I am thrilled to announce that my new guidebook, Markets of New York City: A Guide to the Best Artisan, Farmer, Food, and Flea Markets, is launching at the Brooklyn Lyceum’s Spring Food and Craft Market on May 1 and 2! I will be there with the wonderful people from my publisher The Little Bookroom all weekend, so please stop by and say hello!
The markets of New York not only offer shoppers the rare opportunity to meet the people who make the things that we love; they also provide a place for creative people to meet, become friends, and start getting really big ideas. The Better Than Jam Co-Op in Bushwick, Brooklyn is one such idea. It is an exciting example of the entrepreneurial and creative spirit that takes root in the markets and grows into an innovative enterprise.
Printmaker and clothing designer Karin Persan opened the co-op just a few weeks ago, and she carries the designs from many of the talented artisans and designers who sell their products at markets such as the Brooklyn Indie Market, the Makers Market, the Brooklyn Flea, and others. The design quality and craftsmanship is outstanding, and Persan also aims to keep prices affordable. This shop is open 7 days a week, so if you can’t make it to your favorite market on the weekend, you can always stop by and do some shopping at the co-op on weekdays.
The current designers include Persan’s brand, Better Than Jam, as well as Joann Berman’s seriously fun and funky high-fashion pieces inspired by “green, hip-hop, skateboard culture, graffiti, Bushwick.” At the other end of the spectrum are the dainty and feminine handmade dresses of Melissa Bell NYC. KimmChi’s silk-screened apparel and the handmade clothing from the Soft Movement are stylish and comfortable.
Designs by Himane are about as environmentally conscious as any I’ve seen. The one-of-a-kind clothing is made from “hand-picked, locally-sourced, recycled clothing, donated fabrics, and broken umbrellas.” I actually recognized the fabric on one of their clever bag designs from an umbrella decorated with photo images of blue glass beads that I gave my sister Andrea. What, I ask you, are the odds of that?
There are also several wonderful jewelry designers, some of whom are featured in my upcoming guidebook. Caja Jewelry makes clean and clever hand-cut jewelry designs, including name plates ála Sex in the City, puzzle pieces, kitties, florals, or lungs. Knitknit Knits has whimsical felted and knit necklaces, earrings, and brooches. My mother loved the necklace from Andy’s House of Design that I got her for her 29th (ahem) birthday.
The BTJ Co-op is in the up and coming Loom Building shops. The Loom is just getting going, with BTJ, a welcoming knitting cafe, an antiques shop, and some art galleries, with more to come.
Better Than Jam Co-op: 1095 Flushing Ave. (corner of Porter Ave.), a few short blocks from the Morgan St. stop on the L Train. Open every day from 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
I have taken thousands of photos of the artisan, farmer, food and flea markets around the city. So I thought I’d share them with you, once a day, every day. The supermodels of market photography are French fishermen (at the seafood market in Marseille), and eggs. These beauties are Araucanian eggs from Berkshire Berries, taken at the Union Square Farmers Market. I chose these eggs for my first photo in honor of my Mapuche/Araucanian ancestors in Chile (the people, not the chickens). Eat your heart out, Martha Stewart.
I wanted to let you know about a few of the wonderful things I found at last weekend’s Brooklyn Indie Market and NewNew Spring Fling. If this event is any indication, and I believe it is, it looks like we’re in for a lot of warm colors and flattering clothing designs for the spring and summer.
Wabisabi Brooklyn was there with colorful, creative, and infinitely wearable decoupage jewelry designs, including some really great cufflinks. The surprise inside is that designer Maryanne Loverme uses pennies and other coins as the tiny canvases for her earrings, cufflinks, and other charms. Her jewelry looks great all year round, but the colorful images on copper backgrounds and chains will look especially warm and vibrant on tanned skin. Wabisabi is not just a fun name; it is actually a Japanese aesthetic concept meaning “beauty through imperfection.”
Fofolle Handmade Apparel was at the market too. Designer Kathy Malone makes fun and flattering skirts that also double as ponchos. As a skirt, they hug your curves, and as a poncho, they are a warm alternative to sweaters and hang with a nice cowl neckline. She uses rich wools for winter designs and lighter fabrics for spring and summer. She also “reinvents” boxy vintage jackets, turning them into tailored, be-ribboned, feminine lovelies. Fofolle means “whacky girl” in French, and I guess it’s whacky to have one garment that is a skirt and a poncho. But I tend to think of it more as “brilliant.”
Another extremely creative designer, Karin Persan of Better Than Jam, creates a line of handmade clothing and accessories made from hand-printed fabrics. Using classic forms, like T-shirt dresses and wrap skirts, Karin’s fabrics and details make her pieces truly unique. And very colorful! She recently opened the Better Than Jam Handmade Co-Op in Bushwick, featuring her own designs and those of other designers. I haven’t been there yet, but I’ve heard it is a great shop. I’m planning to visit soon, and I’ll report back!
I must also tell you about the great organization that hosted this event, Starting Artists, a non-profit organization that provides after school classes in media and business to “prepare and inspire teenagers to create arts-based enterprises.” I will be writing more about this organization at a later date, but suffice it to say that they are providing a wonderful service to the community and to the art world by giving teenagers a place to develop their creativity. They had jewelry and totebags designed by their members, as well as very clever “inspiration kits,” filled with colorful bits and bobs and sparkly things to get your creative juices flowing.
There were many more wonderful designers at this event. Check back for more about them in upcoming posts!
The fresh, handcrafted, locally made artisanal food movement in the States is going strong and growing every day. But it occurred to me that Italians have been eating this way for centuries. This culinary tradition is alive and well at the Arthur Avenue Retail Market in the Bronx.
This past weekend, I took Misti Dawn Garritano and Frank Ayala, host and producer of the pilot television show, “In Your Business,” to the Arthur Avenue Retail Market to film a segment for their show on Markets of New York City. On the show, they interview entrepreneurs who are following their dreams, and I am extremely fortunate to fit that bill. Check out their current episodes online, including an interview with Marlo Scott, owner of Sweet Revenge and Kee Ling Tong, chocolatier and owner of Kee’s Chocolates.
I wanted to visit this market in particular with Misti and Frank because it is a bastion of Italian American history, it is full of character, and it is also a great place to eat some incredible food. We started our morning with the perfect cappuccino and tomato, prosciutto, mozzarella panini for breakfast and ended the day with a beautiful platter of antipasti and a hunk of soft and gooey fresh torrone, all at Mike’s Deli and Arthur Avenue Café at the far end of the market. The current owner is David Greco, son of the original owner, Mike Greco. David is a talented chef and a sweetheart of the Food Network. In fact, Bobby Flay challenged him to an eggplant parmigiana throwdown. I don’t want to give anything away, but if you’ve had the delicate and rich eggplant parm from Mike’s Deli, you’ll realize that Bobby never had a chance.
David showed us how to make fresh mozzarella by hand, and we tasted it in several forms – grilled, smoked, and plain. It is an amazing process to watch the white mass acquire its stretchy quality and wind up in the perfect rounds we all know and adore.
Up at the front entrance to the market are two shops that are unique to the Arthur Avenue Retail Market. La Casa Grande Tobacco Company sells hand-rolled cigars. We watched their expert cigar rollers from the Dominican Republic whip up the perfect little torpedoes. It’s not easy to do. They invited me to roll one, and mine looked more like an old tootsie roll than a sleek torpedo. Their clients include Chazz Palminteri, Rudy Giuliani, and basically everyone on “The Sopranos.”
Right across the aisle is Liberatore’s Gardens. They sell lush plants and imported Italian seeds, but their real treasure is the original owner, Joe Liberatore, also known as the Mayor of Little Italy. Joe is upwards of 90 years old now, and he was one of the original street vendors who moved into the Arthur Avenue Retail Market when Mayor La Guardia had this and several other indoor markets built in the early 1940’s. I’m hoping to do an interview with him for the blog in the near future!
One of the two sisters who are the proprietors of Mt. Carmel Gourmet Foods showed us some of their wonderful Italian delicacies, from canned sardines, olive oils, and balsamic vinegar from Modena, to handmade fresh pasta, cured olives, and Italian cookies and candies. The three brothers who own Boiano Foods sell your essential fresh fruits and veggies, and you can pick up fresh Italian chestnuts and hazelnuts, as well as artichokes, Italian grapes, and more. And if you need recipe ideas, just ask – they are full of great ideas.
Our last stop was Peter’s Meats, selling amazing Italian cuts and perfect meatballs. They cut and pack your order right in front of you, so you know your meat or poultry is as fresh as possible. A new bakery and a coffee shop with roasters on site will be opening soon. The market is also preparing for a facelift of the front entrance, which will be a nice upgrade.
Frank and Misti tell me that the footage is great. The episode will be ready in a few weeks – I’ll keep you posted!! I can’t close without mentioning that my nephew Adrian has been accepted to the Italian Program at the French Culinary Institute, starting this summer. I can’t wait to take him shopping at Arthur Avenue to see what kind of dinner he can whip up for us!
Arthur Avenue Retail Market: Monday – Saturday 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM, 2329 Arthur Avenue. 2329 Arthur Avenue, the Bronx. Visit www.arthuravenue.com for driving and public transportation directions
In Search of Vintage Valentines
There’s something so lovely and nostalgic about the vintage Valentine’s Day Cards. They evoke a sense of nostalgia for when we were little kids giving Valentines to everyone in our class, or memories of the simple sentiment on a Valentine from a secret crush.
I went looking for vintage Valentines at the markets. I had a lot of good luck on the second floor of the Antiques Garage. Arby Rolband of Hobbit Rare Books and Prints has a beautifully preserved collection of several years greeting cards between a WWII soldier and his family. It’s interesting to see how the War was incorporated into daily life at that time, including greeting cards. My favorite is a rather saucy pop-up card from “Wifey” with an all-American pin-up girl on the front wearing boxing gloves, saying “OK Buddy, Y’wanna fight?” On the inside, it says, “Or would you like to wrestle? I’m a’waiting!” A Hallmark insight into the post-war Baby Boom?
The cards are part of the entire collection that spans several years and many different holidays. As a whole, this collection is a beautiful piece of history.
Right near Mr. Roland’s tables is Janet West’s “Oddball Americana.” She has a box of sweet old Valentines from the 40’s and 50’s, I believe. They are in excellent condition, and there are some very cute ones, like a bunny with floppy ears saying, “’Ears hoping you’ll be my Valentine.” The price is right at $2 and $3 each. You’ll want to spend time looking at all the wonderful things she has on her tables.
And just down the aisle at David Cohn’s shope is a very interesting stack of cards with illustrations by Margé, who created the cartoon character Little Lulu. These Valentines are pleasantly risqué, especially considering the era. So if you love a golfer, pick up the one with the lady golfer flashing her bloomers and saying, “This may be a little course, but I’d like to be your Valentine.”
Geno Sartori at the Greenflea on the Upper West Side has spectacular handmade Valentines. For less than what you’d pay for a strip-mined Hallmark card, Mr. Sartori creates three-dimensional cards using vintage printed illustrations from Germany. Bright tulips, red roses, and pink-cheeked angels pop to life on rich, heavy paper stock cards. His cards sell out quickly, so get up first thing on Sunday morning and run to the Greenflea. You can find Mr. Sartori inside the school cafeteria.
There’s another treasure trove of vintage Valentines at the Brooklyn Flea. I wrote about the vintage buttons from Paula Hill’s shop “FDR to JFK” in a previous post about the Flea. She also has a great selection of vintage Valentines. They too are in excellent shape. I found cute ones for my small nieces and, well, one that I kept for myself. I love the fact that many of them have the signature of the original sender, which just shows that love is the gift that keeps on giving.
Oh dear – I’m waxing corny. Better go have another pink frosted heart-shaped cookie.
Antiques Garage: 112 West 25th Street (between 6th & 7th Ave), open 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM every Saturday and Sunday.
Greenflea: Columbus Avenue between W. 76 & 77 Streets (Upper West Side), open 10:00 AM – 5:30 PM (Nov.-Mar.) and 10 AM to 6 PM (Apr.-Oct.)
Brooklyn Flea: One Hanson every Sat+Sun, 10:oo AM – 5:00 PM, through March 27+28.
We Have A Winner!!!
The winner of our first Market Swatch Newsletter giveaway is Kimm Alfonso!!! I know she will love the very special Rose Bonbons from Roni-Sue’s Chocolates at the Lower East Side’s Essex Street Market!
I’m especially thrilled because Kimm is a wonderful graphic designer who sells her bold silkscreened clothing, KimmChi Silkscreened Apparel, at the markets of New York City! She is also a member of The NewNew, “an eclectic group of independent handmade Etsy artists, designers, makers and crafters in the Metro New York area who are devoted to fostering a creative and supportive environment among its members.”
Visit Kimm’s online shop at www.KimmChi.com. She has some dainty nighties for Valentine’s Day!
Follow KimmChi on Twitter: and become a Facebook Fan!
You can also meet Kimm in person at The NewNew and Brooklyn Indie Market’s Valentines Fling, Saturday February 13, 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM at Starting Artists, 211 Smith Street, Brooklyn.
Thanks to everyone for playing and for subscribing to Market Swatch!
Win these chocolates!!
We’re poised to launch our newsletter about the markets of New York City: Market Swatch! Fill in the form to your right, and you will be entered to win a box of six hand-made rose chocolates from Roni-Sue’s Chocolates at the Essex Street Market. (Don’t fret if you have already subscribed to the newsletter! You are automatically entered into the random drawing.)
Market Swatch will include in-depth information about New York’s markets and the people and products that make them so wonderful. It will let you know about market specials, featured market businesses and products, holiday ideas, special offers, and much more!
And now, back to the chocolates! To kick off Valentine’s Week, I wanted to let you know about the wonderful rose bon-bons from Roni-Sue Chocolates at the Essex Street Market. The winner of this drawing will receive a box of six of “Roni’s Roses” in two different flavors:
- Red Rose: Callebaut dark chocolate ganache topped with an edible fresh-dried rose petal
- White Rose: Molded dark chocolate rose bon-bon with a white chocolate ganache filling.
But there’s a lot more to these chocolates. From Roni-Sue: “Before I opened my shop I worked for many years for the Coalition Against Domestic Violence. In honor of V-Day [and the national campaign of the same name to bring awareness of D/V, spear-headed by Eve Ensler] I donate a portion of the sale of my dozen box of “Roni’s Roses” to the agency where I used to work to help them provide phone cards so victims can safely make phone calls to access essential services from the hot-line, etc.”
The random drawing will take place on Wednesday, February 10th at 3:00 PM, and the winner will be notified via email. This is a quick one, so subscribe to Market Swatch today!! (This offer is for US and Canada only, but I’ll make it up to you somehow in Brazil and France!)
For many more delectable and beautiful handmade confections, including her bacon candy line, visit Roni-Sue’s Chocolates at the Essex Street Market, 120 Essex Street (at Delancey Street) in the Lower East Side.
For more Valentine’s Day Specials this week, follow Markets of New York City on Facebook and Twitter!
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.
James and I went to Paris last week. Again. People keep asking us why we go back over and over, and for a brief moment we contemplated not returning until next year. The instant melancholy we both felt was enough to convince us that we’ll visit much sooner than that, probably October. That should give our cholesterol time to level out.
We had a particularly wonderful and magical time this trip, probably because we had no real agenda other than finding a daily fix of foie gras and sharing a nightly bottle of Côtes du Rhone. One thing that made this trip special was touring and eating at the glorious Parisian markets with brothers Sebastien and Pascal Bensidoun, fourth generation market owners and managers at Groupe Bensidoun in France and Bensidoun USA. In addition to their markets in Paris, they also run thirteen French-style markets in Illinois, Michigan, and White Plains, New York. In November 2009, they opened the French Market in Chicago to the delight of foodies there.
We rent apartments when we go to Paris, and we love to buy much of our food at the markets. One of our favorite markets is on Boulevard Richard Lenoir, which we first found in an inspirational little book, “Markets of Paris.“ We buy fresh vegetables, delicious cheeses that we’ve never heard of before, sometimes shrimp, and always a fragrant roasted chicken, a crunchy baguette and some sort of scrumptious tart. I was introduced to Sebastien and Pascal through my research for “Markets of New York City.” So, a week ago Sunday, our first full day in Paris, the Bensidoun brothers picked us up and whisked us off to the Marché Bio, or the Organic Market at Raspail.
The food markets of Paris have a long and wonderful history, and the organic market is especially remarkable. All the food items are certified “AB,” or “Agriculture Biologique” by the French Ministry of Agriculture. The products looked fresh, flawless, and delicious. The string beans, carrots, Clementine oranges and litchis we ate at home definitely tasted great. There is an immense variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, prepared foods, honey, preserves, meat, seafood, and much more. An impressive number of people were waiting in line for the organic breads. James picked up a tiny heart-shaped piece of goat cheese covered in ash. It was the strongest goat we’ve ever tasted and stuck with us for the rest of the day. My favorite item was the grouping of black truffles under a glass cloche. The vendor lifted the cover, and the musky mushroomy fragrance swam up into the air. We learned that there are truffles and there are truffles. If the price seems too good to be true, they are probably imported from Asia. French truffles never lose their value, unless, of course, they get eaten.
We also visited the market at Auguste Blanqui in the 13th Arrondissement that day and Cours de Vincennes later in the week. Like the Raspail market, Auguste Blanqui sets up on the on the center island of a boulevard, and so it is long and narrow, unlike our sprawling market at Union Square. This market runs almost a kilometer in length, with vendor tables on either side. At the Cours de Vincennes, we had an unexpected and delicious meal of salmon, salsify, and red wine with a Valrhona chocolate for dessert. The French Federation of Amateur Chefs holds food demonstrations at the markets, and Sebastien and Pascal made sure we didn’t miss this one. The salmon melted in my mouth. Despite the rainy day, the market was lively and active.
We didn’t run into Gerard Depardieu or Catherine Deneuve, who both, as we understand, frequent the markets. But we felt like celebrities ourselves as we strolled along with Sebastien and Pascal. They introduced us to the vendors and showed us all of the wonderful things about their markets. Merci beaucoup! We’ll be back soon!
The Eifel Tower may be touristy, but I adore it and never tire of watching it sparkle at night.
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