Brooklyn Flea is Coming to Philadelphia on June 2
When I lived in Brooklyn, I made it to the Flea once. There were bikes of all shades and colors, cool jewelry (I bought some Erica Weiner stuff), furniture that made me daydream of the budget and apartment I’d one day have, oh and food. And drink. Pretty sure I had a bangin’ pink lemonade. I never thought the spot was so organized that it could up and declare a new location. Like Philly. But on June 2nd, a Sunday, the Brooklyn Flea arrives at the Piazza. The five-year-old successful flea market will have its first weekend in the Jared Kushner-bought Bart Blatstein monstrosity in just a few short weeks.
Kushner’s the husband of Ivanka Trump, and he owns the New York Observer. He’s teamed up with Flea co-founder Jonathan Butler and Eric Demby to bring their model to a Philly space, their first moment of expansion. We’re hoping it’s a continuation of a trend; seems like New York’s finally seeing the beauty of our fair city. In the not-too-distant past we’ve seen stuff like 3rd Ward, SuitSupply, Joe Coffee and, wait, is that Uniglo coming to Philadelphia? Man, it’s awesome.
Here’s the rundown on the Philly Flea: It’s a curated shopping and food experience for your Sunday morning and afternoon in Northern Liberties, and it launches on June 2. There are limited spots, a fee, an application process, and the powers that be pick and choose to achieve a blissful mix of art, furniture, vintage, modern, crafty, handmade, prefab and mad food. (Among the vendors slated are Philadelphia Salvage, Three Potato Four, At Home Modern, Peg & Awl and Forage Haberdashery.) Brooklyn Flea’s been a fertile starting place for dozens of businesses looking to start small, build clientele and create a name for itself before moving into a brick-and-mortar location. No doubt that’ll happen in our Philly locale, and it’s exciting to see which startups will get the green light from the Philly Flea team.
The Piazza’s one weird space. But did you know that it can contain nearly 8,000 people? There’s no other space within a short radius of Center City that can so easily and professionally host such an excellent collection of vending tables and tents. There’ve been maybe a dozen businesses that have come and gone since Blatstein cut some deals for cheap rent in the piazza’s youth, a result of a number of factors, no doubt. Personally, I have no desire to dine at a place like Gunner’s Run (again). But when the Flea’s chosen food vendors populate the Brooklyn Philly Flea, they’ll pretty easily become the most solid eats outside of the dependable Bar Ferdinand and El Camino Real that will neighbor the flea (and benefit handily).
It’s just good all around: New York expanding to Philadelphia, sophistication in the form of curated shopping, a thing to do every weekend and a revitalization of one weird, underused space. Starting in June, you’ve got a good reason to head up, if nothing else for a good place to stroll with a coffee in hand and peruse high-to-low-end goods and art. Plus there’s like a 1000-percent guarantee that some cuties’ll be shoppin’ too.
Also, one quick note about the Flea’s June 2 opener: Since it’s the day after the sure-to-be-bangin’ Roots Picnic, call it the official “Roots Family Post Picnic Brunch,” ’cause according to insiders, Questlove and a slew of other dope local DJ are set to rock the Piazza stage.
What To Do This Weekend
If the selection of vintage clothing, accessories and housewares available on their Etsy shop is any indication, you’re definitely going to want to get your ass over to Fishtown at some point this weekend where the local founders of Snowbird Vintage will be temporarily occupying the entire space just above Adorn Boutique. These ladies clearly have a good eye for vintage fashion. Most of the items fall into either the “super-trendy” category or “stunningly classic” category. Personally, I’m really digging this 1970s wine-colored floor-length dress with crochet detailing. It’s like classy-Bohemian. Best of all, there’s even more awesome items downstairs. Friday, 11am-8pm. Daily through Sun/16. Free. Adorn Boutique, 1314 Frankford Ave.
If you missed Crafty Balboa last weekend, this may be the closest craft event to it. More than 15 local artisans and craftspeople will be in attendance selling an array of fine handmade jewelry and vintage treasures, including those of SquidWhale Designs, Dahling Accessories and MADEBYHANK. Oh, and you can even get a portrait of yourself sitting on the moon. That alone makes it worth the trip. Saturday, 12-6pm. Free. 1241 Carpenter St.
While you may never be able to enjoy Christmas with the same unbridled enthusiasm that you did as a child, why not at least try? Plop down on Santa’s lap, decorate cookies, marvel at an array of shinny seasonal arts and crafts, rock out to your favorite Christmas song with Frosty and maybe even partake in a little holiday treasure hunting. If this all sounds incredibly embarrassing, then offer to babysit a niece or nephew and relive your youth through them. Saturday, 11am-2pm. Sister Cities Park, Logan Square, 18th & Ben Franklin Pkwy.
You didn’t think the holiday season was going to go by without a GO WEST craft extravaganza, did ya? Regardless of who it is that you need to crossed off your list, chances are one of the 40 local vendors at this year’s event will have the ideal gift—one that you probably would have never thought of yourself. For instance, how about a cozy hand knitted or crocheted winter accessory for your bestie living in Chicago? Or how about a clever screen-printed tee for you’re little bro? Saturday, 11am-4pm. Free. The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St.
Once again, Three Sirens Boutique is partnering with Nawrocki Fitness for a special shopping event, this time with a portion of the proceeds helping to benefit Moss Rehab. In addition to accessories and handbags by Urban Expressions and apparel from RD Style and Press, befittingly, the boutique will be bringing along their selection of Hardtail workout gear as well. RVSP to the Facebook event or bring your student ID and you’ll receive an additional 10 percent off. Sunday, 12-5pm. Free. Nawrocki Fitness, 1500 Locust St.
Gifts For Her (Under $50)
That’s right–there’s great gifts out there for the ladies that don’t cost an arm and a leg. If you haven’t already, check out PW’s 2012 Giving Guide and return to this here blog next week as I shall be unleashing plenty more gift ideas.
Gifts For Him (Under $50)
For the first installment of PW Style’s 2012 Gift Guide, I figured I’d start with the fellas for a change. Most of the featured items are local with a few non-local items thrown into the mix for the sake of convenience (you know you’re going to probably wait till the last minute anyway).
I tried to take dudes of all types and ages into consideration, so whether you’re shopping for sports-loving father, your rocker boyfriend or you nerdy brother, here’s a few affordable gifts to consider.
Bloodmilk Jewelry Trunk Show at Concrete Polish
This Saturday, November 10th, Concrete Polish (716 N. 3rd St.) will be hosting Bloodmilk Jewelry’s first trunk show in years! Featuring music by Dave Tidey, drinks, and including Bloodmilk’s most popular and one-of-a-kind pieces along with Concrete Polish’s new crystals, it’s set to be a great Second Saturday in Northern Liberties!
Etsy-delphian of the Week: Nicole Kelner Designs
Back in the day (as in like 2010), PW Style use to regularly spotlight local crafters/designers/artists selling their handmade wares on Etsy. I’m not sure exactly why we ever stopped, but with Philly having such a huge art/craft scene, it seems about time we revive the feature.
Anyway, this week we kick things off with 19 year-old Nicole Kelner of Nicole Kelner Designs.
You may remember that I actually first wrote about the Bucks County native’s line of tech-friendly purses, clutches, wristlets, wallets and tablet/e-reader cases back in July. Having now had a solid month to test out my jumbo crossbody “SmartPurse,” I felt she was deserving of another shout out.
All of Kelner’s creations are marked by her signature clear plastic “SmartPocket,” which allows you to use all the capabilities of a touch-screen device while it remains safely secured in your bag.
That’s right, you can text, answer calls, check the time, surf the web and listen to music without having to constantly retrieve your phone from your purse or keep it in your hand. Just make sure that the clear pocket is always facing you and not showcasing your mobile device to every potential mugger you pass.
Since my previous post, the Penn State sophomore has also added a “SmartStrap” to several of her designs, which basically allows you to run your headphones from your mobile device, up through the strap and straight into your ear.
Though her store has plenty of options to choose from, Kelner will customize any style of bag with your desired fabric. For an extra $1, she’ll even waterproof it so that rain and random splashes glide right off.
For the ladies out there who don’t exactly travel light, you’re better off getting one of the “jumbo” accessories.
Not only does my jumbo purse accommodate the essentials (cash, credit card, ID, chapstick, keys, tampons), but I’m even able to fit one or two not-so essential items, whether it be my iPod, sunglasses or a corkscrew. And while I was initially worried that the thin strap would eventually rip given the additional weight, so far it’s held up just fine.
Yet, most importantly, not once since using the purse have I had one of those all too common “OMG, I can’t find my phone!” momentary panic attacks. That alone makes Kelner’s “Smart” accessories worth the investment.
As an additional incentive, the budding young designer is now donating a portion of her proceeds to THON, Penn State’s student-run philanthropy event benefiting pediatric cancer.