Brooklyn Flea

In the tradition of the spring season, great new vendors are sprouting up at all the markets this weekend. Let’s give a warm welcome to the newest additions:

County Fair / Hussar Metals is sure to fit right in at the Flea. County Fair’s Williamsburg pop-up shop is already famous for it’s awesome collection of oddities and now they’ve teamed up with Hussar Metals, a furniture and metal design group from Greenpoint. With these two expert eyes for style combined, this new booth promises to be immaculately curated with unexpected treasures. (Williamsburg)

East River Refuge is the newest venture from seasoned Flea vendor and even more seasoned carpenter Forest Lowery. His collection of simple, elegant furniture (above) built from reclaimed building materials shows off the history and beauty of the material with an eye towards function that only a carpenter with 20 years of experience can bring.  (Williamsburg)

Furlong Home is continuing the legacy built by the vendors that started the Flea because the wanted to showcase some of the antiques they found over the years and ended up becoming must-see Flea destinations. Eamon has moved all over New York, both the city and the state, collecting stuff all the while. His fun and functional trinkets will help you fill up that extra room in your apartment in no time.  (Williamsburg)

Hope Junction Antiques come all the way from Hope, New Jersey to put a little of their own NJ antique savvy into the Flea. With a collection of one-of-a-kind art from local craftsmen and old treasures ranging from furniture to keepsakes these guys bring a bit everything and the vintage kitchen sink.  (Fort Greene + Williamsburg)

Odette Williams has done everything from teaching to acting to moving across the world from Sydney, Australia to Brooklyn—and it shows in her art. With her eclectic, colorful designs Odette’s handmade children’s clothing and collages are as diverse and interesting as her background. All her pieces as eco-friendly as they are playful (read: very!), making us wish those adorable aprons (below) came in our size. (Fort Greene)

Some new faces begin and old favorites return to ze Smorg this weekend. While you’re there remember to check out this month’s “Kitchen Island” event for Cinco de Mayo: Mexican chocolate making demonstrations and special Mexican dishes from vendors—yummy!

Let’s give a hearty Smorg “hello” to new vendors:

Fat Beagle is finally filling a hole at Smorgasburg—straight up, no frills southern comfort food. Or as the husband and wife duo that do the cooking say, “food so good, you would come back reincarnated as a hound dog to have a bite.” We would be more than happy to come back as a fat hunting dog if it meant delicious dishes like shrimp and grits and chow-chow for lunch everyday.

Right Tasty is cashing in on one of the season’s most desired vegetables, ramps. It’s not the sudden explosion of ramps on the blogs that drove John and Duncan, partners in dressing making, to experiment with the delicious vegetable, they’ve been working on their signature vinaigrette (above) for over year.  The mild oniony ramp vinaigrette is ready to spruce up your salad now, with more flavors of dressings coming soon.

And a “welcome back” to the old staples:

Mimi and Coco, an old Smorg favorite, are making their triumphant return this week with their Japanese street food. The duo’s signature teriyaki balls are crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside, a guaranteed recipe for yumminess.

Nana’s frozen bananas aren’t as famous as the Bluth’s, but are way more delicious. The treat was a big hit last year and will be back to help sweeten the heat this weekend with toppings like sea salt, toffee and salted nuts.

Shorty Tang & Sons lit up the Flea (and the internet, and the Times) last year with a wonderful story and famously delicious cold sesame noodles to go with it. This weekend the noodles are back at Smorg with spicy wontons and a hot meat sauce.

The perfect necklace, bracelet or earring can turn any outfit, however casual, into the very picture of elegance. With her delicate, colorful pieces, Flea jeweler Christina Stankard is out to make every girl look just as CoCo Chanel said they should: classy and fabulous.

What brought you to the Flea?
I started from the very beginning. I found out about it through a friend of mine and I wanted to do something that was a little more personal. This seemed like a better way to test things and actually talk to the people who are wearing the items. It’s been five years now and it’s really my favorite thing to do, it’s my social outlet. The best part is the community, it’s a wonderful group of people around here and I really become friends with all of the people around me.

What inspires you when making your jewelry?
My inspiration comes from painting, that’s my background and I started selling jewelry for income. So I base my pieces on color and nature, as I do with my paintings. I also use the stones for inspiration, allowing them to guide me.

Where do you like to shop at the Flea?
I buy from everybody here; it just depends on what I need. They’re all friends so whenever I need a gift or something new, they vendors here are where I go.

We generally jump for joy when Fleasters make the leap to brick-and-mortar shops, and this week we get to jump Olympics high, as two longtime fan faves, People’s Pops (above) and Mile End, expand their mini-empires.

People’s Pops' already famous shaved ices and popsicles made from locally sourced sustainable fruits and herbs debuted at the corner of Union St. and 7th Ave. in Park Slope on Tuesday. To compliment the iced treats, Dave, Joel, and Nathalie commissioned Flea illustrator extraordinaire Claudia Pearson (herself a recent See What Happens feature!) to design an “ingredients wall” highlighting the simple yet flavorful stuffs inside their popular pops (above). The Slope shop joins Pop-posts in the East Village, Chelsea Market, and on the High Line. Oh, and the Flea.

Manhattanites no longer have to travel to Boerum Hill (what a schlep!) for Mile End’s famous smoked meat and other sandwiches, as Max, Rae, and Noah's months of sweat equity have finally birthed their awesome new NoHo location, which opened Monday to great fanfare at 53 Bond St. (between Bowery and Lafayette). The mini-mod space (right) slings poutine (with smoked meat!), deelish seasonal salads, matzo ball soup, and of course perfect sandwiches all hours of the day and night. Mazel tov!

I’ve never been a skincare girl. Where some girls (and guys) have a routine with carefully picked out products, I'm more of the “cheapest soap” kind. Now that I‘ve tried Apotheke soaps, I‘ve been converted, and at only $7 I still get to be cheap. After one shower with my new soap my skin is softer and sweeter-smelling than ever before. The mixture of coconut, olive and palm oil makes for a silky lather that my apparently very thirsty skin absolutely soaked up. Personally, though, it’s the aroma that converted me. After much smelling of Chrissy's many scents, I chose basil-spearmint, a combination of essential oils that is so fresh I’ve taken to just smelling the soap for fun. I guess my love of Apotheke’s unique scents just means next time I stop by, I’ll have to get one of their candles. That way both me and my room can enjoy the loveliness.

It’s been awhile since we took a look at the world through filters, so here are our favorite Instagram shots from the weekend.

We really hope mixamax.tumblr.com wears both the fur vest and fur bag together.

Thanks to @dxprutting for reminding us the skyline view is only as pretty as the people in front of it.

We just want to say to @albiehueston, that is a killer jacket. You look like you’re in the movie Drive if it were set in Reno.

Remember, you can send your own photos to us at info@brooklynflea.com or post them on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr Photo Pool or Instagram (@bkflea, #bkflea).

This week, dreams come true with the addition of coca-leaf sodas, healthy mini-popcorn and duck-fat poutine!

La Casa de Camba: Combining traditional Bolivian ingredients with newer Latin American flavors, this team of brothers does stuff like a Salvadoran sweet platano cooked over wood until the natural sugars caramelize the exterior, then brushed with butter and brown sugar and served with a tangy crema and choice of Bolivian llajua or sweet potato habanero salsa. Throw in some crazy sodas (coca leaf anyone?) and mocochinchi peach cider from their grandma's farm in Bolivia, and wow!

M. Wells: We're super-excited to welcome back M. Wells—to both Smorg and NYC. The fabulous former Long Island City diner is planning its rise from the ashes later this year, but in the meantime they'll be at Smorg the next two Saturdays with a typically mindblowing dish: duck-fat poutine. Quack!

Pipsnacks: This brother and sister team has one simple goal: making snacking healthy. With a special popping method applied to hulless corn that is already high in dietary fiber, Pipcorn (above) is healthy and doesn’t have the kernels that get stuck in your teeth. Pipcorn comes in Sea Salt, Crabby, Rosemary and Kettle Corn varieties, with more coming soon. Try it, you'll like it!

The new faces at the Williamsburg market will help you fill every last inch of your closet.

ATM: Aya, a fashion editor for a Japanese magazine, Tomoko, a vintage buyer in Williamsburg, and Megmi, a blogger for Elle Girl Japan, are bringing their expertise and style all the way from Japan to the Flea. With an assortment of clothes (above) from the '60s to the '80s, these gals mix wild and edgy style with casual items for the perfect vintage look. It’s a fashion addict's dream.

TG170: After closing her pioneering LES street-style store, Terri Gillis decided to turn her expert eye to vintage. She is now bringing her ability to find the very best and most creative items to the Williamsburg Flea. Specializing in wild colors, fabrics and shapes, she’s created a one stop shop for all your statement piece needs.

If you happen to be in the market for turtle shells, antlers or a big brass owl, there's really only one place to start: Hunters and Gatherers. John and Keith's beautifully curated booth of treasures, trinkets, and taxidermy can mesmerize for hours, just begging you take home a new display piece for your mantel, bookshelf, or office. Giant spider in a glass dome to intimidate from your desk? Done. We talked to the Hunters about all the wonders they encounter in and out of the Flea.

What's your inspiration when curating the booth?
We like to consider ourselves a curiosity cabinet of nature. We do a lot of antlers, horns, starfish, taxidermy, and all the metalware is in natural forms as well.

We both did visual display for a living and we started accumulating a lot of props and this was a great way to, you know, get rid of them. Now we're thinking that this is the direction we want to go. We just love spending time here. [Aw! —Ed.]

Got a memorable Flea moment?
We get a lot of designers and artists that shop here. A lot of those people become regulars and we know what they like and what they need to make their stuff. In the end we do a lot of buying for them specifically, it’s a nice relationship.

Who do you shop at the Flea?
I love Anthony [Franck]’s Rugs and Frank and Mike’s painted furniture [aka Frank Fazio Designs].

Last Saturday was Record Store Day, maybe one of my favorite holidays of the year—when I am made to feel like a hero for wandering around store after store spending irresponsible amounts of money on vinyl. This weekend, after shopping around the various record stores of Brooklyn for my new St. Vincent 7", I stopped by the Fort Greene Flea for my vintage fix. Unlike the hardcore shopping earlier in the day, I had no idea what I was looking for when browsing through the crates at Unbreakable Records—until I found gold.

There it was, my very favorite Bruce Springsteen record. It stared at me mockingly, as shocked as I was that I didn’t already own it. Nebraska, one of the best The Boss has ever produced, pure Springsteen—no frills, just sad working class folk-rock. If you doubt me go have yourself a listen to "Atlantic City." See what I mean, brilliant. I snatched this baby up for $15, and got some great advice from Unbreakable Alex on other awesome folk/country-rock records I should be listening to while I was at it. But for now, I’ll put some makeup on and my hair up pretty so I can listen to Nebraska the way The Boss intended.