The Brooklyn Flea Markets: The New Williamsburg Flea Market
We've had a ton of fun–and eaten a lot of good food–at the Brooklyn Flea's Fort Greene location several times already this summer, but last weekend was our first foray into the great market's Williamsburg digs. The Brooklyn Flea's formula is much the same here, offering up sellers of interesting vintage wares (from dining room tables to clothing to Star Wars action figures), as well as handmade jewelry and bags and prints and pottery by local artisans, and about twenty or so food booths dishing out some of the borough's most beloved treats, both savory and sweet.
In fact, you'll find some of the same vendors at both Brooklyn Flea locations, in Fort Greene on Saturdays, and here in Williamsburg on Sundays… but that doesn't mean we didn't have a great time here by the East River, with those spanking-new condos towering above, browsing and snacking ourselves silly.
This is the first summer that the Brooklyn Flea has been here in Williamsburg and, yes, the site definitely lacks the brownstone-ish charm of its Fort Greene counterpart. No matter what you think of design of — or the existence of — the new condos that have taken over this part of the neighborhood, words like "homey" and "cozy" don't come to mind. And the dusty, gravely ground doesn't help to soften things.
There is the river, which is nice, and gives off some breeze. And the Manhattan skyline has a different, almost retro, feel to it when viewed from this part of town, dominated by the four smokestacks of the East River Generating Station, the Empire State Building to the north, and the Lower East Side housing projects to the south. But the best part about the Brooklyn Flea's Williamsburg location is its size. There's plenty of room to roam the aisles; plenty of places to sit and eat.
The Brooklyn Flea in Williamsburg can fit some 125 vendors on any given Sunday. Just a few of our (non-food) favorites last weekend would include Taliah Lempert's beautiful Bicycle Paintings (we liked them all, but especially the simple, graphic ones); Joan Huggard's clever and super-cool Citybitz pendants, made from pieces of photographs, metal-framed and encased in glass (we liked the Graffiti pendants best); and Susannah Tisue's animal-adorned SKT Ceramics.
Eating-wise, well… there's always too many good things to choose from at the Brooklyn Flea. Pizza Moto, Mile End, Brooklyn Bangers, Red Hook Lobster Pound, Saltie, Pupusas and Huraches were all calling our name, but this week we decided to try the monster stuffed biscuits at King's Crumb. There was a Fried Chicken biscuit sandwich with bacon and smothered in a garlickly, pickley ranch dressing; and the Maple-Pimenton Sausage sandwich, topped with a runny fried egg and melted cheese, was huge and hugely-flavored and maybe a bit much for a hot summer's day.
Brooklyn Flea 2011: Williamsburg Details
Brooklyn Flea 2011: Williamsburg is located on the East River Waterfront between North 6th and North 7th Streets (just a few blocks from the Bedford Avenue L train station), and is open every Sunday, rain or shine, from 10:00 until 5:00 p.m., from now through November 20. For more information and look at each coming weekend's vendor line-up, please see the Brooklyn Flea website, here.
Posted in NYC Events | Tagged Brooklyn Flea • Flea markets • The Brooklyn flea markets • Williamsburg flea market
