recycled fabrics » Markets of New York

“To Market, To Market” with Your Markets of New York City Tote!

Well, you can’t very well go to the fabulous markets of New York City without a designer market tote, now, can you?

To help celebrate the launch of Markets of New York City: A Guide to the Best Artisan, Farmer, Food and Flea Markets, a team of highly skilled artisans and designers helped me produce this limited edition market tote. You can pick up an advance copy of the guidebook and a tote bag at the Brooklyn Lyceum Spring Food and Craft Market this weekend!

The guidebook uses little icons as a key to tell the reader what kind of market each one is – artisan, farmer, food, or flea. The icons were originally designed by Lauren Ruggeri, the brilliant graphic designer who created the entire book, including the cover that makes me so happy. We paid a lot of attention to the flea because my dad was a biologist who would have insisted on its having six legs, being an insect and all.

Using the original icons, the ever talented Miss Wit, Deb Goldstein of Miss Wit Designs, created the design for the market bag, which was then hand-printed in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The totes are 100% organic cotton, procured from Eco Bags, a NY-based company that “exist(s) to provide products, information and inspiration that help people reduce, re-use and recycle. Starting with the simple step of bringing your own reusable cloth bag to shop may seem trivial, but it creates a “mindset.” Like anything, the more people who take this simple step, the more it becomes the natural and right thing to do.”

I couldn’t agree more.

“Totes may come and totes may go, but this May, make sure to take your tote wherever you go.” ~Miss Wit

Better Than Jam Co-Op: Entrepreneurs Thriving in the Markets and Beyond

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 29^th (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.