Chelsea Market » Markets of New York

Revving up for 2012 Plus Market Picks For A Cold Wet Weekend!!

Pantera Azul - Not Your Average Mouse Pad

Hi Everyone!

It was an incredible holiday season at the markets! There were almost 50 market events throughout the city, and they were all filled with festive shoppers. I took a little hiatus to rest a bit, catch up on business, and write a couple of book proposals (more on that coming soon). The photo is my co-author Pantera Azul. Not your usual mouse pad, but much warmer and fuzzier.

I want to thank every single person who bought their holiday gifts in the markets. You have supported local artisan entrepreneurs and helped make sure that the creative community that is so important to the culture of New York City can continue to thrive for another year. And I’d be prepared to wager that your gifts were the best ones under the tree this year! Mine always are.

And I want to thank all the markets and market sellers who make my weekends so incredibly fun and inspiring! I’ve been visiting markets almost every weekend for the last three years, and I still find things that blow me away all the time. I can’t wait to see what 2012 has in store for this blogger!

This weekend there are several great market events going on:

Indoors:

Antiques Garage (Saturday & Sunday)
Artists & Fleas (Saturday & Sunday)
Brooklyn Flea (Saturday & Sunday)
The Market NYC (Saturday & Sunday)
Smorgasbrewery (Sunday only )
SUPER!market (Saturday only)

Outdoors (watch the weather and check the sites for updates):

Hell’s Kitchen Flea (Saturday & Sunday)
West 25th Street Market (Saturday & Sunday)

And of course, your year-round food markets:

Even though the weather looks bad this weekend, there are plenty of wonderful things to do in the Markets of New York City!

Markets Open Saturday and Beyond

Happy Happy Holidays!

To the lucky people who still get to go out and enjoy holiday shopping in the markets, here are the ones that are open through Saturday – and don’t forget the Union Square Greenmarket for great gifts too! Several of the markets are open next week and beyond, when it is fully acceptable to pick up a little something (or two) for yourself for the New Year. Go on – you deserve it!

Open Through December 24:
Grand Central Holiday Fair, Vanderbilt Hall, Manhattan
Holiday Gift Shops at St. Bart’s, Park Ave @ East 50th, Manhattan
Union Square Holiday Market, Manhattan
Dekalb Holiday Market, 138 Willoughby Street, Brooklyn
Columbus Circle Holiday Market, Manhattan
MoCADA Christmas Bazaar – Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art, (Saturday 12/24 Only) 80 Hanson Place, Brooklyn
Union Square Greenmarket, Union Square, Manhattan

Open Through December 31:
First Annual Holiday Market at South Street Seaport, Fulton Street, Manhattan
Artists and Fleas Holiday Pop Up at Chelsea Market, 9th and 15th Sts, Manhattan

Open Through January 8:
Holiday Shops at Bryant Park, Manhattan

Thank you for all your support of my endeavors to spread the word about the best Markets of New York City! Happy holidays and safe travels to you and your family!

~Karen

Photo of the Day, December 21, 2011: Suicidal Writer Bookmarks from J. Topolski

Suicidal Writer Bookmark with Hunter S. Thompson by J Topolski Handmade Goods

I’ve admired the easily identifiable style of J Topolski Handmade Goods for its fine detail, exceptional quality and ever so slightly macabre themes. Designer Jenny Topolski’s Colony Collapse Collection was my introduction to her work. She takes bees that died from natural causes (from two beekeeper sources), encases them in resin for all eternity, and makes jewelry from the cabochons. Her Etched Copper Jewelry Collection includes large, vivid sea creatures, like the flowing Giant Squid and billowing Jellyfish necklaces – all fantastic statement pieces.

I caught up with Jenny at the Artists & Fleas Holiday Pop Up in Chelsea Market, with her new and brilliant Suicidal Writer Bookmarks. We all know the stories: Ernest Hemingway with rifle, Hunter S. Thompson with a handgun, and Virginia Woolf with rocks in her pockets. Jenny has created a series of bookmarks featuring portraits of the deceased writers and tiny charms symbolizing their suicide implements of choice. The Virginia Woolf bookmark, for example has a fabulous overcoat charm and several tiny turqoise stones. The Hunter S. Thompson bookmark, as you can see, features a teensy handgun charm. Jenny would like to add a Sylvia Plath bookmark to the collection, but she has yet to find the the right oven charm.

So wrong and yet so very very right.

J. Topolski is at the Artists & Fleas Pop Up through December 31st (closed Sunday, December 25). Normally a Williamsburg denizen, Artists & Fleas has an amazing Manhattan pop up market inside Chelsea Market at the 15th Street/10th Avenue entrance entrance. Pick up superlative gifts for the holidays through Saturday, and then go shopping for yourself next week to celebrate New Year’s Eve!

Two Great Holiday Pop-Ups At Chelsea Market

Two great hopliday pop up markets opened this week in Chelsea Market in Manhattan.

Jingle at the Chelsea Market: A Holiday Pop Up Store is the creation of designer Jill Schwartz. Back for its 5th year at the market and featuring over 20 companies, Jingle boasts a wonderful boutique esthetic that reminds a bit of the first floor at ABC Carpet and Home.

Jingle at the Chelsea Market has a wide variety of companies – from jewelry and bath products to clothing and home decor – and each company has been encouraged to do more than simply display their wares. Instead, each vendor has created their own unique boutique display, and this helps to differentiate them from their neighbors and highlight their products.

Jingle at the Chelsea Market is open through December 23rd in the big pop up shop space mid-market.

Venturing into Manhattan from their customary home in Williamsburg, the Artists and Fleas Holiday Pop-Up also opened this week. Offering 30 “amazing curators of cool”, Artists and Fleas is using a newly-opened space at the 1oth and 15th end of Chelsea Market. Artists are offering mens and women’s fashions, home accessories, jewelry, prints and eclectica, and include some of our market favorites.

The Artists and Fleas Holiday Pop-Up is open 10:30 Am - 7:30 PM through December 31st.

Exotic Merlot Salt from The Filling Station

In Old World Europe, you can take your bottles to a local shop and refill them with olive oil and wine. This charming custom is revived by The Filling Station, a lovely company inside Chelsea Market and currently at the Union Square Holiday Market this season, that sells all natural extra virgin olive oils, specialty oils, balsamic vinegars, exotic salts, facial & body scrubs and even local and imported craft beer both local and imported.

You make your first purchase at the Filling Station, and then they encourage you to clean the bottle and bring it back for refills. The practice encourages recycling, and you enjoy a 10% discount on your subsequent purchases.

The Filling Station’s products are all beautiful and high quality. The color of this particular Merlot Salt caught my eye as I walked by their boutique at the Holiday Market. It is so unusual – a striking pink with purple tones and a rich, distinct flavor. You can use it to flavor grilled meats and as a finishing salt on savory dishes. I imagine a salt caramel would be even more special with pink granules as well. It also adds a punch of color to your table in a salt cellar or a glass salt shaker.

If you have foodies and cooks on your holiday gift list, definitely shop at The Filling Station!

2011 New York Holiday Markets Guide (Updated 12/22)

NEWSFLASH! Now you’re really down to the wire! Buy all your last minute gifts in the Markets of New York City! You’ll be glad you did!

Check out Markets of New York City on NY1: Navigating the Holiday Markets! (List of the designers and markets mentioned.)

I am very excited to publish the 2011 New York Holiday Markets Guide!

The guide links to over 40 events throughout the boroughs, and we will be adding more as they are announced. Again this year, there are both traditional holiday markets that span the entire season and special one or two day events. From jewelry to perfume and soap, objets d’art to clothing and everything in between, New Yorkers and visitors to our fair city can find wonderful gifts for everyone on your list in the markets of New York City! I look forward to seeing you in the markets, and I will be posting as many of our finds as we can during the season.

Send me your event to add to the Markets Guide!! And remember:

Lauren Wimmer Jewelry at Grand Central Holiday Fair

Lauren Wimmer Hand-Dyed Silk Wrapped Jewelry

Lauren Wimmer Jewelry features lush, textured, jewelry designs. Lauren launched her design firm in 2003, and she has sold her works in New York’s best design markets, grand art museums, and fine department stores, including Bergdorf Goodman and Henri Bendel.

The pieces in her “Wrapped” Collection are unique in that she wraps brass rings in hand-dyed silk ribbon to create colorful, playful necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, like the lovely blue cuff pictured. “Cast” is a collection of sterling silver jewelry based on “textures and palettes of overgrown gardens.” Intrigued? You definitely have to see – and touch – these pieces in person.

And you can do just that this season at the Grand Central Holiday Fair, which opens today! Lauren is also selling her work in the Independent Designer Pop Shop in Chelsea Market through November 27th.

COMING SOON: 2011 Holiday Markets Guide!

Weekend Market Picks for November 12 & 13 + Gloves by Lamia Akar

Whimsical Sexy Mini Gloves Handmade by Lamia Akar

I visited the The Market NYC / Young Designers Market in their great new digs at 328 W. 14th Street between 8th and 9th. Happy to report they are completely settled in, and full up with a wide range of jewelry and fashion designs.

Many things caught my eye, but I was absolutely delighted by these handmade gloves by Lamia Akar. Lamia makes fingerless leather gloves in bright colors, black, white, and every combination thereof. The gloves come in a variety of sizes and lengths, all fingerless, some with big snaps that make a satisfying sound when you squeeze them together. They are all wonderfully designed and made. She makes tiny mini gloves, the ones in the photo, that are sweet and fun, and quite sexy. Lamia’s designs offer a tasteful way to a dose of color and whimsy to any outfit!

And now, on to this weekend’s Market Picks to get your holiday shopping started!

Saturday, November 12, 2011

East 67th Street Flea Market: Located in the schoolyard and cafeteria of PS 183 on E. 66th and 67th Street between 1st and York Avenues, this flea market features some amazing vendors. You may find the cashmere lady, who sells nothing but cashmere sweaters on a schoolyard table. Several fine vintage jewelers sellers have amazing sparkles in their cases. The market also has fresh produce and food vendors selling both snacks and provisions for your week.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Community Markets in Park Slope: I love the markets produced by the Community Markets organization because they feature wonderful regional farm produce, and they also have local food businesses selling their products. I am thrilled to to see that some of my favorite food purveyors will be at this Brooklyn market on Sunday (5th Ave. and 4th Street in front of PS 51), including Raaka Virgin Chocolate and their new flavors, and the famous Mortgage Apple Cake, with their mouthwatering, superlative, and economy-saving cakes.

Saturday and Sunday, November 11 & 12:

Independent Designer Pop Shop: I simply have to keep this month-long market on the list again this week. It is a lovely, boutique-style market featuring New York’s fine emerging designers. It is located in the space across from Posman Books and next to Chelsea Market Baskets inside Chelsea Market! And I’ll be doing a book signing there on Saturday from 12 – 3PM! So come shopping and come get your market guide book signed! And “like” the market on Facebook to win a $50 gift card on Saturday!

The MarketNYC / Young Designers Market: As I wrote above, I am happy to see that this market is fully ensconced in its new space near the Meatpacking District. There are literally dozens of designers in multiple rows throughout the market. Look for the red tent on 14th Street, and plan on spending some time looking at all the designers’ tables. Lamia Akar was just inside the eastern exit when I met her last week.

Dekalb Market: Every time I come here, there are new things to discover – new artisans, new food vendors, and new shipping containers turned into a matrix of treasure-filled boutiques. There’s local food, handmade artisanal wares, art installations, and music. I have it on good authority that the New Zealand style Dub Pies are ridiculously tasty. What else do you need? Oh yeah – and a farm. I wonder if a pumpkin grows in Brooklyn?

Eat, Shop, Play — in the Markets of new York City!

Weekend Market Picks November 5-6 + Sohung Designs at ID Pop Shop

Markets of New York City is proud to support the Independent Designer Pop Shop, or ID Pop Shop, in Chelsea Market! One of my favorite designers, Tom Sohung of Sohung Designs, whose dress I wore to my book launch party last year, is participating in this treasure-filled market. The photo is yours truly falling in love with his spectacular wool overdress. It is asymmetrical, with a long cut-out sleeve on one side and a cape sleeve on the other. It buttons up in the most flattering, unusual way, the epitome of style and design. And it made me feel like a super rich 1 Percenter, only better because my finest wares are local and handmade.

The ID Pop Shop runs every day through November 27 and features 18 of New York’s fine emerging designers in fashion, jewelry, accessories, and bath and body products. They’re giving away American Express Gift Cards every weekend, so follow ID Pop Shop on Facebook and win!

And now for this weekend’s Market Picks!

Saturday and Sunday, November 5 & 6:

ID Pop Shop: As I mentioned above, this market is just lovely. It’s like walking into an amazing boutique full of amazing objects, from sumptuous creams and room sprays, to cool leather wallets, and some of the most riveting fashion designers on the scene. Runs through November 27, 2011 inside Chelsea Market, towards the 10th Avenue entrance.

Chelsea Market: While you’re heading to the Pop Shop, you must spend time strolling and noshing your way through Chelsea Market. The crowds get a little wild on the weekends, but you can stop for warm breads fresh out of the ovens at Amy’s Bread, or hot cocoa at Ronnybrook Farm Dairy’s Milk Bar, or a delicious fresh crepe from Bar Suzette.

The Holiday Shops at Bryant Park: They’re open! I haven’t been there yet this year, but trust me – it is not too early to get into the holiday spirit once you’ve entered the holiday wonderland in beautiful Bryant Park. The crystal vendor shops, the fun ice rink, and the seasonal Celsius Wine Bar will jump start your season!

Saturday Only

Super!market: This market features a core selection of outstanding emerging designers. They’re hosting over 25 designers in the gym of the Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Nolita. It’s warm and indoors, so you can browse at every single booth and try on the handmade designerclothing for men and women. Super!market is an exciting new addition to the market scene!

Good luck and fair weather to everyone running in the Marathon! That means you, Rachael Grygorcewicz! ♥ I’ll actually be cheering you on from the sidelines this year, rather than from my cozy warm bed like most years! So you’d better run fast!

Rica Bath & Body at ID Pop Shop

Lavender Rose bath Salts by Rica Bath & Body

I recently discovered Rica Bath & Body, a wonderful new body product company, at the ID Pop Shop independent designer market last month. Just looking at the packaging and branding makes you feel like you’re in a spa. And then you smell all the different, gorgeous fragrances of the creams and bath salts, like this beautiful jar of Lavender Rose Bath Salts. All the products are handmade with high quality ingredients and a great deal of care, attention, and skill.

I am thrilled to report that Rica Bath & Body is at the new ID Pop Shop in Chelsea Market November 1-13! The ID Pop Shop itself opens today in Chelsea Market (towards the 10th Avenue side) and runs through November 27, 2011! Come meet Rica Founder Kristina Ivy in person so you can say, “I knew her when…”