The Brooklyn Flea in NYC guide

Attending an outdoor bazaar is certainly a must here in New York, and Brooklyn Flea is hands-down one of the top flea markets to hit. The market has everything, including an impressive selection of throwback wares and records, which you certainly wouldn’t find in any vintage clothing store or record store in the city. The food selection is also nothing to sneeze at, since the creators also operate one of the city’s best food festivals: Smorgasburg. Get ready to satisfy your shopping itch and gear up for some epic ch-ch-changes this year. New York’s largest market returns to Dumbo but adds another new location for spring. That’s no shock to us: The grand bazaar has operated from many nabes—Fort Greene, Williamsburg and even Soho—over the years. But the switcheroo won’t keep folks from their go-to weekend ritual. Here’s what you need to know about the decade-old flea.

What's new at Brooklyn Flea?

Brooklyn Flea’s official long-term residency is in Industry City. The venue—which houses American craft sake distillery Kura,  ABC Carpet & Home, and a new Japanese food hall and delicatessen by Hometown Bar-B-Que’s Bill Durney—allows you to shop indoors and in the courtyard outside. Bonus: There’s an outdoor bar, so you can drink booze while perusing the booths. (Be warned: This may lead to some drunken purchases of pricey vintage.) 

FYI: You can still experience the Flea’s town-square vibe at its all-alfresco Dumbo location. The market moved farther down the waterfront to the cobblestone streets of Pearl Plaza in 2016, which brought in a ton of foot traffic. This European-style iteration continues to spotlight roughly 65 to 70 vendors that display their goods beneath the Manhattan Bridge.

What can I buy at Brooklyn Flea? 

For midcentury Dutch furniture, visit Van der Most Modern. Dan’s Parents’ House hawks tchotchkes and oddities, like a bucket of eyeballs (not real ones, silly!). Savannah Hope sells ceramics from yesteryear, and Joan Van Hees is your vintage go-to: Her stash of throwback apparel is the most reasonably priced ($10 to $200), too.

What is there to eat at Brooklyn Flea?

The Flea doesn’t offer as many bites as Smorgasburg, but when the shopping fatigue sets in, you’ll be grateful for the eight food vendors and their drool-worthy munchies. A few highlights: pork buns from C Bao, Indian grub from Dosa Royale, shaved iced by People’s Pops and pizza from Wood Fired Edibles.

Where is Brooklyn Flea?

Brooklyn Flea is at Industry City every Sat, and under the Manhattan Bridge at Pearl Plaza in Dumbo every Sun 10am–5pm (brooklynflea.com). Through October.

Know before you go 

Aside from hitting the snooze button, what’s the first thing you do in the morning? Peep your Insta feed, duh. Checking Brooklyn Flea’s page (@bkflea) is exactly what cofounder Eric Demby suggests you do: The feed posts about the cool events, from concerts and apparel customization, going down at the flea.