All my absolute favorite things can be found in Artists & Fleas, a lovely “marketplace for indie design, fashion, art & vintage.” There are a few locations in New York City, and in Downtown LA and Venice in California, but I recently visited the one in Chelsea Market.
Inside, you will find a large, but crowded space full of designers and artists, looking to showcase and sell their products. It is also a great place to network with customers and other creative, enterprising people.
Since there are new vendors every week, the experience is never fully the same each time. You’ll always find unique items to collect and if you’re lucky, you'll also occasionally come across food, live music and organized events.
Last time I visited the warehouse, this map specifically caught my eye:
It’s covered in small pins and indicates the various places people come from. It was amazing to see this visualization and to realize that people all over the world have visited the same spot I have. I placed my own pin in New York to leave my little lasting mark.
(Photo courtesy of Shinya Suzuki via Flickr)
