New Yorkers love a good bargain, and they especially love to shop outside of large department stores at indoor and outdoor flea markets, specialty markets and greenmarkets. Jewelry, art, food, clothing… you can pretty much find anything you’d want at these great markets at excellent prices.
Brooklyn Flea Williamsburg
Saturday is the day to head for the uber-popular outdoor Williamsburg market. With stands galore specializing in vintage and handmade goods, the market sets up shop in the shaded corner lot in Williamsburg. A double benny: just across from it, Smorgasburg, with more than 40 food vendors, is the perfect place to refuel after spending all your pandemic savings.
Brooklyn Flea Dumbo
Brooklyn Flea gives you a second option to shop, shop, shop one day later at the Brooklyn Flea with its Dumbo market on Sundays. Also outdoors, the market invites you to explore popular vendors like Dan’s Parents House, Berete African Art and True Vintage Eyewear with newcomers such ask Dammi Vintage, Devon Grimes and Easy Seda. To recover from your shopping spree, head to nearby Brooklyn Bridge Park for a respite against a backdrop of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline.
Grand Bazaar NYC
Grand Bazaar NYC market is the oldest, largest and most diverse curated Sunday market in New York City. Located on the Upper West Side, the outdoor flea market tempts you to shop the more than 100 local artists and makers, independent vintage sellers and antique dealers. For maximum enjoyment, schedule periodic food breaks and enjoy the market’s tasty bites like stuffed empanadas, Korean corn dogs and smoked beef brisket sandwiches. You’ll also be supporting a good cause: each purchase from these small businesses supports more than 2000 local public school children. The market is year-round, outdoors and indoors, and has a complete program of special events. Check the schedule at www.GrandBazaarNYC.org.
The Market Line
The Lower East Side marketplace and food hall, The Market Line, is a foodie dream with many beloved local vendors like Veselka and Nom Wah. New York-centric all the way, the market is located below the new Essex Market and is open daily with food and drink from purveyors around the city. You can stuff your face with a half-sour from the barrels at the Pickle Guys, have a glazed treat from Doughnut Plant and wash it all down with an international draft from The Grand Delancey. And that’s only the beginning! New vendors this year include Dragon Bing, Tap NYC, Alimentari Flaneur, Apothecary Emaline, Best Damn Cookies, Gouie, Mighties and Salon Sucre with pop-ups from chicken specialist Pecking House and Ribs N’ Riesling.
Union Square Greenmarket
The most famous of the city’s greenmarkets, The Union Square Greenmarket, is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday year-round. The market spans the entire west and north sides of Union Square Park. At its peak, 140 regional farmers, fishers and bakers sell their products to a dedicated legion of city dwellers who carefully peruse the hundreds of varieties of produce, baked goods and flowers. You can find just-picked fresh fruits and vegetables, heritage meats and award-winning farmstead cheeses, artisan loaves of bread, jams, pickles, cut flowers and plants, wine, ciders and maple syrup. The selection varies by season.
Tompkins Square Greenmarket
Located along the southwest corner of the East Village’s Tompkins Square Park, this year-round Greenmarket brings local food to the neighborhood every Sunday. Specialty produce, orchard fruit and berries, live plants and flowers, eggs, glass-bottled milk, farmstead cheese, meat, baked goods, honey and maple syrup, are fresh and ready to buy. Meet the folks who grow and raise your food and enjoy free seasonal cooking demonstrations and events. While the list of goods varies, favorites include Bread Alone Artisan bread and pastries from Ulster County, Norwich Meadows Farm Certified Organic Vegetables from Chenango County, Pura Vida Fisheries’ wild ocean fish and shellfish from Suffolk County and Stone & Thistle Farm grass-fed beef, pork, lamb, and goat, poultry (chicken, duck, turkey, guinea fowl), sausages, pate, meat pies, ramps, and ramp products from Delaware County. Luna Family Farm brings beautiful cut flowers from Burlington County, NJ.
