James Wesolowski » Markets of New York

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!

Thanks for Celebrating the Launch of Markets of New York City!

Last week we launched Markets of New York City at Posman Books in Chelsea Market. It was exactly what I hoped my Big Fat New York Book Launch Party would be, which is to say, lovely, intimate, delicious, and full of my nearests and dearests. Starting with my mom, Haydee Seiger, who sported a vintage silk dress for the occasion. My gorgeous and fabulous sister Andrea Seiger was adorned with her favorite finds from markets all over the world, from New York to Veracruz and Accra. My perfect and charming in-laws Judy Nicotra-Parker and Marcy and Thom Green showed the love too, as well as my tiny nieces Tessa and Maddie, the adorable little girl in the section on Chelsea Market (p. 169). And my bestest friend from first grade, Matt Israel, who traveled from Las Vegas despite being in the middle of launching a top-secret new product line.

The markets in the guidebook were well-represented by the wonderful vendors and visionary managers, the very people that make the markets of New York City so amazing and exciting!

I would like to thank the brilliant and kind people from The Little Bookroom. And the wonderful artisans who set up our mini-market: Miss Wit, Off the Mat, Rocks & Salt, ShayaNYC, and Take Me Homeware (Check their websites to see where they’ll be each weekend!) The delicious platters of food were contributed by Amy’s Bread, Buon Italia, and Manhattan Fruit Exchange in the Chelsea Market. And thank you to Sohung Tom of Sohung Designs for my killer dress! Thanks also to Time Out New York for helping promote this event out of all the amazing things going on in the city every single day. And, of course, my darling husband James Wesolowski was the one cutting up the bread, taking photos, and being the wonderful man he is.

Thank you everyone who showed up in person and in spirit (that would be my sister Leslie, who was in the middle of giving final exams)! I will remember and cherish that evening forever.

How Great Was The Hell’s Kitchen Gourmet Food Truck Bazaar?

Guest photographer James Wesolowski was on hand last weekend, while I was at the Brooklyn Lyceum Market, to brave the heat and the crowds and head up to the Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market’s Gourmet Food Truck Bazaar. I love the newly brightly painted trucks selling their delicious foods all over town. I follow them on Twitter and Facebook just so that I can know where they are at all times; I never know when I might need a quick waffle or a dumpling, or maybe a Bea Arthur ice cream cone from the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck.

James said that the Gourmet Food Truck Bazaar was fantastic. The sheer variety of food on wheels was remarkable. The list included Calexico Carne Asada, Rickshaw Dumplings, Go Burger, and Cinnamon Snail, which serves organic vegan food. Stopping at the Treats Truck feels to me like coming into my mom’s kitchen for an after school brownie treat. The Krave Truck, a New Jersey fixture, served up Korean BBQ in Manhattan for the first time that weekend. And, of course, the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck was there serving up soft serve to the overheated market-goers.

The combination of fun food and excellent flea market vendors brought out a nice cross-section of people. James thinks this event is an excellent alternative to the big anonymous street fairs that block the city’s avenues all spring and summer long. The Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market is an outstanding market in and of itself, not to mention a neighborhood attraction, and the food trucks are unique small businesses with their own faithful following. Together, they made for a great day of shopping and noshing on the West Side. I’ll definitely be at the next one!

(All photos by James Wesolowski)

People’s Pops Opened at Chelsea Market!

I can’t tell you how excited I was to see the People’s Pops open their counter at Chelsea Market. Their natural popsicles, made from fresh ingredients from the local farmers markets, have been a mainstay at the Brooklyn Flea and the New Amsterdam Market. The flavors are innovative and amazing. Yesterday I had a Sour Cherry Blackberry, and James had a Blackberry Lemon Verbena, both refreshing and guilt-free because they’re made from real, fresh fruit!

They will still be participating at the outdoor markets, but if you can’t wait for the weekend for a frozen treat, go see them at Chelsea Market in the newest area near Jacques Torres Chocolates and Lucy’s Whey American Artisanal Cheeses. And don’t forget to admire their counter tops, to which the People’s Pops people (Nathalie, David, and Joel) painstakingly glued thousands of popsicle sticks!

(Photos by James Wesolowski)

Pumpkin & Honey Bunny: Handmade Greeting Cards and Fizzy Sodas

Vendors of the Week for the Brooklyn Lyceum’s Spring Food and Craft Market!

Erica Rothchild and Anton Nocito are the team behind Pumpkin & Honey Bunny and P&H Soda and Syrup. It sounded like a cute and sweet name to me, and then I learned that the original Pumpkin & Honey Bunny are the robbers in the opening scene of Pulp Fiction. Gives the name a bit of a different twist, wouldn’t you say?

Erica is a graphic designer who makes beautiful hand-printed greeting cards, and Anton makes old-fashioned artisanal sodas. The theme that ties these two pursuits together is a sense of nostalgia for the early 19^th century that lends an Old World feeling to their work. In Erica’s designs, it is her use of vintage images, like a toast rack or a classic jello-mold. Anton aims to bring back the flavors and culture of old-time soda fountains, where people gathered for a chat, a nosh, and phosphate, or a cold soda freshly made from syrup and seltzer.

Erica’s line of greeting cards currently features primarily food-based themes because she began selling them at the Greenpoint Food Market. She uses a Gocco, which is a Japanese tabletop screen printing device. Erica’s Pumpkin & Honey Bunny cards include images of a pretzel (“Tying the Knot”), an old time oyster vendor, and a cherry pink pie (“Sweetie Pie”), among others. She is working on new designs for the Brooklyn Lyceum Spring Market, including Mother’s and Father’s Day cards. You can also find her cards at several shops in Brooklyn, including Brooklyn Kitchen, Tree House, Tiburon, and Word Bookstore.

Anton trained at the French Culinary Institute, and he is the chef at the cafe at the AKA Hotel in Midtown. He launched P&H Soda and Syrup at the Greenpoint Food Market, and he found that he could barely keep up with the demand at last week’s market. I had the cream soda, which was the perfect blend of sweetness, fizzyness, and cream soda flavor. Anton uses natural ingredients, including organic sugar and fair trade ingredients like hibiscus and ginger, as well as sugar alternatives like agave. In addition to the classics like cream soda and ginger lime, he likes to experiment with flavors, including hibiscus, hyssop, and verbena. He is working on a sarsparilla right now. In the summertime, he uses fruits from the farmers market to make new flavors for his syrups.

On one hand, Anton modestly says, “It’s just soda.” On the other hand, P&H Soda & Syrup has a great deal of thought and craft behind it. Personally, I can’t wait for him to open his soda fountain, but in the interim, I’ll be happy to drink his sodas at the Brooklyn Lyceum Market. He is also giving a soda making class on May 20th at the Brooklyn Kitchen.

You can see Erica’s cards on her Pumpkin & Honey Bunny Etsy Shop, and you can keep up with Anton on his blog, P&H Soda and Syrup, Inc. Meet them both at the Brooklyn Lyceum’s Food and Craft Market on May 1 & 2 and also at the monthly Greenpoint Food Market.