Angelrox » Markets of New York

Video Blog: ANGeLRoX: 1001 Ways to Style and Comfort

Roxi Suger of ANGeLRoX is an incredibly talented clothing designer, and she is bursting with creative energy. What I love about her designs is that each one has literally 1001 different uses, as you’ll see in this video blog! Roxi has thought of most of the techniques, but her customers are always surprising her with new ways to wrap or scrunch or stretch ANGeLRoX garments. Roxi uses eco-friendly fabrics, and she is a Riverkeeper Business Partner too! See? I told you she was awesome.

You can find ANGeLRoX products at fine boutiques around the country, plus the Netherlands, Canada and Norway. Here in New York we have the true luxury of meeting Roxi in person at the markets! She is often out on the corner of Houston and Sullivan Streets, at the St. Anthony’s Market in Soho.

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The Renegade Craft Fair Will Rock Your Crafty World

Well, folks, they’ve done it again! The craft fair wizards of Renegade are putting on an incredible event in McCarran Park this weekend. We spent a lovely afternoon strolling among the colorful tents, marveling at the beautiful, creative, witty, clever, and superlative designs. There are over 300 independent artisans from around the country, and I guarantee that you will be amazed by many-if not most-of the people you meet and the things you see.

Take a look at some of the creations that caught my eye, listed below and in the photo gallery above (all photos by James Wesolowski):

Delicate ceramic figures by Michiko Shimada, sharing a tent with ceramicist Beetle and Flor
Soft and funny handmade dolls with great expresses and even mustaches by Pinkypunk
Rustic birdhouses made from reclaimed wood by Eric Erf Wood Design out of Chicago
The Better Than Jam Co-Op features handmade fashion and accessories by local designers
Knitsybitsy works with Ecuadoran artisans to kit their hysterical sea creature toys
Ornamental Things brings her handmade jewelry all the way from Austin, TX (and the recent Renegade Craft Fair there)
Gold Teeth Brooklyn makes great and unusual gold teeth jewelry, and other cool things like pistachios, not to mention greeting cards featuring Peeps (and more)
Clay, Wood & Cotton has a collection of beautiful home decor items under their red tent, which they’re sharing with the super cute and clever KnitKnit Knits
Shara Porter prints lovely and familiar items, from hedgehogs and guinea pigs to bicycles and horseshoes, on leather handbags, wallets, and purses, many of them vintage
If you’re looking for chalkboard bedside tables to remind you of your To Do list every morning, check out Scraptones, who is also selling very cool decorative wooden blocks with architectural images printed on them
Illustrator Virginia Kraljevic’s “tent” is actually a small boutique full of wit and charm. She’s right next to the ever talented members of The {NewNew}
I picked up the cutest octopus necklace from Destroyed By Design. I may need to get that kiwi too. This artisan is sharing a tent with her fabulous sister and clothing designer AngelRox
Moth Written is selling really fun t-shirts with sayings like “I Love Brooklyn,” or “Kiss Me I’m Irish,” except written in Arabic, the idea being to foster a dialog between East and West. I almost got a “Peace” pin, but I opted for “Breakfast,” because nothing fosters dialog like toast and eggs (only not with your mouth full).

These are just a few of the thousands of handmade items at the Renegade this year. Put on your walking shoes, grab your sunblock and water bottles, and enjoy a day of inspirational shopping!

Artisans + Farmers = A Match Made in Heaven (well, Gowanus actually)

I have been thinking about Valentine’s Day, for obvious reasons. So I thought I would write about a very happy union in Brooklyn: the Makers Market and Community Markets at the Old American Can Factory.

The Makers Market is a great destination if you are seeking finely crafted handmade products. And now you can buy your veggies for the week there too! During this freezing winter season, the Makers Market and Community Markets have joined forces to create an indoor artisan and farmers’ market for the Gowanus/Park Slope neighborhoods. Community Markets runs farmers’ markets throughout Westchester and Rockland Counties, as well as New York City. Normally, many of their markets close for the winter season. So it is a great service and resource for the local communities to have easy access to fresh, delicious and locally grown produce.

The farmers include Breezy Hill Orchard, Gajeski Produce and Phillips Farm. You can pick up a delicious loaf of bread from the “oven artisans” at Orwasher’s Bakery. They also sell their miche, levain and focaccia and more at Citarella, Dean & Deluca, and Zabar’s. Get a taste of pungent pickle goodness from Dr. Pickle. I got half a dozen great ideas for canapés for our next dinner party, starting with pepperoncini stuffed with goat cheese. Yum. And don’t pass up Buddhapesto or their tempting tray of samples. Their artisanal basil pesto is delicious, so go ahead and “enlighten your tastebuds.”

There is wine at the markets too, from Brooklyn Oenology. I bet you didn’t know there is a winery headquartered in Williamsburg/Greenpoint. The actual winemaking is done in Long Island, but their wines carry the artisanal spirit of the borough. For a tasty and healthy dessert, Tierra Farm sells chocolate covered nuts and fruits, as well as dry roasted products.

The artisans share the large welcoming space that originally served as a loading dock for the Old American Can Factory. The white walls and steel pillars provide a beautiful setting for these extremely talented people to sell their creations. I wrote about some of these artisans over the holidays. May Luk Ceramics, or “Take Me Homeware,” brings art and wit to your table. (See the photo of her “Saucy” bowl, which I gave to my sister Andrea for Christmas.) Parable Ink creates T-shirts that tell a story (they keep selling out of their gorgeous Blue Elephant design in my size!). If you’re looking to spruce up your sweaters, Shaya NYC, Christine Vasan and Ed Ledner all sell wonderfully unique handmade jewelry.

And there are the comfortable and fashionable clothing designs by ANgeLRoX Apparel. The ANgeLRoX reversible “turtles” keep your neck toasty and come in beautiful accent colors. You will find beautiful poetry books from Ugly Duckling Presse; preserves, chutneys and more from SchoolHouse Kitchen; beautiful and thought-provoking fine artwork by Nicola Ginzel; and so much more.

It may be cold outside, but it’s warm and toasty on Sundays inside the Old Can Factory.

Community Markets Park Slope Indoor Farmers’ Market and Makers Market: Sundays 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM, 232 Third Street (at Third Avenue) through March 2010.

Last Minute Market Shopping

I wish us all great courage as we face the final weekend of holiday shopping! In addition to the big, traditional holiday markets at Union Square, Columbus Circle, Bryant Park, and Grand Central, there are multiple indie markets that are in full swing this weekend.

The Makers Market at the Old American Can Factory

The Makers Market is has artisans and fine artists selling high quality handmade items. Meow Meow Tweet sells great smelling natural handmade soaps. ANgeLRoX Apparel has design for comfort, versatility and style, and I love the signature wings that emblazon the back pockets of their jeans and undies. May Luk Ceramics will be there with fine, fun, useful and quirky ceramic plates, cups, vases and more. I’ll bet the man who has everything doesn’t have a hand-stitched leather briefcase from MOS Atelier – and he definitely needs one. If you missed getting a beautiful graphic T-shirt from Parable Ink at the Grand Central Holiday Market, you can catch up with them here.
The Makers Market: Old American Can Factory, 232 3^rd Street, Gowanus, Brooklyn, in the garage. Open this weekend Saturday and Sunday 11AM – 6PM.

Brooklyn Lyceum Holiday Craft Market

The Brooklyn Lyceum is hosting their two-day holiday craft market this weekend with almost 70 exhibitors. Many of them will be there for just one of the days, so if you are tempted to visit this market on both days, go right ahead because you will find different things on both days. There will be a DJ and plenty of “crafty” food to keep you energized. The event organizers have created wider aisles this year to make it more comfortable to wander and browse on the last shopping day of the weekend. You can make it a day for the whole family with lunch at the Lyceum Café, now serving Inteligentsia Coffee, and a show at the Children’s Theater.

Brooklyn Lyceum: Saturday and Sunday, December 19 – 20, 11A – 7 P

Our Lady of Pompeii Market on Bleecker Street

This is the last weekend for the flea market/artisan market on Bleecker Street sidewalk next to Our Lady of Pompeii Church in the Village (between Carmine and Leroy Streets). You can find some great vintage hats and jewelry, as well as hand-knit hats and scarves, vintage Bakelite pieces, and much more. The market will reopen in April when the weather warms up a bit.

Jingle Xmas Xtravaganza at Chelsea Market

Chelsea Market has a pretty much everything you will need for your holiday feasts, and it also hosts the Jingle Xmas Xtravaganza! This market has 17 nice-sized boutiques, all selling unique designs and many beautiful gifts. It is a happy market where you can chat with the designers about their work and the kinds of things you are seeking. I am hoping for two farmers market posters by Yeehaw Industries, and maybe, if I’m lucky, their sign that says, “Carve That Possum.” Elements/Jill Schwarz designs gorgeous “vintage groove” jewelry, picture frames and more. For modern jewelry designs, stop by and see sterling silver and recycled coconut shell jewelry with semi-precious stones from Ayala Jewelry. There is a full list of the vendors with photos and links on Facebook.

Jingle Xmas Xtravaganza: Mon – Fri 10:30A – 7P, Saturday 10A – 7P, Sunday 10:30 A – 6P