This past Saturday was a quintessential New York fall trench-coat-and-ballet-flat day: sunny with a bit of a chill, wind rustling through the just-changing greenish-yellow leaves. It was a perfect day to do some Brooklyn market-hopping!
First stop: Brooklyn Flea
My husband and I are frequent visitors to this outdoor market, as its Fort Greene location is a quick walk from our home. Usually we’re not there so early in the day, so it was a great surprise to run into not one, not two, but six friends as we made the rounds! We picked up a fantastic 1972 Massimo Vignelli New York City subway map with a bit of wear and tear for $35, pumpkin pie spice raw cashew milk and plain almond milk from OMilk for $10, and enjoyed a concord and Niagara grape with green peppercorn soda from Brooklyn Soda Works. I also tried on a great pair of maroon knee-high Charles Jordan boots from the ’80s, but at $180, I figured I would keep looking.
Second stop: Smorgasburg
Smorgasburg is the Brooklyn Flea’s all-food offshoot. Unfortunately, the outdoor lot was rather scarcely populated, but still, the selection was decent… However, there were disappointingly few vegetarian options at most vendor booths, with a couple of notable exceptions: Barry’s Tempeh‘s jalepeño and mole tamales ($4 each) and BBQ tempeh and slaw sandwiches ($5) and Saucy by Nature‘s quinoa falafel (delicious, but a bit pricey at $7 each). We picked up a jar of their cilantro-lime sauce ($6) and plan to use it to marinate seitan for our next taco night.
Third stop: Artists & Fleas
I may be a bit biased (Artists & Fleas is a client), but this is a perpetual favorite. The indoor space is jam-packed with cool clothes, cool accessories, and cool shoppers. Without question, one of the coolest members of the A&F family is Ignacio Quiles of QP & Monty. QP & Monty is my newest client (I’ll be designing and building their new website), so I stopped by to say “hi.” I was also hoping that I would be able to finally purchase a gold palm tree necklace I’d stupidly passed up a couple of months ago, but no luck. Instead, I got a very cute gift for a friend, which I won’t publish here, since she might see!
Fourth stop: Dekalb Market
This was our first visit to the new market, located at Flatbush Avenue and Dekalb in Downtown Brooklyn. The website said that vendors are open till 7, but by the time we got there at 6:30, most were closing up or already closed. While the space, configured with repurposed containers, seems like it could be a cooler version of the Union Square holiday market, its hard to give a decent review since there wasn’t a whole lot to see. I’ll have to try it again next week… and get there early.
The era of the market in Brooklyn is in full-swing and its no coincidence that it comes at a time when mass-production is turning people off, entrepreneurs are feeling more empowered, and unique handmade and/or vintage pieces are growing in appeal. I love that I live in a borough that makes artists and vintage curators so accessible!
Beyond the great finds and the great food, one of the highlights of any market trip is seeing how each business distinguishes themselves from the sea of vendors while still fitting in to the market’s pre-determined booths. Some do it with creative merchandising, some with signage, and some highlight their best wares right front-and-center. Looking for some marketing inspiration? Plan your own market day… And tell us all about it in the comments below: