Find Unique Gifts at a Brooklyn Hidden Gem

We love a good flea market. And while a day out in the sun hunting and haggling for vintage goods and artisan crafts is a great time, as temperatures rise and our skin bakes, our thoughts turn to cooler places. Mere blocks from the waterfront in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, there is a place that combines cool (literally and figuratively) spaces with fun flea finds—Artists and Fleas. Only a few steps from the fabulous, outdoor, Sunday-only Brooklyn Flea, Artists and Fleas is an indoor bazaar packed to the rafters with local designers, artists, and connoisseurs of vintage goods.

Every Saturday and Sunday, year round, this indoor market offers designer jewelry, clothing, home goods, and more. In a coup for fleas everywhere, a fitting room is available for trying on that leather mini or 1960s sundress. New vendors pop up all the time, and flea cofounders Amy Abrams and Ronen Glimer are fastidious about updating their blog with new favorites. Recent additions include vintage-y jewelry made from industrial components by designer Miok Yoo; leather and fur accessories from female boxer and designer Keisher "Fire" McLeod-Wells and her sister (their brand is appropriately called "The Boxing Diva"); and comics from artist mindy indy.

One drawback to having an indoor market is space, and Artists and Fleas does get crowded, so be prepared to bob and weave as you work your way through the crowded aisles. Arrive early to beat local buyers. Flea is located at 70 North 7th Street (between Wythe and Kent) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It runs every Saturday and Sunday 10 am – 7 pm.

Check out our insider's guide to Brooklyn, the Williamsburg and Greenpoint edition, for more on what to do in some of New York's coolest 'hoods.

Photo credit: Iori Tadika for Artists & Fleas