Closing Bell: Round 2 of The Flea on Sunday

I went last week and was disappointed. Everything was too expensive - not like a real flea market where you can find a bargin here and there. I was also looking for AFORDABLE furniture - such as what I used to be able to find at the weekend markets in Chelsea - old mirror for 150, chest of drawers for 150. Nothing like that here. Only expensive stuff you dont need for your house. I will go back in a few weeks to see if improved. If it is the same ole stuff I doubt I will ever go back.

Posted by: guest at April 11, 2008 4:54 PM

You've gotta go in upstate country fairs to get good bargain stuff. Most of the fleas in the city are just that: fleas(dog). They fleece you with their boutique prices.

Posted by: guest at April 11, 2008 5:03 PM

i was really disappointed that i couldn't bring my dog with me. he loves coming to flea markets too. will this change?

Posted by: guest at April 11, 2008 5:37 PM

really, do we have to endure this again? did you consider the aggravation to the people that actually live in the immediate vicinty? huh? do you plan on cleaning up all the debris that is left in the wake of all these people? this is actually a neighborhood....not an industrial area like the fashion district was at one point or like hells kitchen is now? brownstoner, why is this not in your neighborhood? across from your house?

Posted by: guest at April 11, 2008 5:41 PM

i guess the only people that bother to write comments always whine?
i live a block away and i thought it was great. you guys act like he was setting a gang of rabid dogs loose in the neighborhood or sprinkling anthrax in your cornflakes.
stop complaining you whiners
-jelly donut

Posted by: guest at April 11, 2008 6:01 PM

I agree with 6:01 -- fabulous idea and look forward to more. I think it will bring a lot of vitality to a sleepy neighborhood.

Posted by: guest at April 11, 2008 6:24 PM

Amazing! I grew up in that neighborhood, and every now and then stop by as I have family (owners) who live in the area. If you would have told me that in that flea market, in that section of BKLYN, you would find hardly any of the members of the darker nation there, i would not have believed you. WOW. Brooklyn light it is.

Posted by: guest at April 11, 2008 7:30 PM

this was a great event in the neighborhood. everyone I ran into there from the area was thrilled, and we were all pleased with the nice range of items available, some old, some new, nice variations... so many people reminiscing about the now defunct chelsea market, which we obviously all miss sorely. but many of the people came from elsewhere - evidenced by the large groups of slightly confused people emerging onto the street a few moments after each train passed, making their ways to the flea.

we scored some great kids furniture, vintage, for much cheaper than I've found anywhere else....

if you believed the majority of posters on this site about any topic you'd have a pretty skewed view of just about everything.

Posted by: guest at April 11, 2008 8:43 PM

If you didn't see any bargains it's because you didn't look hard enough. We sold every piece of antique/vintage furniture we brought down except for one. For example 1940's china cabinet $95.00, country chest of drawers made into coffee table $325.00, Country coffee table $90.00, art deco enamel topped table $325.00, the waterfall vanity was $130.00 (didn't sell), custom made mirrors from salvage material sold from $42.00 to $68.00. A pair of antique French doors $300.00. Shall I go on. The people that bought those got a good price. The same prices I sell for up in Albany. Despite the myth, we don't raise prices because we come to NYC, we bank on volume. So to all the complainers about variety and price stop down to our booth during our next visit Sunday April 27th and tell us we charge too much. Though there was not the volume of antique furniture you used to see at Chelsea, you need to be patient and let this evolve into the market you truly want. Your dollars will decide what sells and for how much. And I though NYC people were tough (I'm a transplanted New Yorker myself). It's like cry baby city on this blog. Fred from Silver Fox

Posted by: guest at April 11, 2008 9:10 PM

Nothing exists in a time warp except memories. The heyday of the Chelsea Flea was 20 years ago. Gas was way cheaper, salvage and most of the kinds of antiques sold there were not as popular to a general audience as they are now, ironically due to markets like Chelsea. How can you complain and expect prices to be as low as they were then? Do people expect vendors to be able to make a living at this? If a vendor has to go farther and farther afield to get cheap, funky and desirable goods, then that cost in time, gas, and other expenses has to be reflected in the selling price.

If you want a $50 couch, get in your car and head to Maine or someplace and find one. If you expect someone to go to all the trouble of doing it for you, expect to pay for that privilege. That's just business 101.

Posted by: guest at April 11, 2008 10:02 PM

Boo Hoo. Wah Wah. It is so awful that people can go and buy what they want at lower prices than they ordinarily would see. How terrible - visitors come to the (my) neighborhood and actually CLOG the sidewalks on a Sunday afternoon. God forbid they might actually spend some money and patronize the local (predatory and horrible - just kidding) merchants. OUCH!!! - Did they get a bargain like we did - paying 1/ 10 the price for an ottoman from DWR???? OK - let the Flea vanish - how great would that be? Then we can go to Tillies without dodging people along the way. And stand in line a few minutes less. Woo Hoo!!! Oh, in case you want to trash me - I have lived in Ft. Greene since 1987. Were you born then?

Posted by: guest at April 11, 2008 11:46 PM

flea market = fleecing of Ft Greene. it's a bargain, not.

Posted by: guest at April 12, 2008 8:43 AM

Waaah! How dare you bring commerce and entertainment to our neighborhood?! I think living in and around NYC should be akin to living on a ranch in Wyoming. I don care none fer them types that ain't from around here. Tear down these building and put up some damn fields! Why do we spend money on things we should saving our soup cans for the war!

Posted by: guest at April 12, 2008 12:51 PM

A Brooklyn Flea Market sounds like a fantastic idea! My only question is why it couldn't be placed in a more central area. It's a little out of the way for most Brooklyn. That's why the 10th Ave Fleamarket in the West 50s didn't thrive.

Maybe this flea market could be moved closer to a real hub - like Flatbush and Atlantic. That way, EVERYONE could get to it.

Posted by: guest at April 12, 2008 12:58 PM

Maybe because the athletic field at BLH was available, and Flatbush and Atlantic is not?????

Maybe because an enclosed schoolyard with a paved surface and enforceable points of entrance and exit is easier to work with, and there are no such places "in a more central area?" Is Ratner giving up a lot here?

Why can't people just appreciate that a couple of guys and their associates worked their butts off to put together a well run, well thought out operation, something no one else has had the connections, chutzpah or will to do, and the people came in droves?

Yeah, it needs some fine tuning, and I'm sure the individual vendors will also fine tune, and by late spring, those tourist busses will be stopping, not just passing by. This is good for Brownstoner Inc, it's good for the vendors, it's good for buyers, it's good for local merchants, it's good for the school, and it's good for the community and Brooklyn.

If it's not good for you, don't go.

Posted by: guest at April 12, 2008 2:32 PM

FYI - looks like Brooklyn Flea is (at least for the moment) the top feature on the NY Times website. Good job Mr. B! I hope to make it there soon!

To the naysayers - 2:32 and some others are right - if you don't like it, sit on the sidelines for a year. I loved and miss the Chelsea fleas, but I doubt they were great on the first day.

All I can say is thank you Brownstoner for trying. I've been considering a move from Chelsea to Brooklyn for a while (clearly I am not a trendsetter), and having a flea to visit on the weekends is yet another reason to try make it happen. Good luck tomorrow!

Posted by: guest at April 12, 2008 6:03 PM

All I can say is that we went last week ( me, my wife, our friend and our two dogs). Nice enough market, but it looked like just that, a market. Vermont it sure as hell isn't. You want cheap , go to New England, but even there you WILL pay over $500 for an antique chest of drawers. The only complaint we had, was this: we are long time Chelsea flea goers/buyers. We have ALWAYS taken our dog inside. Sunday we were asked, and not so politely, by some putz to leave since it was " a liability issue". I have never heard of this in an open market. Indoor markets maybe, but outside? Needless to say I was quite unhappy, it soured my mood to the extent where I just wanted to leave and wished all shitty things on that place. But we took turns watching the dogs and enjoyed ourselves a lot. But I saw PLENTY of people bringing their dogs in while we stood outside with ours.

Posted by: guest at April 12, 2008 6:42 PM

Well said 2:32, looking forward to tomorrow, hope the weather is like today.

Posted by: guest at April 12, 2008 7:56 PM

Why can't people just appreciate that a couple of guys and their associates worked their butts off to put together a well run, well thought out operation, something no one else has had the connections, chutzpah or will to do, and the people came in droves?

WORD!

It's like what doooo you people want.

If you want something to cost a dollar...go exploit some folks from another country....

Posted by: guest at April 13, 2008 12:08 AM

Maybe the PTA parents at the competition flea market at PS 321 is behind the complaining? This is a great thing for any neighborhood to have one of these market; it brings tons of people looking to spend money. It's improves surrounding amenities.

That said, I know exactly what people are talking about when they complain about vintage furniture prices in NYC. Someone said you'll spend more than $500 on an antique dresser in Vermont. But hey, it's a real antique! Here in NYC you'll see really generic vintage stuff that's not very special or cool. I'd rather pay $600 for a special antique than $300 for a scratched up, mass-produced 1950's dresser.

If people renew and update a piece, that's another thing. That's what should be done with the mediocre vintage furniture. Like I dig the chairs somebody recovered in cool modern fabric in one of the photos from the flea market. At least do something like that. But putting it out as-is in the same condition you paid $5 for it at Grandma's estate sale in New Jersey is lame. People deserve to make money for being the person who did the work and went out to the yard sales. However, it's also a drag that these pickers and antiquers hit every yard sale in the tri-state area at 7am and none of the regular folk get to find "finds" anymore. The resulting artificial inflation in the vintage furniture arena is just sad. It makes the whole world around us less cool. I furnished my whole place in cool vintage & antiques in college and now I'd never be able to afford that. It's why we only see 20-somethings with matching ubiquitous Ikea furniture these days.

Posted by: guest at April 13, 2008 11:42 AM

I went just now and was disappointed by the fact that there were almost no used men's cloths, no book vendors, few CDs and DVDs, no comics or magazine vendors, and too many vendors selling new mediocre nicknacks and branded totes. Of course you could find a couple of people selling 5 books, but it's really doesn't add up. In reality a lot of overpriced furniture and baby clothes.

Posted by: guest at April 13, 2008 1:24 PM

I thought it sucked. Nothing in the least interesting, everying overpriced. Most people I saw were disappointed.

Posted by: guest at April 13, 2008 4:42 PM

What a bummer. This isn't a flea market. It's an outdoor shopping mall....shades of St. Louis. No deals. Overpriced crap. No thanks.

Posted by: guest at April 13, 2008 4:52 PM

the only thing I was sad about was the lack of more food vendors. They need someone to set up a hotdog stand or halal cart.

Posted by: guest at April 13, 2008 5:07 PM

the funny things about blogs is that a billion blogs cover this event, (but ill give brownstoner credit where its due)

then the funny thing about photo blogs is a million people think they are photo bloggers

just on on flickr alone there are about 80 variations of the 'picture of people in the tin ceiling mirror' photo with the required comments la-la-gagging about what a cool pic

is this what gentrified brooklyn has come too, all these snots reading the new york times and going to an event thinking they are artists and photographers,

i hope some of these saps got mugged or their apts got burglarized while they were out playing photoblogger...

oh im so cool i take pictures of slobs selling over priced crap

Posted by: guest at April 13, 2008 7:15 PM

^that was constructive

Posted by: guest at April 13, 2008 8:56 PM

Two weekends in a row I have been very disappointed. It seems like everyone is overpricing their crap just to make sure they are not underpricing things. Furniture that is unspectacular at best and would sell for $100 at any suburban flea is selling for 10x that here. Just because we live in NY doesn't mean we are gullible.

I don't think this is the fault of the organizers, just sellers in general thinking anything "vinatge" is worth 5x what people are willing to pay for it. I agree with everyone else who has suggested some sort of consignment area for those of us who are non-professionals and are willing to get rid of our stuff for realistic prices (which in many cases would be far better quality than what the actual vendors are seling).

Posted by: guest at April 13, 2008 11:12 PM

What exactly is it that you "humans" want? No one can read a paper, take a picture, have a coffee, buy anything, have a baby, dress the baby in a onesie. People can't enjoy anything, we can't live anywhere.
I mean what the F does it take to please the two nut jobbers on this blog who rag on everything under the sun.
Exactly what great thing in life is it that you are doing, for yourself or anyone around you for that matter??

Really, tell us great one?

Posted by: guest at April 13, 2008 11:28 PM

What exactly is it that you "humans" want? No one can read a paper, take a picture, have a coffee, buy anything, have a baby, dress the baby in a onesie. People can't enjoy anything, we can't live anywhere.
I mean what the F does it take to please the two nut jobbers on this blog who rag on everything under the sun.
Exactly what great thing in life is it that you are doing, for yourself or anyone around you for that matter??

Really, tell us great one?

I guess people think that items just fall from the sky, and that the vendors are there to donate their time and goods to the charity that is you? I mean, do you go into The Gap and tell them the stuff the little chinese kids make is to expensive? There is work involved for just about everyone there. The disappointment is just bizarre, just do something else next Sunday and quit your whining. It is not a 5 and dime. To generalize that 200 vendors are all over priced is insane. I saw plenty of very happy people there. I fear I might walk among the whiners on here though.

Posted by: guest at April 13, 2008 11:36 PM

Hey Silver Fox......I'm looking for a Parlor Set...Victorian, Federal.....got anything. Went to your website, didn't see anything.

In two weeks I will start going to the antique fairs and auctions in PA, NJ, NY....thought I'd ask here first.

Looking for a Parlor Set....Sofa, and 4 Chairs or Sofa, Settee and 2 Chairs.

Posted by: guest at April 13, 2008 11:54 PM

Conceptually a great idea! But sadly, this is a craft fair, & not a flea market. If I see another stenciled t-shirt I think I'm gonna puke.

Posted by: guest at April 14, 2008 2:52 AM

Conceptually a great idea! But sadly, this is a craft fair, & not a flea market. If I see another stenciled t-shirt I think I'm gonna puke.

Posted by: guest at April 14, 2008 2:53 AM

Conceptually a great idea! But sadly, this is a craft fair, & not a flea market. If I see another stenciled t-shirt I think I'm gonna puke.

Posted by: guest at April 14, 2008 2:53 AM

Not a brownstoner fan, but I think the flea is a great!. I live right across from it too and for a long time. Keep it going b'stoner and I am glad you are finally realizing that your blog about real estate needed a temporary change.

Posted by: guest at April 14, 2008 7:46 AM

I live two blocks away. I LOVE the Flea. Thank you for brining it to Fort Greene. Also, unlike snarky Guy Trebay, I love the craft stuff too. This market doesn't have to be exactly like the Chelsea flea markets from the 1990s. It can reflect this creative neighborhood and the current resurgence in popularity of handmade goods. It can be an original mix of stuff, not dictated by a few cynical unhappy grumps.

Posted by: guest at April 14, 2008 7:48 AM

I too am upset that I couldn't bring my dogs inside the courtyard. They have tons of fleas that they wanted sell at a bargin price.

Fleas for sale!

Posted by: guest at April 14, 2008 8:17 AM

To the person asking about the parlor set, unfortunately none right now and we appreciate that you visited our website. We did put up some new furniture (china cabinet, oak library table, 50's table and chairs, etc. some lighting and our own home made home decor on our website on Sunday, especially this piece from a church (quite impressive). We will have a full truck load for the 27th. I challenge the people to stop by our booth and tell us we charge too much. We have to find it, clean it, move it several times and then sell it. Unlike someone selling out of their garage, we do pay employees and insurance. We price our stuff based on what we pay, and we don't pay a lot for that muffler. See you then. Show your face and look our stuff over. Fred from Silver Fox.

Posted by: guest at April 14, 2008 9:43 AM

re: Parlor Set - Thanks Silver Fox, I'll keep checking your site.

Posted by: guest at April 14, 2008 10:32 AM

I love crafts at a flea market. Crafts are huge again now. To not have them would be totally out of it and not with-it. It's a whole movement connected to living more modestly and not only buying mass-manufactured items. Buy homemade! America has a long history and tradition of handcrafts. It's like apple pie and baseball.

Someone said:
"I agree with everyone else who has suggested some sort of consignment area for those of us who are non-professionals and are willing to get rid of our stuff for realistic prices"

That is such a good idea. I agree with that too and would love to see what fellow Brooklyn homeowners have to sell.

Posted by: guest at April 14, 2008 1:59 PM

if you want to see what fellow brooklyners (homeowners or not) have to sell, just keep your eyes on the stoops on the way to the flea as time passes. i saw 2 folks nearby selling stuff (records, furniture). talk about a great location for a stoop sale! i bet before long you'll be spending half of your money before you actually get to the flea.

Posted by: guest at April 14, 2008 2:30 PM

Can you invite the red hook ballfield vendors to contribute a taco stand? The BAM African day fair had some interesting food vendors and some local businesses like soap makers also. More diversity would make Brooklyn Flea more interesting and more reflective of the neighborhoods we love. Why not try to attract more people with the food? Lots of people go to red hook for food they can't find elsewhere.

Posted by: guest at April 14, 2008 6:28 PM