Fleas for the Holidays..Shopping!

Photo Credit: Chante Ramsey/VySyn Photography

Flea markets for me are the best ways to get exposed to local small businesses as well as uncover some cool finds as gifts for others (or yourself). I blogged this past summer about the Dekalb Market and checked it out today for some much needed holiday shopping (and noshing, of course). And what I loooove about NYC is that the Dekalb Market is one of many flea markets within the city limits allowing all entrepreneurs from the seasonal to store-front-less business owner to expand their followers and appease their fans at different locations throughout the city. 



Here are a few tips from an experienced flea market shopper: 

• Join the flea market's mailing list to stay on top of the schedule b/c not all flea markets run year round and seven days a week (they need a vacation too...lol)
• Bring plenty of change - not all vendors at the markets will have credit card machines and some cringe when you give them twenties. I'm often inundated with a multitude of thank you's from the vendors that I shop from when I give them exact change and throw in a few singles - that's my good deed for the year..ha!
• Bring a big empty cloth bag with you to put all of your purchases in. If you don't, you risk holding a half a dozen bags of varying sizes plus its good for the environment to consolidate and conserve waste (this is my other good deed).
• (lastly) Shop-Til-U-Drop 

And....

Start off your shopping with a cup of JOE!
Photo Credit: Chante Ramsey/VySyn Photography

NYC's most popular flea markets - the short list!! 


Dekalb Market (Park Slope, Brooklyn)
Brooklyn Flea (Fort Greene, Brooklyn)
Bryant Park - Holiday Shops (Midtown, Manhattan)
HK Flea (Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan)
GreenFlea (Upper West Side, Manhattan)
The Market NYC (Chelsea, Manhattan)




S/O to Tiffany for the banging special tea blend - chocolate, rooibos and mint - at the Dekalb Market!! And great seeing you, Charles, friend of SR!!


-Chante