Williamsburg Brooklyn's Artists & Fleas Market: a Photo Review

As part of my series to review all of New York City’s flea markets, we’ll start in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with Artist and Fleas.

The entrance to Artists and Fleas, not your typical flea market.

Artist and Fleas: Not a Typical Flea Market

Williamsburg’s Artist and Fleas is not what you would think of as a typical flea market– there is no waking up at the crack of dawn, trekking out to a sprawling grassy field or parking lot, or rifling through dusty bins.

Instead, Artists and Fleas is housed in a compact but airy warehouse, with neatly composed rows of vendors selling only high quality, handcrafted goods and vintage items– and no clutter in sight.

It’s true that Artists and Fleas won’t provide that flea market thrill of finding the hidden bargain (prices are fair for the quality, but true bargains are few and haggling ineffective). But there still is the thrill of finding the next great artist, your favorite piece of jewelry or the perfect gift, made locally in Brooklyn.

There are other benefits to this not-quite-a-flea-market. While in a standard flea market, you really need to dedicate a full morning to your hunt, you can easily “dip into” Artists and Fleas for a quick look. Artist’s and Fleas is conveniently located in the heart of Williamsburg, so it’s easy to fit into an afternoon while also visiting the waterfront and exploring local shops.

The manageable size also means you can pop in for a quick visit, even if you have a non-shopper in tow. Late hours (open until 7 pm) make Artist and Fleas the perfect pit stop en route to dinner in the neighborhood.

I scanned the Artist and Fleas website and thrilled to learn that the owners are also souvenir lovers, growing up in homes filled with mementos from their parents’ travels.

So in summary, here is why I recommend a visit to Artist and Fleas:

The location is central, near the subway and around lots of other cool things to explore– you can visit the market as part of a day trip.
The market is small in size– large enough that there is plenty to look at. but small enough that you wont be overwhelmed. If you have impatient “non-shoppers” in your party, you can make a quick run through even on a tight time frame.
The space is a pleasure, a visual sensory experience. High ceilings, colorful, tidy and spotless.
The diversity of interesting vendors with truly quality merchandise
Convenient hours. Unlike traditional flea markets where the early bird gets the worm, it really doesn’t matter what time you hit this market. Still only open on weekend (starting at 10 am), I liked that the market was open until 7 pm, which makes it a convenient stop on the way to dinner.
While in Williamsburg, don’t miss the spectacular waterfront area and the Manhattan skyline views.

Now onto the goods. It’s a good mix of artisan handcrafted items (with a large selection of jewelry), vintage clothes, and a scattering of other vintage items like records.

Items are mostly small and easily transportable (I didn’t see any furniture or other large items). Vendors may vary depending on when you visit, but here’s some of what I saw on my recent visit.

Artisan Handcrafted Goods at Artists and Fleas

I loved the colorful art from this vendor.

soaps made in brooklyn artists and fleas vendors

Handcrafted soaps, always a good option.

This vendor superimposed photographs of local sights onto wearable items like backpacks, bracelets and purses.

A perfect souvenir from Brooklyn– a backpack with an image of the Brooklyn bridge. (Review, Artists and Fleas, Williamsburg).

If a backpack is too over the top, these bracelets are a unique way to show your love for New York.

artists and fleas cool products vendors artisan crafts

I loved the handmade items here, perfect New York City souvenirs.

Healing oils handcrafted locally.

embossed leather wallets artist and fleas nyc

Lovely embossed leather wallets.

Creative prints from Zac Dimen Photography.

hats brooklyn artists and flea musu handmade

I wanted to try on all the gorgeous handmade hats from Musu.

Locally made sunglasses, and easy gifting items for men like classic scarves and boxers.

Tabulae Eyewear is made locally in a NYC lab. (review Artists & Fleas)

BKLYN Granola was one of the few edible souvenir options. I love that they’ve molded their granola into easy to eat granola balls (instead of the typical crumbly, hard to snack on granola). Their granola flavor combinations were unusual but delicious sounding.