What better way to celebrate National Thrift Shop Day this Sunday than a quick stroll through one of the many NYC flea markets. We shouldn’t really say “quick stroll”—after all, most of the flea markets in our city boast large landscapes of vendors, allowing you to find everything from antiques and vintage clothing to unique pieces of art made from recycled materials.
As a company that believes in reusing and recycling, we can’t get enough of flea market shopping. Here’s our five favorite places to visit:
Artists & Fleas
70 North 7th Street, Brooklyn
Sat & Sun—10am-7pm
West 15th St & 10th Ave, Manhattan
Mon-Thu–10am-9pm & Sun–10am-8pm
A weekly flea market in Williamsburg and a daily market inside Chelsea Market, Artists & Fleas is a hip, contemporary marketplace that not only gives buyers the opportunity to find unique items, but the old marketplace atmosphere brings together some of the best artists, designers and vintage collectors. As its cofounders state, “Artists & Fleas is a community for those who love to sell and a destination for those who love to shop.”
In the Know Info: Artists & Fleas is now in LA—every 3rd weekend, you will find the West Coast version of cool and hip at 647 Mateo Street in downtown LA.
Brooklyn Flea
Various Locations
Sat & Sun—times vary by location
Founded in 2008, Brooklyn Flea operates flea markets every weekend of the year that feature vendors of antique and repurposed furniture, vintage clothing, collectibles and even a curated selection of jewelry, art and crafts by local artisans. Held outside April through Thanksgiving (Saturdays in Fort Greene, Sundays in Williamsburg and Saturdays & Sundays in Park Slope at PS 321), the markets move indoors during the colder months.
In the Know Info: Brooklyn Flea also operates Smorgasburg, two giant all-food markets in Williamsburg (Saturdays) and Brooklyn Bridge Park (Sundays) featuring 100 local and regional vendors. The Park Slope Flea includes “Smorg Jr.,” where startup vendors test and tweak their menu before heading to the larger venue.
GreenFlea
Columbus Ave, between West 76th & 77th Streets, Manhattan
Sun–10am-5:30pm
With different vendors each week (see website for this week’s market), this popular flea market has a wide range of offerings from antiques and vintage art pieces (a framer is on the premise!) to household products and handcrafted items. There is also a wide assortment of used home furnishings including carpets, lighting fixtures and architectural salvage mantels.
In the Know Info: Owned by parents associations and the Greenmarket/GrowNYC organization, the market benefits four NYC public schools.
Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market
West 39th Street, between 9th & 10th Avenues, Manhattan
Sat & Sun—9am-5pm
Named one of the top ten shopping streets in the world by National Geographic, Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market offers a place where collectors and “topnotch hagglers” shop for antiques, collectibles, vintage clothing, home decorations, furniture, jewelry and more.
In the Know Info: The Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market team recently embarked on a project to beautify the streets of Hell’s Kitchen—specifically, asking people to adopt a tree bed lining the bike lanes on 9th Avenue.
Hester Street Fair
Corner of Hester and Essex, Manhattan
Sat & Sun—11am-6pm
Only open from Apr 26-Oct 26
Located in the heart of the Lower East Side, Hester Street Fair brings together a collection of some of NYC’s most unique vendors offering up a wide-variety of items that are mostly vintage, handmade or ethically-sourced. As stated on their website, Hester Street Fair supports a community of artists, collectors and first time entrepreneurs—giving shoppers the joy of discovering the next “big thing.”
In the Know Info: Hester Street Fair food vendors are amazing—grab a few items and head to nearby Seward Park for a picnic.
Talk to us: What is your favorite NYC flea market?
image courtesy of flickr/BY CC 2.0