Brooklyn Fort Greene Flea – Saturday Flagship

We visited on the Sunday as Saturday was just too hot. Easily found and fantastic views over to the Manhattan Skyline.
There was a mixture of stalls and we all found something to purchase. Really friendly vendors, and the food stalls looked good too.
Well worth a visit!

Have to say i wasn’t impressed. Way overpriced compares to other flea markets I’ve been to. Decently sized so you may find something. Plenty of food options within and there are bleachers that are shaded by trees that serve as seating for those who are tired or sweaty.

liked it~ didn’t try the food but I got a cute ring and a dress from there~
you’ll find some really nice clothes around, but it’s kinda hard to try them on as all flea markets lol~

Such cool knick knacks to be found here! It was so nice going through old maps and prints, among other things. There’s some food options here, the same that are found at smogasborg. Come early to beat the crowds! There’s a farmers market nearby as well.

This flea market isn’t your typical flea market you’d find in most cities. This is, if anything, a bit more refined and it’s reflected in the things you find but also in the prices. Most (if not all) of the vendors accept credit card via Square or another mobile app payment method so though cash isn’t necessary, it’s recommended.
Most of the vendors were nice and will chat with you about their wares, history, etc and give you a «deal» if you haggle with them. Don’t except to find anything great at a low, low price. If anything, the prices were more or less fair market value so you’d be finding unique items for your home or for a gift and paying somewhere around what they’re probably worth. Many of the items there were definitely overpriced.
I was expecting there to be way more vendors but it could’ve just been an off day where not as many showed up and it wasn’t overly crowded.
There are food vendors here too so there’s no need to leave the flea for food if you’re ok with something greasy, a bit overpriced, and not as fresh. There was one stall that brought in their own portable wood pizza oven which was pretty neat.
Furniture there were mostly in great condition (or flipped) and expensive. If you have some money to burn, you might find something interesting from here.
I was able to get some really cool vintage items that I probably could’ve bought for slightly cheaper on eBay or somewhere else online but it was good to see the size and condition in person before making the purchase.

I came here last Saturday because I’m a sucker for flea markets and all that.
It was a fun experience because of mainly the food (kind of like Smorgasburg with some similar vendors) but the actual prices of the items in the shops were ridiculously high. Honestly, you could just shop online and get better things for better prices.

I’m sooooo over the flea.
Can we just all agree it should be re-​named the Brooklyn Haute Garbage Couture Hipster Market?
Years ago I lived in a corner apt next to Bishop Laughlin HS. I’d mosey to the «flea» in my sweats on Saturday and walk around… Completely shocked by the absurd prices for items such as barbie dolls with no heads (Note: this was well before smorgasburg and the flea offshoots opened up).
However — I was able to stomach the flea experience because of the food.
I appreciated the food samples. The «flea» was where I tried my first People’s Pops Popsicle, McClures pickles, Brooklyn Soda Works.
But the MAIN reason I ventured to the deceivingly named flea was for … SOLBER PUPUSAS. Yummmmmm. Over time, I would do hit and run pupusa trips to the flea on Saturdays. Wham. Bham. Thank you ma’am.
Then I moved further down the street and … In order to engage in self care, I refrained from entering the flea and just went to Solber Pupusas in Red Hook. My relationship with Solber has strengthened as now there is more intentionality. The quickies are a thing of the past.

Well, I really liked the food vendors, but I could have just gone to one of the many food pop-​up or food truck festivals in the borough.
I liked the flea vendors too. I liked looking at them. The Brooklyn Flea is cute, really cute. Lotsa adorable treasures, large and small, grossly inflated. I shop around for many of the same items and pay pennies on the dollar for what you’ll find here, literally. Reselling someone else’s junk aside, there are a few vendors that are crafters and sell their creations. I can understand the higher costs of an artist’s work, but some «artists» are obvious opportunists that string together some crap and call it BoHo or shabby chic, knowing we’d buy into it. Am I being critical? Maybe, but there really isn’t anything here that is priced for a flea market.
The REAL flea market is right outside, along the streets where residents and locals set up shop and sell their finds and possessions. You can walk about a five block radius of the Brooklyn Flea to find plenty of fair-​priced treasures. Of course, not all are priced low, but many of them are.
Come here if you want a cute place to walk around while you eat. Come here if you want to hang out somewhere chill with plenty of things to look at. Don’t come here to shop.

So people need to understand that vendors are spending at least $ 200 to set up for the day. As a seller, you couldn’t make any profit whatsoever selling things you’d find at a normal rural flea market.
So yeah the «flea» term is bastardized to suck you in and you’re left with a $ 500 mirror a guy found on the street, spray painted, and sandpapered.
You’re left with records that you could find for $ 2 anywhere else sitting there for $ 10/​$ 15/​$ 20 plus.
And your left with cranky vendors who woke at dawn, to unload all of their things from a car to their spaces. Note, world, that there’s no cars in the spaces. Vendors are hauling things from the street before sunrise to make a buck so consider that before your criticize.
All things considered though — the vendors aren’t making a ton of money (if any) and the customers can’t afford anything. It’s a weird middle ground.
The weirdest thing about this market is that no one buys anything. They just go to kill some time, maybe entertain some out of town friends.
Also, it’s not taken seriously by anyone as a traditional flea.
In other words, no antique dealer will be showing up to this joint because everything is way marked up as it is, and any Brooklyn based graphic designer spending money on Recycled Vinyl Record Wall Clocks or $ 125 «lamps» made from an old chemistry stand and a $ 10 bulb from
deserves what he gets.
In short, no one walks away from here happy. Just broke, sunburnt, and chaffing, wondering where you can find something to eat not covered in kimchi.
A weird and wholly unnecessary way to spend an afternoon.

This not a «flea market» in the sense of bargaining for goods for a dollar. It’s a combination of Etsy sellers (although nice, $ 45 a bowl isn’t exactly a bargain), vintage clothing (some over $ 100) and random toys/​home goods. The majority of the stuff is overpriced and just makes me depressed.
I’m giving 2 stars because DOUGH is here and their donuts always deserves everyone a extra star. I live near here so I was excited when it first came but now it just seems like a rip off game.

We really love flea markets in general and have been adventuring in a bunch of them in different cities in the world as we love the atmosphere and people we get to meet.
But we have been very disappointed by the one in Brooklyn. A flea market should not be an excuse to sell some old junk at crazy prices. We get that everything in NY is de facto more expensive, and that the more you hipsterize it the more prices are ridiculously high, but come on…
We’ll be hunting other flea markets in NYC hoping to find a better place.
The highlight of the day was the delicious burger we had from the food area. (Vendor called Lonestar Empire).

In our day and age of the rising popularity of artisanal work and the hipster culture, it’s nice to actually see remnants of what flea markets used to be and should still be. The Fort Greene Flea, having given in to society’s modern day hipster demands, still retains some elements of the flea markets that I knew growing up. People have brought their actual belongings here to sell. Though some stalls clearly show carefully curated merchandise, others showcase actual junk (in the best way possible). Flea markets (in their true form) are a cultural study, allowing you to understand what it is that people are willing to give up and what they have hoarded until they are finally willing to give up. The merchandise ranges from dirty and creepy toys to antique keys and locks. There are old Coca-​Cola bottles, scuffed suitcases, kitschy hats, and old furniture. This is what I like about flea markets. I’m never in the market to buy. I love browsing– it’s like an interactive museum, a blast from the past. Fort Greene offers just that.
On the other hand, there are also stalls with beautiful reclaimed wooden furniture and original artisanal work (key hooks made of keys? inception!). Most «flea markets» nowadays showcase stalls such as these instead of the aforementioned «junk». I think these stalls would be better suited in «local craft festivals» and the likes. But Fort Greene does well in that it only sprinkles a few of these types of stalls throughout, while staying true to the «one man’s trash is another’s treasure» concept of flea markets.
But change isn’t always bad. The flea markets in the past did not offer delicious food such as the ones found at Fort Greene Flea. On a hot summer day, it was so nice to visit the different stalls and try different lemonades. We had a delicious brisket sandwich, crispy rice balls, and amazing truffle fries. The food is definitely not flea-​market priced, but I think if you know it going in, you’ll be fine.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself at the Brooklyn Fort Greene Flea and found hope in that the flea market spirit has been kept alive here.

I went just to say I did. The crafts and vintage goods are interesting.
I spent $ 20 on two sodas and a hot dog…

The pork brisket from Lonestar Empire is amazing and the fries from Home Frite Brooklyn is delicious try the Parmesan Truffle.

Hipster hang out. Good place to people watch. No bargains here, everything is overpriced but definitely cool and/​or vintage. The food stands have nice options, but lines are long in some cases.
If it’s a nice day and you have 1 – 2 hours to spare, then visit the Brooklyn Flea.
Bring lots of money.

The stands are like 60% weird old guys trying to sell you whatever they found in their friend’s backyard, 25% Etsy cliché kitsch, 15% gems. Highlights include one ceramicist (forget her name, but her stuff was beautiful), a very well-​curated vintage clothing stall run by a handsome Japanese guy, and the heavenly ~lobster rolls~. The food stalls are the real standouts here, but I don’t feel like they’re worth dealing with the impossible crowds and salty people.
And an aside for ladies: I got my ass grabbed here. Pretty sure it was one of the aforementioned weird old guys. So be warned, groping happens.

Came to this market yesterday to get my ice cream love on and boy did I! Although you were greeted by Blue Marble when walking in, all the ice cream stands were pushed in the back of the market with huge lines. I was some what disappointed. I thought it would have been set up a bit more organized so people wouldn’t have been on top of each other! There was a lot of variety and tasty selections def was happy! We also walked around and saw the crazy things people are selling!

A fun stop in the neighborhood but not a destination.
For all the talk of «The Brooklyn Flea,» I envisioned a huge market with more and better vintage and antiques than other NYC markets. It’s just not the case. Yes, it’s a fun browse in a chill section of BK, but it’s just not something to go out of the way for.

Bishop Loughlin is a well respected establishment with a deep and rich history in Brooklyn. Then on the Saturdays they let random people onto their property to sell crap that no one really needs and has been in storage for years.
Ahhh there’s that outdated map of Brooklyn! Hmmm that shirt with a rip and stain from the 80’s looks in bad shape, especially for $ 20 dollars but who am I to argue with nostalgia. Giant sized mirrors, I’ll take seven. You can never look at yourself enough in your house, even at $ 100 a piece. Old NYC public school desk and chair combos!!! Time to crack my back. Yeah it’ll look odd in my living room but my back will be in heaven!!!
What have I actually bought here besides food? Books and basketball cards. Tons of classics for pennies. Literally I paid in pennies for Catch 22. These guys will take anything. I bought a pack of Fleer Ultra 97 basketball cards for $ 2. In that pack was Stockton and Malone! That’s a winning combo which paid for itself. Literally, I sold it to some dumb teenager walking down the block for $ 10 bucks. That’s 8 dollar profit right there. Unfortunately he paid me in pennies. What kinda jerk does that?
It’s a great place to be on a nice summer’s day. Tons of folks, tight spaces, little shade. Wait? OK it’s not perfect on a Summer’s day but it’s good time. Hanging out with some friends, seeing people who are out of place and enjoying the food!
Oh the food. Pizzamoto, Brooklyn Bangers, Blue Marble and tons of other great establishments that have me handing over too much money for their delicious food. It might be expensive but these chefs need the money to pay for things like rent and drugs.
It’s a fun activity that I love doing. Even if I don’t grab anything, I always seem to enjoy myself.

Ah, the Brooklyn Flea. Has there ever been a better place to completely overpay for things that other people found in their parents’ basement?
My money is on «No.»
Honestly, I really do love the Flea. The people-​watching is unparalleled, and it’s an amazing place to take out-​of-​towners interested in seeing what the «New Brooklyn» is all about. That said, I’ll probably never buy anything.
Actually, that’s not true. Since I’m a fatboy, I always end up buying some food from PizzaMoto, Choncho’s Tacos, the pupusa stand, Red Hook Lobster Pound, Porchetta, Brooklyn Bangers, AsiaDog… and I love that I can find such a great collection of spots in one place. That’s why Smorgasburg rules as well.
However, 95% of the merchandise is drastically overpriced. There are exceptions: Olde Goode Things often has some nice pieces, there’s a jewelry stand or two that my girlfriend gets down with. And obviously, since the vendors are always rotating, one or two new and interesting sets of wares every time you visit.
Unfortunately, for every one of those there are 15 people trying to sell you a rusted out driving range bucket for $ 25 (it doesn’t even come with the golf balls). Or a milk crate for $ 40. Or an old seltzer bottle for $ 95. To me, these prices are beyond ridiculous, but I suppose it’s all about supply and demand, so more power to them.
Although, I do wish they made more of an effort to distinguish themselves as vendors. I’m not sure if I’m flattered or offended that someone mistook me for the guy with the yarn shop.