Our Baltimore relatives, a doctor and a policy wonk, wanted to see the Brooklyn Flea. Avid readers of Design Sponge, they knew all about it.
We met them for breakfast at Tom’s Restaurant. Just as we were pulling up in the Eastern Car Service car, we remembered that Tom’s is closed on Sunday. Oops.
The rain was coming down.
Our relatives, who were standing under a nearby awning, jumped in the car, and we speeded off to Junior’s for a large breakfast of French Toast and eggs. And a bottomless cup of coffee.
After breakfast, we yellow-cabbed it to the Flea not too far away on Lafayette Avenue. We got there close to opening and Jonathan Butler was at the door looking nervously at the foul weather.
They haven’t had one sunny Sunday since the Flea opened and it’s clearly getting on his nerves. Still, he looked excited in his new role as Flea Market entreprenuer.
“I can’t complain. We had 20,000 here the first weekend,” he told me.
Vendors were in the process of setting up as we got there but there was plenty to see and plenty to buy. Our relatives bought a gorgeous bright color photograph of a flower in a bright colored and ornate frame from the artist. They also bought some great vintage mug shot photos.
Hepcat picked up a leveling head for a tripod from a vendor of old photo equipment and was mighty pleased about that.
OSFO and I checked out the many vendors of kooky stuffed animals, artisan jewelry, and children’s items. OSFO bought an original decoupage pin and a necklace made from nickels from Wabisabi Brooklyn.
My cool find: political buttons from the 1970’s: Re-Elect Mailer. November 15th March on Washington, Bring the Troops Home. Another Woman for McGovern. George Wallace Courage to Stand Up for America.
Thanks for mentioning wabisabi brooklyn! I am nursing a sore throat I probably got from being out in the chill and damp all day at the flea yesterday, so it’s nice to know it was not all for naught.