Brooklyn Flea is the place to be… A thrift shopping trip to NYC
Last weekend for my birthday we took a trip to NYC. While we were there visiting family we managed to do some thrift and flea market shopping. Finally after many months of reading about this place, we visited the Brooklyn Flea!
The winter location is held on three floors of a beautiful old bank building, located at One Hanson Place, on the corner of Ashland Place, near Atlantic and Flatbush Avenue. What a cool place and the flea market has such a great vibe! The vendors were really nice and fun to chat with and their booths were probably the nicest displays I have ever seen at a flea market, very creative!
We met Brian of Wrecords by Monkey, a super clever and talented vendor selling up-cycled vinyl records they have turned into very cool jewelry, journals and other household goods. We bought a small journal, made with a Rolling Stones album. This is the type of company I love to follow and hope they continue to stay creative, fun and grow! Check them out online wrecordsbymonkey.com or at their Etsy shop.
I have my eye on one of their bracelets for my next purchase!
For a more about the Brooklyn Flea and the vendors selling there check out the website http://www.brooklynflea.com Also if you go – head downstairs and have a taste of the delicious food from the vendors there. I had Ethiopian food, not something I can get on the mid-coast of Maine.
Can’t wait to head back for another visit this summer when the Brooklyn Flea is held outdoors in two locations. Saturdays at 176 Lafayette Ave. between Clermont and Vanderbilt Ave. in Fort Greene, 10am-5pm and same time Sundays in Williamsburg at East River Waterfront between North 6 and 7 streets.
Sunday we were wandering around Manhattan and stopped in the Chelsea Antiques Co-Op at 120 West 25th Street. There is an eclectic mix of goods presented by 20 dealers on two floors. The very first booth in the front of the store had some beautiful vintage cameras and the woman running the store was really fun to chat with (who says New Yorkers are unfriendly!) and she was a wealth of knowledge. She told us about another must visit flea market on the same block a few doors down. The Antiques Garage, Located at 112 West 25th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues)and open 9AM – 5PM, every Saturday & Sunday. The flea market is held on two floors of a parking garage. Prices here are not super low, but if you really pick through there are some bargains to be had.
We also managed to check out 2 thrift shops in the same area of Manhattan. The Salvation Army on 208 8th Avenue was pretty bare and picked through so we headed to the Goodwill store located at 103 West 25th Street. This was a pretty hip Goodwill store, really cool clothing and some nice house wares, hope to stop back in on future visits.
New York is a vast amazing city with almost endless shopping options. Thrift stores and flea markets may not be the first choice that many people make when planning a shopping trip in the city. I say give it a try you may meet some super nice, creative people and find some interesting vintage bargains with character and a unique story to tell.
Do you have any good thrift store recommendations for New York city? I’d love to hear about them.
Next weekend it’s back to thrift shopping in Maine!
