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.

5 Vendors To Keep An Eye Out For at the Art Star Craft Bazaar

For anyone attending Art Star’s tenth annual craft extravaganza this weekend, it’s a good idea to have some sort of plan of attack mapped out before entering the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing. With 100+ vendors competing for your time and attention, knowing which ones you definitely want to target might make the afternoon a little less overwhelming. So here’s five to consider adding to your must-see list.

Note: I’ve purposely chosen to exclude the local artisans who I’ve now written about numerous times on this here blog.  For instance, Joey Five Cents, Penelope Rakov, exit343 designs, Yardsale Press, Phea Jean, BirdQueen Designs, Concrete Polish Jewels, Made with Awesome, Jay McCarroll, etc.

USB Typewriter (#51)

OK, so this is one of the most awesome inventions I’ve seen in a long time. Rather than simply collecting dust as useless piece of décor, now you can finally transform a broken, vintage typewriter into a functional keyboard for your Mac or PC using their easy conversion kit (which only cost about $79!). The USB Typewriter also makes for a perfect keyboard dock for your iPad or tablet.

Farmhaus (#47)

Whether it’s an accent table, cabinet or candleholder, any one of this Kensington-based company’s handmade rustic, modern furnishings would make for a beautiful addition to your home. They are also all made using reclaimed wood and metals.

Meera Lee Patel (#65)

One of only a few newcomers chosen to take part in this year’s bazaar, the New Jersey artist will be showcasing and selling a wide array of items, from original paintings and illustrated paper goods to hand-sewn tea towels and pillows.

Overall Baby (#37)

What could be more adorable than infants and toddlers in overalls? Infants and toddlers in custom-made overalls with fun textiles and prints. The picture pretty much speaks for itself.

Meerwiibli by Sarah-Maria (#46)

Comfort is paramount when it comes to this New York-based designer’s eccentric line of hand-sewn apparel and accessories. Hopefully, she’ll be bringing along a few of her super cute winter accessories, despite them now being out of season.

10 Last Minute Local Mother’s Day Gifts

Eiffel Tower Tea Set, $50 / Omoi Zakka Shop (1608 Pine St.)

Rebecca Minkoff ‘Craig’ Camera Bag, $195 / South Moon Under (1731 Chestnut St.)

Hidden Secrets Book Box, $24 / Ten Thousand Villages (1122 Walnut St.)

Kembrel Jewelry, Allie Necklace (Pink/White), $24 / Kembrel (1822 Chestnut St.)

Farmhaus “Firewood” Candle Holder, $32 / Art Star (623 N. Second St.)

Floral Blazer by Rehab, $68 / Aoki Boutique (115 S. 22^nd St.)

Imported Italian and Scottish Soaps, $12-$24 / Stadler-Kahn (1724 Sansom St.)

Trois Petits Lockets, $89.95 / Scarlett Alley (241 Race St.)

Hand Embroidered ‘Relax’ Pillow, $90 / Mushmina (1540 South St.)

Large Gift Set, $65 / Duross & Langel (117 S. 13th St.)

Arcadia Boutique To Close in Rittenhouse, Expand in NoLibs

That’s right, next month, Philly’s go-to indie eco-fashion and lifestyle boutique will be closing the doors of their Rittenhouse location (265 S. 20^th St.) forever.

But before you go sheading a tear, there is some good news. Actually, there’s several pieces of good news.

With only a short amount of time to unload their selection of sustainable clothing, denim, shoes, jewelry, home accents and gifts, starting this Friday, Arcadia Rittenhouse will be having a HUGE clearance sale that’ll continue through mid-May. Even better, with one less business now to worry about, Arcadia owner, Ali McCloud is focusing all of her attention on her NoLibs location (819 N. Second St.) and more specifically, expanding its collection of vintage apparel, accessories and casual men’s clothing.

Also, starting this summer, the socially-conscious contemporary interior design firm, Design6 will be setting up a small studio space inside the boutique, offering everything from wallpaper, fabrics and furniture samples for inspiration to full-scale interior design services. In other words, you’ll be able to spruce up your wardrobe and your apartment all at the same time. It just so happens that DESIGN 6 is the creative team responsible for Arcadia’s chic décor and digs.

Gilt City Warehouse Sale This Friday

Now that it’s finally starting to feel like spring outside, many of you might be itching to go out and replenish your wardrobe. And while many retailers might have some decent season-start deals going on now, chances are, you’re not going to find many sales as impressive as this one.

Actually, can you ever beat a warehouse sale?

Hosted by Gilt.com, a members-only online style hub, this ticketed shopping event will feature racks upon racks of men and women’s fashion and accessories (suits, denim, tops, outerwear, shoes, jewelry, etc.) from hundreds of top brands as well as children’s clothes and home accessories (bedding, kitchen and bath accessories, decorative pieces etc.), all for up to 90 percent off retail.

I repeat, UP TO 90 PERCENT OFF!!!

Oh, and there’s some other perks like an onsite bar, photo kiosk, live DJ, a snack and dipping station provided by Pretzel Crisps, complimentary refreshments and a free $20 Uber gift card and a free $20 dollar credit toward your purchase. Snap a photo of your purchase(s), upload it to Instagram or Twiter with the hashtag #RaidtheWarehouse and you’ll also be entered to win another $100 dollars worth of Gilt credit.

When purchasing your ticket(s), you need to select one of three specific shopping sessions: First Look (5-7pm, $10), Evening (7:30-9:30pm, $5) and Late Night (10pm-12am, $5).

The Warehouse Sale will be held at 3500 Scotts Ln., near Pêche Sherman Mills and about a ten-minute drive from the Art Museum.

East Passyunk is Going All Out For Second Saturday

If their recent accolades are any indication, folks are finally starting to catching on to what I’ve known for the past two years: East Passyunk Avenue is awesome.

Tomorrow, the avenue’s 150 independently owned shops and 30-plus award-winning eateries won’t be celebrating April’s “Second Saturday” in the usual fashion. Rather, they’re collectively promising to deliver EPA’s largest Second Saturday to-date.

In addition to various sales, art openings, tastings and music performances, the line-up of happenings includes the grand openings of two new businesses: Occasionette Gift Shop (5-10pm, 1825 EPA) and the city’s second location of Oliver & Company Tea Room (1613 EPA).

On Wednesday, the East Passyunk Business Improvement District is hosting a party around the Singing Fountain (Passyunk & Tasker) to celebrate having just been dubbed one of the “10 Best Foodie Streets in America” in the May 2013 issue of Food & Wine Magazine. From 5-7 p.m., all are invited to come and make a group toast with a photo around the Fountain while enjoying the folk tunes of DisCanto. Meanwhile, several nearby restaurants including, Stateside and Fond will be offering happy hour specials.

This is all of course, leading up to Flavors of the Avenue on Sat., April 27, the neighborhood’s annual outdoor food and drink festival featuring a record-setting 25 restaurants.

Anyway, back to the events going down tomorrow, here’s a few that stood out to me:

Le Virtu – Enjoy omplimentary stuzzichini (snacks) and wine while admiring the photographs of Kateri Likoudis, all taken in south/central Italian region of Abruzzo in the late spring and fall of 2012. Abruzzese folk group DisCanto will also perform. (1-3pm, 1927 EPA)

Nice Things…Handmade – Check out new recent paintings of local artist Bridget Mccafferty, the printing hands behind Typsy Gypsy Tees. Meet the artist and enjoy refreshments. (6-10pm, 1731 EPA)

HOME | A Furnishings Boutique – For this new photo and art exhibition, Philly-based artists Felicia Perretti and Hawk Krall have teamed up to showcase the most well-known food spots along East Passyunk. (6pm, 1815 EPA)

Lucky 13 – The bar/restaurant will be showcasing the artwork of Paul Carpenter as well as a trunk show by Sweet Jane Vintage. In addition to the drink specials, Sweet Jane’s vintage finds will be 20-50 percent off. (1-5pm, 1820 S. 13th St.)

N.R.S. Boutique – Take 20 percent off all items in the store. (11:30am-8pm, 1822 EPA)

Ms Goody Cupcake – Foodspotting is celebrating its third anniversary with a special party with cake truffles buy 2 get 1 free, $2 dollar special flavor cupcakes and spring flavor sampling. You’ll also score a free coffee with any purchase in morning. (9am-4pm, 1838 EPA)

Frame Fatale – Opening reception for “Postcards from the Ledge: Philadelphia Windows,” featuring the black and white photography of RA Friedman. More specifically, the photographer will be presenting a selection of captured reflections and odd spaces of the Philly landscape in silvery postcard-sized prints. (6-9pm, 1813 EPA)

Metro Men’s Clothing – Enjoy 15 percent off and complimentary cocktails while you shop. (1615 EPA)

Noir Philadelphia – After making your way down the avenue, stop in for a late night happy hour. The deals include $1 off drafts, $4 wine, $4 well drinks and half-off select appetizers at the bar. (9-11pm, 1909 EPA)

PW Wants to Know What ‘Home’ Means to You!

My husband's massage stick in all its Instagram glory.

Home. We hear rumor that the heart may be located there. That there’s no place like it. And it means something different to each and every one of us.

Let me tell you what home means to me. When I think of home, I think of my First Piece of Furniture. A few years ago, my then-fiance and I realized we needed a real couch. We had dressed up his old futon, and it served its purpose: watching TV, doing homework, eating. But—no arm rests? Come on. We were growns-up! So we went to Ikea, the growns-up place, and purchased our First Piece of Furniture. It came with an ottoman and a chaise. We lived on that couch, and still do. Every once in a while, we’d flip the cushions and pillows to avoid sitting on the lumpy, misshapen bits. Some items that have found a permanent home on our couch: my husband’s massage stick (tagline: “It’s a toothbrush! For your muscles!”); our cat’s food, including the brand she absolutely will not eat (we keep it there in the hopes she’ll change her mind even though we know cats don’t change their minds about anything, ever); and a trigger-point cane (guess whose?). The other day, my 4-month-old, battling her first ear infection and cold, was lounging on the chaise with me. When I picked her up, I noticed that her diaper had failed to contain its contents. The couch had been severely soiled. Ah, well, I thought. Guess it’s time to flip the cushion.

We want to know what home means to you. Do you have a favorite room or a spot you habitually seek out at the breakfast bar/couch/table? Are you finally remodeling the kitchen after giving your faded sunflower wallpaper angry glares for the last 25 years? Send your photos to nhoffmann@philadelphiaweekly.com or tweet ‘em to @PhillyWeekly, along with a few lines about what you like best about being at home. We’ll pick our favorites and spotlight a few in PW!