A Trip to the Brooklyn Flea

Dramatic yellow wisteria on the way to the Brooklyn Flea (click on photos to enlarge)

[This story first appeared last week on New York Social Diary.com.]

I'm fairly addicted to flea markets, antique stores, and second hand shops, and I guess that a lot of other people are too because The New York Times did a BIG story on Sunday about weekend flea markets. The writer asked why flea markets are so popular now but I don't think the correct conclusion was arrived at; I think flea markets are well-trafficked now because New Yorkers are yearning for something authentic, for something with history, for old New York. In an era of commercialization and re-zoning where it seems like every block has a new bland high rise, a Starbucks, and a bank, New Yorkers (this New Yorker at least) long for something different and unique.

The city's biggest and most visited flea markets previously lined 25th Street at Sixth Avenue but after the area was re-zoned, the parking lots where the flea markets thrived on the weekends were replaced by, yes, new bland high-rises with a Starbucks and a bank. Filling the void and founded in 2008 by Brooklyners Jonathan Butler and Eric Demby is the popular Brooklyn Flea. Located in Fort Greene on Saturdays and Williamsburg on Sundays, it features hundreds of vendors offering antiques, clothes, art, crafts, collectibles and delicious fresh food.

The Flea in Fort Greene, found on the asphalt playground of Bishop Laughlin Memorial High School at Lafayette and Clermont, is fun to visit on a Saturday. Pratt Institute is nearby so there are a lot of art students at the Flea, and I love the creative blend of people, merchandise, fashion and food. The Brooklyn Flea has a laid-back charm which feels to me like a mix of Chilmark and Paris. And it attracts a crowd with a lot of style.

It's easy get there. Take the C train to Lafayette Avenue and walk up Lafayette past the red house with the green cornices

the old wooden houses on Adelphi Street

and lace curtains protected by wrought iron.

Over the tented dealers rise the Masonic Temple on the left and Queen of All Saints Church on the right.

Inside are interesting vendors like Jarka and Peter Cole

who sell vintage clothes and jewelry that they make.

The boys at Vintage Van Gogh

and their selection of ties.

Spring flowers and colorful eggs

This girl was so cute, dressed circa 1962.

Old pins in pie tins – I love this sort of thing.

Sharp shoes

Glasses frames for sale

Vintage furniture and hanging lights at City Owl

Time for lunch. The back end of the Flea is lined with tents of vendors selling all kinds of fresh food. But just plan ahead because you will wait in line.

Lunch of a shrimp roll and a black coffee accompanied by a few raindrops.

After lunch I found my friends Enrique Crame and Matt Fox from the online store Fine and Dandy.com.

The boys had set up shop for the day at the Brooklyn Flea and were doing good business with their bow ties, scarves and accessories.

I checked out their dapper ties.

This iron fixture offered post office boxes in a general store.

Strike a pose: Natasha Diggs and Gizmo "Vintage Honey"

Metal and glass

Lace gloves at the Flea – love it.

Great glasses and great shorts

At the end of the day I got a treat at Dough – "We fry in Bed-Sty" is their slogan. They make the most delicious donuts.

I got the Cafe au Lait flavor. Fantastic and fresh and luxuriously iced but not too sugary. These donuts are the new Magnolia cupcake. And only $2. Sweet. The perfect end to my trip to the Brooklyn Flea.

Multi-Media

When my friend David Patrick Columbia at New York Social Diary.com recently asked me to contribute to his web site, I was flattered. Yesterday was my first outing there with my piece about my weekend visit to the Brooklyn Flea. I'm excited! Thanks David. Visitors can click on the image below to go there and read it now, or in a week's time it will be posted here on the blog.

Spring Beginnings

Colors in bloom at the Saturday Farmer's Market.

What a week I had. On Monday I got a call from an ad agency I had been in touch with. They asked if I could start work in a freelance capacity on Tuesday. I'd love to, I said. I was laid off in the magazine publishing business in October but on Tuesday morning, I went back to work. This agency is located downtown in the financial district on the top floor of a new building. Extremely chic offices. Floor to ceiling glass and 360 degree views: uptown, the East River, the harbor, the Hudson River. Jaw-dropping actually. Very interesting work, good people around me, and when I look up, I see the Empire State Building uptown. Thrilled to be there. Loving it.

On Saturday morning TD and I went over to the Farmer's Market at Union Square where the spring flowers are in full bloom (above). Unfortunately Union Square is under construction like every other corner of Manhattan and so the extremely popular and populous Farmer's Market is squished into a small and dangerous space which kind of defeats the purpose of going there to buy healthy food. "Only in New York, kids, only in New York." Hopefully the situation will be rectified soon.

On the way over to the market, TD said our friend Josh who lives in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, had invited us to come out to visit him and go to the opening day of the Fort Greene Flea, the great new flea market there. And so after going to the gym we did just that.

The Fort Greene Flea was started last year and includes hand-chosen vendors selling antiques, clothes, food, furniture. Great looking crowd, a lot of cool boys and cool girls in tee shirts and jeans but with precise haircuts and good glasses so you know there is some style going on. I met a fellow blogging friend, Matt Fox, from Fine and Dandy Shop. I recognized him from his Facebook pictures! The flea market was swell -- I highly recommend it.


Afterwards we went to find Josh. He was having a stoop sale in front of his building. The spring green buds on the trees were just waiting to burst.


Josh is a film maker, and when we moved off of Jane Street three years ago which was a traumatic experience he followed us with his camera. He's now made a short film which we are going to see soon. Maybe I can put a clip up on the blog.

We walked down some beautiful streets in Fort Greene


lined with great old houses. And you know they all have gardens behind them...


We took the Q train home over the Manhattan Bridge. I love an above-ground subway ride that involves views of the river below


and sun shining through the car.


At the Fort Greene Flea I got this little glass vase with metal legs. I like things "with legs" -- furniture, plant stands, magazine racks. It lends an airy, graceful feeling when things are lifted up.


Then we ordered some Mexican food.