Sometimes I think of the Seventh Heaven Street Fair as the seventh gate of hell, but this year, the booths were better than ever and it wasn’t quite as chaotic as usual.

Maybe it was my mood.

My sister and I traversed from one end to the other and found quite a few things to oogle over.

There was a small table of inpractical but elegant 100% linen clothing for children and toys from a company called sia linens. And great children’s clothing bargains to be had, including Petit Bateau t-shirts and pants at Baby Bird’s $5 bin right out on the Avenue.

 

Near Union Street, we spoke with artist Josh Goldstein, who was selling his bodega art. Mounted on wood, they are bold and graphic with a wallop of color. Josh writes on his web site:

These signs are part of the unmistakable landscape of New York, a
burst of tropical warmth that spread from Latin neighborhoods to create
a comfort zone on nearly every corner. But one by one, bodegueros – as
the store owners call themselves in Spanish — are tearing down these
iconic relics in favor of cheaper, impermanent vinyl awnings…soon,
the classic metal bodega sign may be nothing more than a Goya-tinged
memory.

Josh’s T-shirts of Yiddish expressions in hilarious contexts are
hilarious. I almost bought his Mensh T-shirt for a menshy friend of
mine. And the men’s underwear that says: "I found the Afekomen" is also
great fun.

We discovered a wonderful new wine bar called Toast between 14th and 15th Streets. A lovely rose wine was the perfect refreshment. And a tomato and mozzarella panini for me and a very fresh arugula salad with beets and walnuts for my sister, were also tasty.
Very.

I spoke with the owner, who was tending the bar. He said that he’d been a chef at Belleville and formerly owned a restaurant on Avenue A, called 85 Down. And years and years ago, he was chef at the much loved East Village Miracle Grill, which now has an outer-borough outpost on Seventh Avenue.

Open just three weeks, I can tell that the very attractive Toast is a real winner.

We were surprised to see women lined up to shop at a Kielh’s booth, the upscale, natural skin care products company right there on Seventh Avenue. Is a Kiehl’s Brooklyn in the works? hmmmm.

Marty Markowitz was out and about. Of course. He gave advice to some friends who are pining for a puppy in a "No Pets Allowed" building. He counseled them to petition their neighbors.

Mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner was shaking hands with Park Slopers. And a wide array of local groups were out in force: Develop Don’t Destroy, the Park Slope Food Coop, Congregation Beth Elohim, Stop Walmart, were some of the one’s I saw.

Jonathan Blum, with his 1-year-old son, was posted near Union Street selling his paintings of dogs, ducks, birds and bridges. His sister was also selling her lovely paintings of nude women, clothes lines and city scapes.

Amid the fruit shake booths, the Mexican corn stands, and Italian sausage trucks, there were musicians tucked away on every other corner. This year, it seemed, there were more solo performers on guitar. In front of the former John Jay High School, there was a big stage with various funky and loud bands.

A ’70s-cover band garnered quite a crowd outside of the sports bar on the corner of 8th Street and Seventh Avenue.

For those of you who’ve never made it to the top of the fair (just above 16th Street) : that’s where they put the kiddie rides. Good to know for the future if you’ve got a daughter like mine who just loves to go on those things.