It used to be the PS 321 Flea Market on 7th Avenue between 1st & 2nd Streets in Park Slope, Brooklyn! This souk has upgraded to world class marketplace where a number of artists gently hawk their wares – one-of-a-kind carpets from Peru; from Africa; face masks & blankets from Africa; grass-woven baskets from Senegal; copper, silver, coin/jewelry (and so many exquisite pieces you can view from the website, from REINERLAND); a complete line of beautiful, sterling, stainless steel, turquoise jewelry from Lorelei Gruss!
There is a new addition, Kwohtations, (yes, quotations!): “cards that celebrate the diversity & absurdity of life.” AND,
Es DeLaMar, the artist who depicts mermaids in so many ways. Find her beautiful creations on Etsy.com
Aliou Lo and his family created AGOWA (Authentic Goods of West Africa) as a kind of grass-roots community effort to “assist more rural Senegalese children to finish High School.” They create a living wage for the women who participate in this program. Does this sound familiar? It resembles the micro-lending platform begun by Muhammad Yunus , the Bangladeshi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for finance work; he is a founding board member of Grameen America & Grameen Foundation (Wikepedia).
There are candles from an angel aka Stashana B who reminds me of Billie Holiday; towels from “small, family-run textile makers…” in Turkey by Anatolli.co; exquisite, aluminum and sterling mandalas (wearable art) from Norberto Aquino, Little Italy; hand woven designs from Ella Murray, who has long-time customers in this part of Brooklyn, hometown of Bill DeBlasio, soon to become our second-term Mayor…
Where, you might ask, is REINERLAND? The short answer is Front Street, Brooklyn while the more interesting overview is Brooklyn and the world. The team of Cristina Taranu and Reiner Mengesdorf – creatives who began Reinerland (the logo combines C & R in a calligraphic loop) – “…show an eye for color and play with diverse metal textures, drawing from technical skill and their fine arts backgrounds.” Cristina worked in theater while Reiner, a visual artist, “…exhibited his abstract paintings in New York, Europe and Japan.”
“The jewelry collections are sculptural in their roots with an infusion of organic style and beauty. Seeking unique stones from all over the world for their original details, they create a form of art that is both playful and bold. Each piece is carefully handcrafted and honed in New York City.”
There are old coins repurposed into rings and bracelets. I bought a 2,000-year-old coin hanging from a dog-tag chain (remember that my father as a Marine Corps private wore one of these ball-chains around his neck to identify himself as a US soldier) as well as a copper bracelet (green patina) with Lady Liberty adorning a silver, half-dollar.
I write this essay to share the love with artists who grace our neighborhood with their diversity and skill. Other artistes can be found at this market, as the list grows in length… The ambience between 1-2nd Streets resonates with creativity and old-world marketplace.
Here’s some contact information:
https://www.anatoli.co/pages/about-our-products (I’ve had difficulty getting onto this website, so I connected through a Google search, and/or contacting them at @anatoli.co
www.kwohtations.com @kwohtations
www.agowahandmade.com – authentic goods from West Africa
www.classhausfemme.com – the candle lady
On Etsy.com you can search for The Mermaids Dream. I could not pull up the Es DeLaMar Gallery website.
Enjoy!
Original photo by Le Marsanico Reiner at his table – Artisan Marketplace
I’ll speak to you on October 23rd.
Peace and Light,
Linda
#PS321fleamarket #Africanfacemasks #Senegalesegrassbaskets #copperjewelry #silverjewelry #ancientcoins #MuhammadYunus #NobelPeacePrize #Turkishtextilemakers #BillDeBlasio #AGOWA #Etsycom
