“Part of what people love is the community feeling and lack of really rampant consumerism.” Eric Demby, co-founder of Brooklyn Flea
Published 23:19, May the 10th, 2009
Flea markets boom as buyers scale back
Festival ambience draws crowds, cuts spending guilt
Brooklyn is becoming haven for anti-mall experience
People may not be in the mood to shop these days, but bring them outside, add entertainment and food, and the cloud may lift.
That’s what organizers of Brooklyn’s new flea markets count on.
“There’s all this guilt with going to the mall and buying something, but not any guilt going to a festival and finding something you love,” said Digna Rodriguez-Pouton, creative director of Coney Island’s Festival by the Sea. Developer Thor Equities is opening it Friday with nearly 500 vendors, freaks and foodies’ favorite carts.
Following the success of the Brooklyn Flea last year, the borough will be teeming with new markets this summer. Developers found a low-cost way to utilize empty lots, vendors have cheap spots to showcase their wares and consumers are learning how to haggle again.
There’s a new artists’ market in McCarren Park and the Williamsburg Flea Market will open. The Park Slope Flea Market launched this weekend. The Brooklyn Flea, which added Saturdays in Fort Greene, will move its Sunday indoor Dumbo spot outside under the Brooklyn Bridge next month.
It’s become the real-life equivalent of Facebook. “People really get dressed up [to come],” said Brooklyn Flea’s Eric Demby.