bag it up [at the Brooklyn Flea]

As we saw yesterday, the Brooklyn Flea is for ballers. We came away with some amazing stuff- I'm only bummed I didn't bring more cash (and more of an appetite, as the food options looked stunning). 

You already know that R grabbed a vintage, industrial-looking set of drawers for her jewelry, left. She got $5 off just for asking. I picked up the fake-malachite jewelry box below from the same dude for $5 myself- it's a super vibrant green, and will have to do until I can afford a big ol' slab of the real deal.

I fully support haggling-  just make sure to always be respectful. You're not just paying for the item- you're also paying for the vendor's time and transportation costs, the effort they put into finding/refurbishing an item, stall fees at the market, and so on.

The best time to try and cut a deal is later in the day, when vendors have to start thinking about what merchandise to pack up and bring home. If you're willing to be reasonable, you can get a great deal that saves the vendor the time and energy of further transport. You could get even better deals if you offer to buy multiple items.

There were vintage maps everywhere- I picked up two, one of VA, where we currently live, and one of New England, where I was birthed (please catch up on your reading if you didn't know that). I'm thinking these would look great on our gallery wall (a post for another day). Maps bring a great antiquey feel, often without the expense- the vendor parted with these for $5 each. That's cheaper than a subway five dollah foot long (once you account for taxes)!!!!

I also got these nifty letters. The vendor said they are from a company that use to make signs up in Boston. They are all real brass (you can tell by holding up a magnet: if the magnet sticks, you're probably dealing with brass plate over metal, but if the magnet ignores you, congrats! It's brass!). They are going to be used for an awesome project...bonus points if you can figure out what they spell from this poorly exposed cell phone picture (but no points whatsoever if you were with me when I bought them. In fact, minus points). Stick around for a great DIY using them...I'm trying to keep you around. Please don't leave me. Ever.

But the real pièce de résistance of the Brooklyn flea? TA DA:

 I totally love him- a vintage Samsonite suitcase with brass hardware, complete with working key! Plus he was $10 (!!!) and I love him so much that D should be eying him suspiciously from across the room. I have extensive and sexy plans for him. We'll discuss tomorrow. Now go check out the Brooklyn flea, every Saturday and Sunday from 10-5pm at 1 Hanson Place!