Trudy
Recently I went out to the picturesque Williamsburg waterfront, for the Brooklyn Flea Record Fair. I know, I know nobody listens to records anymore and you only find those things in your Dad’s boxes in the garage, but you’d be wrong, especially in New York.
DJ’s aren’t the only ones keeping those vinyl discs alive in fact, vinyl is growing every year. And one of the more popular vinyl events is the Brooklyn Flea Record Fair, it’s a get together for Indie record companies, collectors, stores and vinyl enthusiasts. And the enthusiasts in this neighborhood are mainly under the age of thirty, plaid-wearing hipsters. Yes, there were some people younger and older there and the record companies were in certain niche genres.
The organizer of the event, the Brooklyn Flea market, is one of the biggest flea markets in the city that it has multiple locations. Not sure if it’s the hipster influence or that we are all really broke in an expensive city, but flea markets are so hot that they have become the best hang out spot in Williamsburg during the day.
The Brooklyn Flea has done this record fair for the fourth time and it keeps getting bigger. This time there were over fifty vendors, including some record companies, collectors, and local record stores. And with the weekly food fair, Smorgasburg, right next to the fair was sufficiently busy. The prices of the vinyl depended on whether the album was a new or collectible release and how rare the copy was to come across.
There was also a group of DJs that came to spin their favorites and a hula hooper who was so excited to be there.
I hung out to hear the music, see the crowd and maybe buy a couple of classics that moved me. Any of these look familiar?
I also tried to elbow in and check out the dollar and five dollar crates for anything good and I was too late. I saw all the good stuff leaving in other people’s hands. I think the event was a huge success!
Then I turned my attention from music to enjoy the view of the water which was just as interesting as the music. And taking pictures of the water was how I ended my evening and I wasn’t alone as you can see.
Do you listen to music on vinyl? Have any favorites or collectibles? I’d love to hear to hear about it, please tell me in the comments below.
Until our next rendezvous…
XOXO
Trudy
Hi Trudy! That looks like a fun event! Not finding any bargains just means that you’ll have to go again next time. Great location too, especially with that view! We haven’t listened to vinyl in many years, and have a moments regretted giving up our collection. We also used to have a reel to reel, which was cool too. Now we listen to CD’s.
I did however, come across a couple of record stores last week in Haarlem, Holland. No CD’s for sale, just records. It made me feel nostalgic!
See, it’s gaining popularity even with the pops and snaps in the music. Young people barely remember having music that they can hold and it’s novelty for them. I’m glad there’s a return because I had a collection when I was little and I would love to again. Bargains were there but not anything I wanted and you’re right it just means that I’ll have to go back. ?I’ll write about the Smorgasburg next time.
Here in Portland you can find tons of records at local thrift stores. Even Barnes & Noble sells them! But those locations aren’t anything compared to your flea market!
Yes there are spots popping up all over. We gave proper records stores and also in clothing stores like Urban Outfitters you can find new releases. But it was nice to see people so excited about getting the music. When I was a teenager you were laughed at fir having vinyl if you weren’t a DJ. Now there’s even a vinyl subscription service that delivers new releases to you every month.
It is fun to see all kinds of things become fashionable again. I guess the same is somewhat true for books! When e-readers first hit the market, people went wild. Now I rarely see anyone using one. There is something about being able to touch a record, cd, or book.
Yes I never got into e-readers, even reading books on my phone is difficult for me, I need to hold the book and dog ear the pages. Really if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
Exactly! A few years ago I won a really nice Kindle in a raffle. I used it for a while, but it’s collecting dust now!
My friends have them but also buy hard copies. I’ve never jumped on board, I never got excited enough to buy one.
I’ll probably pass mine along one day! I love my hard copy books too!
Yes nothing beats the tactile feel of your “things”, they hold memories. Electronic devices don’t.
Indeed! ?
Well now you know I love that vinyl and have written about it myself! I’m really glad it is coming back. I heard about this event but unfortunately we had plans that day. I also have lots of favorites, and they are almost always the gatefold type you can open up like a book. So much better visually than just printing stuff on the sleeve. Prized ones in my collection of that type are the Beatles Sgt Pepper and Stevie Wonder’s Songs In The Key Of Life, but I could go on and on!
Robert there’s a guy on 23rd and 7th in Manhattan, who was selling “In the key of life” for five dollars but my hands were full and couldn’t carry any more stuff. I must go back to him.
I hope you can find it again! I got mine at a record show at the Holiday Inn on 9th and 57th they have every month. I used to live around the corner so it was easy for me to go there. It was hit and miss, but one day, I found a mint condition of that for I think $10..including the bonus 45rpm in the sleeve. Could not believe my luck!
That vendor is there everyday. But I need to intentionally make plans to see him. I am in that area doing errands usually.
Hi Trudy, vinyl is making a big come back at present. I have 1000’s of 12in singles and albums laying around in my flat, never get the time to play them anymore, maybe I should take them to the Brooklyn flea record dair.
Oh no! I’m sure you’ll get a chance to listen to them when life slows down, right? You can be one of the collectors selling then and make a pretty penny there.
Ugh I would’ve loved to have checked this out! I’m still trying to complete my Michael Jackson record collection!!
I’m sure they’ll have another one by Fall, it may not be as big but there’s usually one around September/October.
Thanks for the heads up 🙂
No problem!
Can you believe I still own a record player? It was my parent’s present when I turned 18 😉 The digital era was still (very) far by then… The event looks great, it’s like bringing back relics from an old time LOL!
I still have my record player, I won’t ever throw it out! It was a great event, I think people realize holding and having their music in their hands.