Enter the Fleas

Artists & FleasAre you bored with Times Square whenever you visit Manhattan? Or are you finding NYC tedious as a New Yorker? Hop on over to Artists & Fleas!

Artists & Fleas' Ronen Glimer explains that the market would be uncategorized on a Jeopardy competition. "It isn't quite a flea market nor is it a boutique but rather something in between this vast and ambiguous area. We take the best of what makes markets markets - the experience of being able to interact in person with so many sellers, to hear the stories of the merchandise and the goods, to find that there is a sense of urgency around shopping because you don't know if that amazing pair of leather boots will be there the next time you visit, the inherent change in it all - and combine it with what for a thriving and intimate retail experience - selecting from some of the most talented artists and independent designers creating original, one-of-a-kind works in fashion, accessories, and more in Brooklyn these days. We pull in some artists, a group of amazing vintage clothing collectors who have worked in and around the NYC fashion/stylist/vintage community, and also have a group of people who are trying out the market for the first time - getting their work in front of an audience, receiving feedback, sharing the story of their art and design. Layer in guest DJs playing sets in the afternoon. And you're left with a thrilling experience and opportunity to discover and feel a unique slice of New York City and Williamsburg, Brooklyn."

"In eight years of being in Williamsburg, we have had thousands of independent artists and designers and vintage collectors come and set up shop and sell. I'd say that what we have long prided ourselves on being known for our commitment to fashion-forward designers, to emerging designers who start at the market and then go on to open their own shops, get picked up by shops and boutiques or take their design collections around the world. We are very committed to the quality of our artists and their merchandise as well as to the experience of shopping and selling at the market - we're not look for assholes, we're not looking for snobs. We believe that cool kids need cool stuff and cool kids have cool stuff to sell. Earlier this spring, we had Erykah Badu come in moments after the market had closed on a Sunday evening with her entourage. They had just finished wrapping a video shoot and they decided to come and shop. Only a handful of vendors were still around but the experience for everyone was something to remember."

Artists & Fleas has never once allowed negativity to harm the positive enthronement. "Our very first weekend in December 2003 had to be cancelled because of a huge blizzard. We opened the next weekend in our first warehouse with a rollback gate that was open and no heat and the electricity get blowing because the fuses were overloaded. But there was a great spirit of bohemianism - people loved that there was this community outpost dedicated to artists and designers and creative people. Our DJs had a Japanese cafe and gallery they ran and they served hot sake that kept everyone warm and smiling."

"We bring our kids to the market all the time and the interactions they have with the vendors - the sense of curiosity that the kids have and the way that vendors take the time and opportunity to encourage exploration (our vendors don't mind having kids touch their items) and answer questions is something that I have never ever experienced at any flea market in the world. I've been to a lot of them and I am constantly amazed at how positive so many of our vendors are. Many of them are not necessarily life-time market vendors. Many are working artists or vintage collectors - who as a result of selling weekends at Artists & Fleas have been able to quit their day jobs or use their weekdays for other pursuits and the market has become their store."

"The neighborhood around us has witnessed so much change in such a short period of time that we feel it is both our responsibility and our opportunity to continue to be a vital part of the Williamsburg community. The fact that so many of our vendors have gone on to open businesses in the neighborhood is a testament to that fact. We feel a sense of pride at being a place that in many ways incubates aspiring and emerging talent - a place where people can come and sell and meet people and through their experience at the market, new opportunities open up for them in life, in art, in business, in love. We want to continue to be that place. We want to continue to provide an experience that is welcoming, warm, intimate and exciting," Glimer says.

http://www.artistsandfleas.com