New York City has some interesting permanent flea markets which are well worth a visit if you enjoy rummaging through ‘stuff’ to find a bargain. The Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market (http://www.hellskitchenfleamarket.com/fleamarket/index.php) is the largest urban permanent flea market in New York City which is held every weekend on 39th Street between 9th and 10th avenues. The Hell’s Kitchen Flea market features an interesting mix of nearly 170 vendors who come from all over the tri-state area and include antiques sellers, vintage-house wares hawkers, local-produce stands, and street-food vendors. Tourists, designers, artists, celebrities and locals have been flocking to the Hell’s Kitchen flea since 1976 to shop for mid-century/retro antiques, vintage clothing and home decorations, jewelry, furniture and much more.
An associated attraction is the Antiques Garage which is an indoor antiques market over two floors on weekends from 6.30 am to 5pm on 112, West 25th Street between 6th and 7th avenues. This antiques market can be reached via the Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market Shuttle. A ride on this shuttle is priced $1. This Antique’s market has been a permanent feature since 1994 and has now grown to include more than 100 vendors who sell several ornamental antiques that include prints, paintings, rugs, vintage accessories and clothing and silver knick knacks.
Yet another flea market is held on Sundays from 10 am to 6pm on Columbus Avenue between 76th and 77th Streets on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. This flea market, which is a combination of an outdoor and indoor flea market, is called the Green Flea Market (http://www.greenfleamarkets.com/) because it features many outdoor vendors who sell fresh produce. The wares offered at this flea market vary with the seasons and in the winter it has several vendors who sell fur coats, home furnishings and antiques while in the summer months the many of vendors of the Greenflea sell handmade clothing, antique and vintage jewelry, antique maps and prints, second hand books, CDs and DVD s. Fresh produce sold at this market consists of vegetables, plants, flowers and a wide variety of baked goods which includes breads, fruit pies and cookies.
The newest kid on the block in the world of New York City flea markets is the Brooklyn Flea Market (http://www.brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/) which has been put together by Eric Demby and Jonathan Butler who run the popular Brooklyn real estate website called http://www.brownstoner.com. This is the largest outdoor flea market in New York City that is held over two days at two different locations. On Saturdays it is held Lafayette Avenue in Fort Greene and on Sundays it is held near the picturesque Brooklyn Bridge between 11am and 6pm. This flea market features over two hundred vendors who sell a wide variety of wares like records, clothing, pottery, photographs, and much more. The entire list of vendors is available at the website of the Brooklyn Flea.
In the summer months New York City has an added attraction in the form of its various Street Fairs and Festivals. These street fairs are usually held on weekends and entire streets are then closed to traffic and taken over by vendors who sell all kinds of products like wooden African masks and statues, Buddha heads and Fengshui items, aromatherapy oils and burners, t-shirts, handmade jewelry, flowers and other paraphernalia. These street fairs also feature many food vendors who serve a smorgasbord of various eats that range from the ubiquitous gyros and funnel cakes to fresh fruits, flavored popcorn, corn on the cob and ice creams and so on. Most Street Fairs run from 11am to 6pm and make for a fun outing for all the family. Information about these street fairs can be found in the local New York City press and also on the website of the street fairs at http://www.clearviewfestival.com/.
