the notice it deserves, as in this recent Nostrand Park blog post. She's in W46 in Fort Greene every other Saturday.

Yoko of YOVA Design creates the gorgeous, delicate earrings of Japanese kimono paper, she's a keeper in the style department. Unfortunately Yoko lost the details on her winner, so if anyone knows this fine young lady, please let us know. Yoko will be back Sept. 26 in Fort Greene.

The lucky lady was Jacqueline Leung, a resident of Dyker Heights. Thanks to hubby Michael for writing in! This was their first time at the Flea--what a warm welcome!

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

Posted by demby at 1:45 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: blog, scavenger hunt

Finer days for Fleaing are few and far between. F that!

Lots of new vendors and shoppers, facepainting, Balinese Sea Salt, found-object chariot assemblages, hippo pillows, ricotta+granola, sugar plum+tarragon popsicles, some damn fine furniture, a vintage print showing the Dumbo site as "City Dump," and more.

(Sunday pics coming soon.)

Posted by demby at 1:39 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: blog

We feel bad that this informative weekly nugget of a post has fallen through the cracks since Senor become a papi. But it's back, and hopefully back for good. The Flea crew (and it is a crew now) works hard to keep our markets fresh for every visitor--first-timer and veteran Fleaster alike.

Without further ado, a peek at some of the new Flea faces this weekend.

At long last, the Flea will be home to a weekly facepainting booth (above). If the hipsters can get dressed up every weekend, why can't the youngsters? Gwen and Magin of NYC Facepaint have done the Fort Greene Park Halloween party, and can trace their painting history back to Tanglewood when they were teens themselves. Note to vendors: yes, you can paint your face too. E32, Fort Greene/Sat.

Back on the conventional front, Daniel's new business Armoire Furnishings makes their own classy furniture from mostly reclaimed wood, most of it with a nice matte white finish that's as versatile as White Dove. Pieces like the sideboard (right) have a vintagey feel, and he's also got these cool picture frames made from reclaimed door frames and ceiling tin. Very, um, Flea. F-23, Bridge/Sun.

The most common shopper refrain is "more furniture." (Now go buy some!) Hudson Goods is Karl's online-only (until now) furniture shop, designed by Karl himself and finished to appear distressed (i.e., vintage). All solid wood, all a little bit country and a little bit R+R (rest + relaxation that is). Karl also runs a home-decor blog that highlights items he digs and digs for, including a visit to the Flea last Saturday. He'll be augmenting his furniture with some of those tasteful finds tomorrow. L3, Fort Greene/Sat.

Big Tree Farms started in Bali as Ben's
artisanal local food biz, purveying everything from sea salt and "long" peppers to raw jungle honeys, coconut palm sugar, and raw cacao. Sustainable/direct trade/organic, all the foodie ducks in a row. Sample and ye shall find... E3, Fort Greene/Sat.

Suprina has a studio on the Navy Yard where she's up to something special: 2ndsouls are her assemblages of found objects (right) that are both figurative and narrative. They're also really cool. If you like Suprina's aesthetic, she'll also be debuting her new line of frames, shelves, mirrors, boxes, and more made from repurposed materials. Groovy! L16, Fort Greene/Sat.

Lana writes and photographs in Astoria, and she's been collecting glass, ceramics, prints, books, and textiles for 25 years. She's doing the Flea for the first time Saturday, and we just have this really good feeling about her stuff. B1, Fort Greene/Sat.

Manny is from Jersey, and he's one of those vendors who doesn't do the email, just the phone. These folks are virtually without fail the kind of old-school dealer you imagine when you think "Flea," and Manny's description of his all-over-the-map antiques sound straight up the peruser's alley. Formerly of 26th St, etc. W38, Fort Greene/Sat.

While some of our regulars are on summer hiatus, some new blood is giving the Flea a whirl, especially in Fort Greene. Enter Jennifer and Kayla are FerrFerr and Little Tuna, respectively, Pratt design grads who do the vintage clothing+accessories thang. They've got stylish garb for the masses, like the snazzy '80s dress at right. Come one come all! E17, Fort Greene/Sat.

Posted by demby at 3:45 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: blog

For da ladies this week. Yo. Couple pairs of distinctive earrings, one for each day of the Flea, each handmade by the seller themselves. Go forth and adorn--and 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.

Happy hunting!

From left:

1. White lace earrings with brass Bastille charm. New/Handmade (Fort Greene/Saturday)

2. Earrings made with Japanese kimono-patterned paper. New/Handmade (Brooklyn Bridge/Sunday)

Posted by demby at 12:15 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: blog, scavenger hunt

In addition to being one of the most stylish dudes at the Flea, Cornelius Byrd has also been the co-owner and designer of the clothing label 3Free Design. When designing, his mission is to create duds that are comfortable, with classic fits and, in his words, "not too trendy." His tunics, made mostly with soft cotton and all natural materials, sell for $20 to $40.

Corn, along with a partner, also owns an awesome shop on East 13 St. (btw. 3+4 Ave.) called Apt 141, where you can cop mostly 3Free Designs as well as nice jewelry and a sharply curated vintage selection. Apt also offers their stock on consignment to shops around the country, which is one way Cornelius connects to the community. The other way is via the Flea, the only place where he sells 3Free outside the shop. "It's a great time for the Flea," he says, "considering the changes in NY, and the shift in the world."

Some cool things are coming down the pike for 3Free Design, including the launch of full-figured sizes, which you can find next season, and a website. For now, find him in Fort Greene in E21, and under the Bridge in I-49, every damn week.

Posted by JessicaBK at 1:35 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: blog

While the Flea generally had a constant flow of shoppers this past weekend, there seemed to be a particular crowd around record sellers. Is it because music is as alive as ever? Or because the numerous music festivals and concerts around the city are inspiring people to turn off the boob tube and play more at home? Maybe it's because vinyl is still just way cooler than MP3s. Either way, I wanted to talk with one of these diggers over at Unbreakable Records. Meet Christoph.

Whatcha got there?
I have two records, The Steel Band and Willie Alexander & The Boom Boom Band.
Wow. I never heard of that before.

Are you a DJ?
No. This is for home.

Where is home?
I live in Prospect Heights.

Do you come to the Flea, like, every Saturday?
This is my first this season.
Wha?!
I work on Saturdays. And my summer season has just started.

What do you do?
I work at a gallery. Anton Kern Gallery.
Huh. Do you know James?!
No.
K.

Alright. One more. Finish this sentence. Brooklyn is...
Brooklyn is better than ever.

Aight. Thanks Christoph!

Posted by JessicaBK at 7:46 AM | Comments (0)
Categories: blog

Actually just Fort Greene/Saturday in this week's slideshow. Chock full o'crowd scenes and vibe this week. Thanks for more great Fleas!

Posted by demby at 10:18 AM | Comments (0)
Categories: blog

A little late to the party this week, our apologies. Fleas are hard!

Glassy and classy this week. You can still find the first one today!

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.

Happy hunting!

From left:

1. Green glass decanter. Vintage (Fort Greene/Saturday)

2. Leaning Tower of Pisa glass figurine. Vintage (Brooklyn Bridge/Sunday)

Posted by demby at 1:40 PM | Comments (0)

It's like we looked up after a year and a half with our heads down in the Flea trenches, and suddenly we're, like, established. The last couple weeks have seen a cascade of legitimacy 'round these parts: Vogue/Style.com, foodies in the Times and New York, and now a sort of trifecta of big news:

On Monday evening, Mr. B and Senor waded into Manhattan (which is near Brooklyn) to receive one of the Municipal Art Society's annual awards, for a private venture in the public service that has activated/galvanized a community space. MAS has been around for 116 years, and is the granddaddy of NYC civic/urban planning groups, very much in the Jane Jacobs (a longtime member), neighborhood-centric mold. So for the Flea to be recognized by such a prestigious organization as such a young business--well, we're humbled.

Time Out's roundup of the city's best fleas nicely names the (big F) Flea, also flattering. They say lobster rolls are the big draw at the Bridge, but we think it's the unstoppable force of the 100 best vintage/antiques/jewelry/handmade/art vendors in the region. Objectively of course.

And in a tale of the tape in the NY Post this week (above), we essentially knocked out the much-touted Flea by the Sea in Coney Island. In 2009 the Flea has been often imitated but never duplicated--and we thank you for keeping it great.

Posted by demby at 8:19 AM | Comments (0)
Categories: blog, news, press

Great days for Hunting, which is why the game was up within an hour at both markets. Fun while it lasted...

From left:
Mike found the cute Chibi Warrior stamp set in sharp designer Isabel Roxas' booth at 10:50am in Fort Greene. The stamps show the Warrior in 5 different poses, all of which display Isabel's sort of anime/artiste take on illustration and design. Mike works for a record label (remember those?), is a frequent Fleaster, and thought the stamps would make a good present for a pal. "Snooze you lose" was his advice for future Hunters, and he's right.

Dory from Brooklyn Heights (a native no less) made her first Flea trek the Sunday before, realized we do the Hunt, and spotted the Paste T-Shirts "NYCKnife T" across the yard while perusing some vintage dresses. She liked it on the website, loved it in person, and at 11:51am it was all hers. Here she is with Paste honcho Jason, who does the Sat/Sun Fort Greene/Bridge thing every weekend, to much hoopla.

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

Posted by demby at 5:27 PM | Comments (0)

It's getting hard to keep up with the various media appearances of our vendors, especially the foodies. Here's a quick wrap-up.

Stephen and Erica's (above) spanking brand new Brooklyn Brew Shop makes a big beer splash on p. 35 of Time Out's new Cheap Eats issue. If only every startup came out the box with such gusto--cheers! (W35 in FG, I-9 at the Bridge, every week.)

Dave's molto bene Pizza Moto mobile brick-oven pizzeria is (deservedly) lauded by New York mag gurus Rob and Robin in their Neapolitan Pizza Revolution roundup and countdown. Mille grazie R+R, and well-deserved Signore David! (F1 every Sat. in FG.)

Early Bird Granola gets the worm, snagging an awesome mini-profile and recipe in last week's Times Dining section. Read about Neki's irrepressible penchant for olive oil (even in her granola), which is heart-healthy and happy-happy. Salty sweet yum! (E6 in FG, I-34 at the Bridge, weekly.)

Our pals at Whimsy + Spice have their deelish homemade marshmallows featured in Martha Stewart Weddings this month, which is a big ole coup. If you haven't tried their new passionfruit mint limeade at the Flea, you cannot honestly call yourself refreshed. (E10 in FG, I-30s at the Bridge, most weekends.)

Oh, did we mention the fabulous Red Hook lobster rolls from Maine make their Saturday debut in Fort Greene this Saturday? An embarrassment of riches and fishes. (Their long lines are fixed btw.)

Photo: Time Out NY/Roxana Marroquin

Posted by demby at 4:04 PM | Comments (0)
Categories: blog

This past Saturday was crammed with vendors and shoppers alike, so finding a BFF was like shooting fish in a barrel. But in a way, when you have so many options, that makes it harder, right? Or so I thought. I was standing by Blue Marble, woofing my second ice cream of the day, when I spotted this gent carrying almost the same dark wood compartmented drawer thing I had bought for my own apartment! After that, I knew it was kismet.

What's your name?
James Walton.

Do you come here often?
I live in the neighborhood but this is my first time this season!

Why?
Because I work on Saturdays.

You know, you can check out The Flea on Sundays in DUMBO. What do you do that keeps you working on Saturdays?