The first and best tomatoes I’ve had so far this season came from Sycamore Farms at the Union Square Greenmarket. They’ve been beautiful and tasty, especially when I’ve sliced them up, still warm from the sun out at the market. (If I’m waxing rhapsodic, it’s because I love tomatoes that actually taste like tomatoes, unlike those tasteless strip mined grocery store ones that never ripen but mummify themselves instead on the kitchen counter rather than rot.) First Day of Corn S

On a recent visit to the Antiques Garage, I happened to glace up to see this statement piece, dripping with vintage charm and yet so contemporary. It was vintage Karl Lagerfeld. I was not surprised to learn that seller was Store With No Walls, a superlative vintage fashion vendor. I normally visit SWNW owners Janet and Anthony at the Hell’s Kitchen Flea, so it was a pleasure to run my fingers through the textures and styles of the ages at their indoor venue inside the garage.

Cynthia Wears Her Alpaca Socks By Nuna Knits (Photo by Ed Lefkowicz) I don’t have to tell you that this winter has been a particularly cold one. It is not easy to be stylish when you can’t put your arms down. Then I met Nuna Knits at the Real NYC Market in Soho. And now I am in love with my alpaca socks. Washing them out at night has become a ritual, as has slipping them on in the morning. Nuna Knits Founder Peggie Ehlers’ farm-to-fashion company features skillfully designed

Mel’s Melting Pot Customer Stocks Up on Spicy Fruit Ketchup at the Queens County Market I finally made it out to the Queens County Market in July! Clearly I am a little tardy in writing about my experience there, or perhaps I should say my taste buds’ experience there. But it is never too late to tell you about a great food market, the inspiring food businesses I met there, and the range of delicacies I tasted. I thought I’d post a lot of pictures so that I could show you a b

Roberta from Le Primitive, was in her usual spot, but she had some brand new designs at the Bleecker Street Market alongside Our Lady of Pompeii. I’ve loved her work with vivid glass jewelry, and now she and her sister have branched into silver and minerals. These pieces are all handmade and hand hammered into flowing statement pieces. Each one comes with soft, adjustable suede ribbon so that you can wear it at any length you choose. Roberta and Simonetta, originally from Rom

I spoke with Tracy at length recently. She told me that she always had difficulty appreciating landscape painting. Throughout her studies at the Massachusetts College of Art & Design, where she studied glass sculpture, she was attracted more to contemporary abstract art. She later moved to San Francisco and fell in love with Asian art. “It’s amazing how they take the idea of a landscape and bring it to an abstract realm,” Tracy said. “I wanted to take it to a more American pl

This is my 501st blog posting! I have written about 500 fantastic people, places and objects I have found in the Markets of New York City and markets around the world — and loved every minute of it! I am excited to keep sharing the treasures I find with you. So for this special posting, I thought I would introduce you to two new food businesses I met this weekend at the Greenpointers Valentine’s Day Market: Sprout & Pea and The Bored Vegetarian. Sharing a table at the market,

The snowstorm came and went while we were snug in our wee little beds, leaving behind a blanket of frozen fluffiness. There have been too many cancellations and schedule changes to track here, so please check your favorite markets’ websites for updates. In the meantime, it’s almost Valentine’s Day! This weekend and during the week, several wonderful Valentine’s Markets are happening: Saturday, February 9, 2013 Greenpointer’s Valentine’s Market: Greenpointer’s second annual Va

I am honored to be giving a Three Part Social Media Workshop Series with the Business Center for New Americans, a wonderful organization that aims to “fulfill the American Dream of inclusion by building wealth through business development & expansion, savings and home ownership.” BCNA provides training, mentoring and microfinancing for immigrants, refugees, women, artisans and others. BCNA has been a key sponsor of the NY Creates and their handmade artisan markets. Workshops

Weekend Market Picks for Saturday and Sunday, March 3 & 4, 2012 SUPER!market:  Saturday Only! I adore this new designers market.  Every week, they are adding new and amazing designers and food businesses, and so it’s great to keep going back to see what’s new.  Go check out today.  And next Saturday, and the following one.  (Photo posting coming tomorrow!) East 67th Street Flea Market:  Saturday only! Great vintage and flea vendors here, including cashmere sweaters, silk

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 lengt

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 objec

UPDATE! The Winners Are: – For Markets of New York City: Paul Pena – For SchoolHouse Kitchen: Connie George – For Shaya Fine Handcrafted Jewelry: Blythe Bondoc Congratulations! Thanks to everyone for entering! Stay tuned for more giveaways! To kick off the new season, the new school year, and the end of a pretty wild summer, Markets of New York City has teamed up with two fabulous and wonderful companies from the markets to do a joint giveaway! WIN THESE PRIZES!! Prisci

I am a tea lover.  I’d be a tea-totaler if the French weren’t so handy with a grape.  My mom used to give me sweet, warm tea in my baby bottle, which explains both my love of tea and my inability to nap as a small child. So when I say that the cup of iced, sun-brewed English Breakfast Tea from Tea by Tiffany that I drank on Opening Day at the Dekalb Market might be the best tasting iced tea I’ve ever had, you know that I mean it was out of this world. And not just because

Holly Luttrell is the designer behind Edward Owl Design and Ornament.  I saw her wide array of jewelry designs and styles, all handmade, and mostly one-of-a-kind this weekend at the Dekalb Market.  Holly is an architect by training, and her work reflects the planning and fine construction work of a beautifully designed structure.  Her grandfather was a steelworker named Edward, and her grandmother collected owl figurines – hence the name Edward Owl. Here’s a small world.  Sev

Artist Sandra Second and her husband Julien of Sanjules Art Creations had the sparkliest table at the Astoria Market last Sunday!  They transfer their original artwork to sheets of adhesive crystal fabric and apply them to high quality T-shirts.  Originally from the Caribbean, Sandra and Julien make their home in Brooklyn, where they produce all of their t-shirts and jewelry.  The Photo of the Day features the fabulous “Foxy.” In fact, all their designs are bursting with colo

Fast forward to February, 2011 when Caja’s nameplates adorned the models on no less than 20 pages of this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.  Not to mention the ads I saw on bus stops and in the 14th Street subway station.  Seriously huge deal.  And because SI gives credit where credit is due, Caja’s company name appeared next to each photo. Caja makes a wide range of handcut designs in addition to the name plates.  They make name plate cuffs, which I’ve never seen bef

Once again, the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn blew my doors off with the quality, variety, beauty, wit, intelligence, and pure fun of the designs I saw. One of the most unique concepts I came across is from a company called Chime. Designer Leslie Wilson creates beautiful, versatile jewelry designs from recycled drum cymbals.  She told me that her husband is in the music business, and it turns out that those fine, handcrafted Zildjian and Sabian cymbals do not last forever.

I interviewed Jason & Eric for Sirene MediaWorks and thought I’d share their insights with the market community as well, especially since I originally met them at a street festival in Buffalo! I met Jason Wulf and Erik Bernardi of Lake Effect Artisanal Ice Cream last summer at the Allantown Arts Festival in Buffalo, NY.  They are business partners, entrepreneurs, and food innovators, and they are also full-time elementary school teachers. I was first drawn to their Frozen H

Everyone is working feverishly to get ready for the holiday markets that will be opening very soon, and I’ll be keeping you posted about all these events.  For this weekend, though, I thought I’d share my plans, and maybe you can meet me there! TONIGHT, Friday, November 6, 2010 First Friday at The Loom: It’s a Zombie Fashion Show!  That’s right – the Better than Jam Co-Op, featuring many talented designers and artists from the artisan markets around New York, is hosting a fas