May 16, 2008
Designers!
Several Fleasters who took part in another excellent BKLYN Designs expo last week return to homebase in the yard this Sunday. (Lotta Jansdotter, who blessed the Flea in April, will hopefully be back with us in August or September.)
We're especially happy to welcome for the first time this Sunday Jill Malek, whose wow wallpaper designs are really innovative and practical. "Maidenhair" (right) is abstract enough to be decorative, but also detailed enough to feel like wall art. "Elephant Walk" in a kid's room pretty much guarantees a hipster spawn. Serious stuff for ze Flea to be sure, and we think Jill will be a great find Sunday. L5, Lafayette fence, Clermont side.
Jewelry designer Gabriela de la Vega showed her classy line at BD, and Senor Flea was mighty impressed. She's back in E44, like every week, selling gorgeous handwrought jewelry we can all appreciate.
Porcelain potter Lois Aronow is back for her monthly Flea stint, showing off her beaded-texture glazes on elegant mugs, plates, servers, and more (right). Lois is also, of course, a hoot. S10 by the school.
Nadia from Brooklyn Junior is making a real name herself with her upstart kids' clothing line, and we're happy to have her as a weekly vendor. B5 by the Clermont handball wall.
We Like Bike
The Flea ain't just tchotchkes, chocolate and chairs. With spring upon us (in theory), it's the perfect time to pick up a new set of wheels--the human-powered kind of course. Senor and Mr. B. generally pedal to Flea Central, and we think you should too. (We have an onsite delivery service if you buy anything big.)
Over by the Clermont entrance (near the school), Mr. Shane (right) has been holding it down with a stunning selection of quality bicyclettes the last few weeks. First week he did all pastel bikes; second week only French models; last week was all black ones. Coming up Sunday: red, white, and blue! Shane is a character, and he's got the goods to back it up.
DIY gal KT is on the move at the Flea again Sunday. She's done some re-branding--she's "Velo Brooklyn" now--and her selection is always truly eclectic: little kids' trikes, banana seaters, BMX, you name it. She also transports her bikes on a homestyle tri-wheel rickshaw/pickup, which is what Senor Flea terms dedication. B12, near the Lafayette entrance.
In a nice bit of Flea synergy, KT will be sharing space with City Streamers, a local gal named Liz who turns gently used yarns and fabrics into groovy handlebar adornments (right). Ride on!
Trashed
After a couple of aborted attempts, Mr. Malcolm Tent of Trash American Style will join us at the Flea for the first time Sunday. Malcolm's got great records, CDs, cassettes, patches, and all kinds of rock ephemera, and he also played in a DEVO tribute band at Southpaw last weekend. He trucks in from Connecticut, where he got booted from his two-decade storefront last year, and musically he covers the Can/Wire/Sonic Youth/Don Cherry/Pelican/indie rock realm with gusto. E42.
From a sort of similar galaxy of the musical universe, the incense-burning kids from Dope Jams return for what we hope to be a weekly residency at the Flea. A secret arsenal of vinyl ammo for house and techno DJs on Myrtle and Classon, Dope Jams is heavy on the Detroit/Berlin axis as well as all the latest cuts. Bob your head over to B20, or just follow the trail of patchouli.
And don't miss Devin and Maria of Salon Vintage's perfectly picked mix of clothes and hip-hop/rare groove records--they're holding it down. C12, Clermont fence.
If you hear music at the Flea, you're right! Hermano Flea y Small Change are powered up in the backstop to provide aural pleasures of all kinds every Sunday--subtly and tastefully of course. Enjoy.
May 12, 2008
Pupusamania!
As noted on New York magazine's Grub Street food blog today, the legendary Latino food vendors from the Red Hook ballfields will be setting up a satellite location at ze Flea. There simply aren't enough exclamation points or emoticons of euphoria to express our elation at this development, which Senor Flea has been cultivating over the last few months. Suffice it to say we're simultaneously smiling and salivating.
This Sunday (May 18), the first stand will open with grilled corn and fruits, and May 25 a larger stand with the storied huaraches and pupusas--made with love (and pounds of toppings) by Fernando and Rafael--will make its Flea debut. Senor Flea can hardly contain his culinary enthusiasm.
We are grateful to Cesar and the Red Hook vendors for sharing their papusa prowess with our little mercado. And make sure to visit the full crew in Red Hook in full splendor starting in June!
On an unrelated note, props to Cool Hunting for doing a day-long feature on some of our hippest vendors. Super-cool!
Look for our first Flea Flickr sometime tomorrow.
May 9, 2008
Incoming!
The Flea approaches full throttle this Sunday, with a packed yard of our best mix of vendors yet. And expect to hear more from Senor Flea here on ze blog in coming weeks. We miss you too!
Truly too many new vendors onboard this week to list them all. Here are some highlights.
Adele Amore is back with her ogle-friendly mix of vintage jewelry, knick-knacks, and handbags. Adele is a Brooklyn Fleaster in the classic style, which is obvious after about 2 seconds of yapping with her. That's Amore! Clermont fence.
Pamela Haft makes her first Flea trip down from Sharon, CT, to bestow treasures like the antique sewing machine (right, top) upon Fleagoers. Pam also just opened a new shop called Artisan Gallery Antiques in Amenia, NY. Handball wall, Vanderbilt side.
Clyde Gatlin, also from CT, will be spread out in the middle of the yard with his mish-mash of '40s whisky boxes, watering cans, garden tools, and antique silver and porcelain. We have a good feeling about Clyde--as a vendor and a man.
Gary Ford, a Fort Greener and veteran of the 25th St. Garage, debuts his collection, which includes fossilized whale bones, Persian prayer rugs, and lots of picture frames. Clermont fence.
Bayo Ogunsanya debuts his rare books this week, looking forward to having him as a regular hopefully. Handball wall, Vanderbilt side.
Reyna from Jef Rey Cambodian Crafts is bringing her beautiful pieces from Southeast Asia, like this Cambodian buddha head (right, middle.) 8x8 section.
Susan from the La Crosta Pie Co. upstate brings her delicious pies to the Flea for the first time. Fresh, local, no preservatives, etc. School-side booths.
Leke and Rob have a great couple of racks of vintage clothes, and they're always dressed for excess. Rob is an especially fine devotee of the art of conversation, perpetual pipe in hand (right, bottom.) 8x8 section.
Longtime Motique Gallery-owners Monifa and Bashiri hop over from Prospect Heights for the first time with their tip-top trove of African-inspired art, everything from glass and paintings to textiles and photos. Vanderbilt fence.
Vanity, a Crown Heights antiques shop on Kingston Ave., makes its debut at the Flea on Sunday. We're eager to see what Yahia pulls from their older-era collection of furniture, teapots, and porcelain. Vanderbilt fence.
Bed-Stuy (Franklin Ave. at Clifton Pl.) clothing boutique Collecther launched its Flea outpost last Sunday, and Shana's back for more. Collecther does super-nice vintage, as well as Shana's subtly elegant house line. Vanderbilt fence.
And finally, a few other newcomers of note for this Mama's Day Flea:
Orchard Floral will have fresh bouquets of flowers.
Fine and Raw chocolates--literally raw chocolate--are ready just in time for yo mama.
And one of our faves, the gals who ran the Chop Delancey art intervention/shop/restaurant last fall will begin their weekly presence (residence?) at the Flea on Sunday, under the guise "Chop Summers." We're not quite sure what to expect, but hear rumblings about Hungarian roadside gypsy traditions, bartering food and art for seeds and soil, and this week at least, lots and lots of RED. Apparently, these gals also need ladders--if you got one to spare, let's make a deal! Look for the red art gypsies.
May 7, 2008
Mrs. B's Flea Wrap: Week 3
What a difference a little sun makes! Walking around visiting the great vendors who came out in spite of thunderstorm warnings was truly a joy as the sun shone across the flea! There was a great crop last Sunday—Here are some highlights:
This table (upper left) would be perfect for a front hall or between windows. The seat above has great lines and curves and could be recovered in a simple heavy linen or one of the reprodepot fabrics, depending on whether you're going for a mod or a subtle look. We couldn't help but be drawn to this chock-full display case as wedding season fast approaches and we all search for that non-registry, but non-lame gift! We particularly loved the little candlesticks for a bedside table. Speaking of candlesticks...this brass one (of a pair) stood out for its clean lines—the pair would look great on a marble mantle or a modern dinner table. We're really looking forward to this Sunday (Mother's Day!), although we will most likely be picking up some things for the little people as Clinton Hill's very own Still Hip will join us with a selection of great second-hand kid's clothes and vintage toys.
May 2, 2008
We Like to Eat!
Food. Glorious Food. Quite simply, the Flea's gonna have more of it, starting now. If we become a stop on your weekend food rounds--for a nosh or for your Sunday-dinner ingredients--well, that makes us happy.
For starters, our pal Ricardo has been toiling away to get ready for the debut of his new Pillar Cuban food stall this weekend (named for Hemingway's boat when he lived in Havana), which will feature both smoked ham and cod croquettes, pressed Cuban sandwiches, a Galician white bean soup, and these amazing chicken or smoked short rib empanadas made with yucca and corn dough. He'll also have a guava and cream cheese pie for dessert. Delicioso! Pillar will be Choice's new neighbor. (Ricardo is also a Soros Open Society Institute Justice Fellow, chat him up!)
Longtime NYC pastry chef Mark Sopchak and his art director wife Jenna Park recently launched Whimsy & Spice, a line of cookies, brownies, and homemade marshmallows (yum!) that each feature a unique/unexpected flavor--honey lavender shortbread or cinnamon chocolate malt biscotti, for example. They'll have awesome Mother's Day gift boxes (right) this week. E12 near the middle aisle, this week and next.
As hinted last week, the organic ice cream dream team of Blue Marble and ze Flea becomes a reality May 11, when these fine gals (and neighbors of Senor) transport the frozen love from their Atlantic Ave. shop to the Flea's food emporium. Bless their hearts.
Later this month, Hot Bread Kitchen makes a bid to be your local remote bakery (how '08!), when they start purveying fresh baked breads of the world. Lavash, multi-grain loaves, hand-ground tortillas? Yeah, that's what we're talkin' about. (Hopefully they'll bust out their corn-grinding cycle soon too.) Oh, did we mention their focaccia of the week, featuring a city-garden-grown topping, or how they use recipes from immigrant women? Uh huh. Location TBD.
Quick note: Kumquat Cupcakery and Brown Bag Industries are both off this week.
And finally, thanks to Brooklyn Paper for pimping our nibbles this week.
May 1, 2008
Mrs. B's Flea Wrap: Week 2
Today brings us the second installment of Mrs. B's weekly look-back at the previous Sunday's Flea.
Anyone who read last week's post may suspect that we have a thing for chairs. Well, we do. And now that the weather is giving rise to backyard bbq and beer (or wine, if you voted for Kerry) fantasies, we thought we'd keep an eye open for outdoor chairs. Our favorites from this last, drizzly sunday are pictured above, along with a cool clock (if it's still there next week, we will hunt it down) and a lamp that would look incredible with a simple white linen shade. (This one went for a mind-blowing forty bucks seconds before we were able to grab it up. Doh!) The orange chair apparently hails from the 40s by and was test driven and approved by the Brownstoner offspring. The wooden chair reminds us of the kinds of great pieces that are simple and kind of
banged-up and look amazing in Belgian Axel Vervoordt's designs.
April 30, 2008
Our Two Scents
The Flea is getting more vintagey every week--a good thing--but some of our artisans are totally holding it down.
Celle Adore, created by Jessica Cohen, sells both her own line of luxury scents inspired by 17th Century French parfumeurs, as well as stunning vintage perfume bottles from the likes of Chanel and Balenciaga. The fancy sequined tops she's also been bringing will soon be joined by some beautiful French antiques too. E2 every week.
The friendly folks from D.S. & Durga were a hit with their scents for ladies and gents at their Flea debut, and we're excited to have them back this Sunday. Cowboy Grass for guys is particularly nice, and perhaps helped snag their recent invite to a Bendel trunk show. They'll be joined by their pal Alison Kelly, an up-and-coming young clothing designer who was on Project Runway in season three. Lafayette fence, Clermont side.
Two quick notes: We'll be folding the Design*Sponge Collective into the market as a whole starting this Sunday (Alyssa Ettinger will be there in B14, and John Murphy and Foxy + Winston continue to be there every week, in B19 and B22.)
And busy as a Flea Lotta Jansdotter is taking a hiatus to promote her two new books and be a good mom. She'll be back this summer though.
April 28, 2008
Sounds of ze Flea
WCBS Radio (880 AM) ran a cute audio segment last week highlighting some of the sounds and flavors of the Flea. Check it out.