Location of market
May 8, 2015 By Christian Murray
The owners and operators of a number of Brooklyn flea markets are opening a food market in Court Square this summer.
Jonathan Butler and Eric Demby, the founders of Brooklyn Flea, will start the market with 20-to-30 food vendors. The market is expected to open on July 11 and will take place every Saturday from 11 am – 6pm until early fall.
The market, to be called Smorgasburg Queens, will be located at 43-29 Crescent Street, across the street from Rockrose’s LINC LIC building.
Butler and Demby operate several flea and food markets. They run the Fort Greene Flea, Williamsburg Flea and Park Slope Flea—where items such as art, collectibles and food are sold.
However, they also operate separate markets that focus solely on food under the brand name Smorgasburg. There are several Smorgasburg markets located throughout Brooklyn in areas such as Williamsburg and Brooklyn Heights.
Smorgasburg Queens will primarily offer food from Queens vendors. “The focus [of this market] is not to bring what we do in Brooklyn to Queens but to highlight the diverse ethnic foods in Queens at this market,” Eric Demby said.
The organizers said the market will include established restaurants to startups.
Featured Events
15 Comments
Except RO, the local businesses are restaurants and this will possibly draw away from their business. Why do we need something that will just bring more people into the neighborhood on Saturdays ? This really is no benefit for the neighborhood. How about something that benefits the neighborhood all the time, like some real stores.
This is great news for Court Square and I don’t think it will impact LIC Flea. The markets will have enough distance between each other and the crowds that the new market draws should benefit all local businesses.
As long as people don’t carelessly toss their garbage around the neighborhood, it should be OK. I’m tired of coming home and finding garbage in front of my stoop and then finding a sanitation ticket because I couldn’t clean it up while I was AT WORK. The outsiders don’t care where they toss their garbage because they don’t live there.
This is wonderful!!!!!!!!
Neighborhood is starving for good options and people are complaining? Geez… What’s so amazing about LIC Flea anyways? They have a massive captive audience right there. Court Square needs more options and I’m thrilled about this.
Maybe they should just make it a playground and make the space useful.
Lame. Seems very unfair to the restaurants in the area. The market should not be food focused, but rather retail shopping.
I totally agree. I would be flipping pissed if I was paying through the nose for rent at a brick and mortar restaurant when these food trucks pull up, pay no property taxes, and take business away from the restaurants. The restaurant industry seems to be the only industry now in LIC and Astoria. The market is completely saturated.
Have people gone to Williamsburg during Smorgasburg? Believe me none of the restaurants around there are hurting. They are all packed.
Hope our Flea doesn’t loose customers or vendors…
Not that I’m not excited, since I live across the street. But I’m curious to see how this might impact LIC Flea’s traffic…
Eeeek. Not that I’m complaining, especially since I live across the street, but I’m curious to see how this will impact LIC Flea’s traffic.
So boring. So bourgeoise. So overpriced. So Smorgasburg.
YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!
and imagine delivering a metaphorically punch to the face of Daniel Bryant. with each “Dislike”