Brooklyn Flea Still in Business

The Brooklyn Flea was back in business for another Sunday, and The Daily News reports from the front lines, noting that the clash between "hipsters and old-timers" continued. While the Flea isn't really a hipster thing, the clash between the two sides did continue, even though the two attempted to reconcile at a meeting this past Thursday.

Angry encounters over parking between shoppers and local churchgoers nearly ended in blows yesterday.

"Our church is fighting to survive. Since the market opened we have gone from about 500 congregants to closer to 400," said Marlene Gooding, a member of Queen of All Saints Church in Fort Greene.

"These people are very disrespectful - usually it sounds like a fight is going on outside," said James Stewart, treasurer of the Brooklyn Masonic Temple.

While church and commerce learn how to coincide, the Flea's organizers have decided to help speed up the process by hiring security, cleaning crews and renting port-a-potties so their patrons don't use the parishioners church bathrooms. Meanwhile, Racked takes a look at some comments regarding the debacle, including one that says in part, "Apparently the church hadn't realized that the elected reps would step up to defend small business and local employment, and urge a rational discussion. Instead, QAS (Queen of All Saints Church) created a PR nightmare for itself, and lost what credibility it may have had when its parishioners started in with the anti-semitic conspiracy theories."

Photo via Luzer's Flickr.

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By Jen Carlson in Arts & Entertainment on July 28, 2008 1:47 PM

Comments [rss]

peace be with you

Queen of All Saints has been a part of the FG/CH community for close to 100 years. Parishioners volunteer to cook for and staff the homeless shelter; to run a food pantry; to sponsor health fairs and child ID programs. We sponsor concerts and International Dinners which are open to all and advertised in local papers and throughout the community.

We worship. We would be happy to see more neighbors and those visiting our neighborhood join us. The invitation is always there. On Saturdays at 5:00 and Sundays at 10:15 we pray together at Mass. When you hear the church bells ringing on Sunday mornings in the air over Fort Greene and Clinton Hill-that is QAS calling us to worship. All are welcome.

Brownstoner

FWIW, we've had a 6-man security team and a 4-man clean-up crew since Day 1 and port-o-potties since May.

rarelement

QAS' church bells are recorded messes that crack an skip as they sail from loudspeakers that were appropriated from the Navy Yard after the war ended.

woodendesigner

I have also noticed that on sunday, the churches around there have cars double and sometimes triple parked in front. I don't have an ounce of pity for the attitude that since they are at church they can do that and everyone else that has a different belief is wrong for wanting to go to a flea market. I can't stand that kind of entitlement.

sarahlucy

yeah, i got there and was locking my bike to the scaffolding surrounding the church across the street, and this woman came up to me and YELLED, 'you need to remove that bike now or i will call the police! you are on PRIVATE property and i WILL call them!" ok, jeez lady, i didn't know! could you have done this without all the rage? they are certainly a worked-up group of people.

Billiamsburg

Maybe the church's membership is declining not because there is a sinful flea market outside but because less people want to be associated with it. :\

And seriously! You need to DRIVE to the church down the block?! Lazy, worthless fucking Christians.

jimmylegs

apparently the school uses the lot on saturdays.

markedman

why not move the flea market to saturday and not have to deal with pissy christian hypocrites?

fruitstand

Beautiful church, on the outside.

tamar_e4

Reminder: before this flea market there was a weekend flea market that usually took place just outside of this schoolyard, on the public sidewalk, which displayed flea-market items on sale mostly by tenants of the clinton walk coop and other stray individuals. It took place on Saturdays because, let's face it - they all go to church on Sunday!

Brooklynflea is organized, and contained within the boundaries of the school yard. It is no different than any other event that takes place on private property, and for which the owner is being compensated.

The church never oposes the NY marathon when it comes down Lafayette avenue - on the contrary; the choir does a wonderful job in keeping everyone's spirits up. Maybe if they took similar action here they would deliver the true message of the church, which welcomes everyone, instead of shooting down humble artists who favor giving up their sunday to make a buck during a recession rather than praying for salvation from others...

cwbuecheler

@cucarachita -

Most of the stuff that was there when I went was new, not used.

cucarachita

Why not just call it the Bedbug Market? Seriously, who is dumb enough to buy used stuff these days? Maybe people rich enough to take on the exterminator bills.

JenChungsThong

Maybe if churches started paying taxes, like the hard working small businesses trying to earn a living at the flea,(and stopped diddling little boys in the rectory)then they might have a credible argument. Churches in Brooklyn have been clogging up the streets with their double and triple parking for YEARS and no one has had the nerve to complain b/c its the church after all. Now they have the audacity to complain about something that some one has created to better the community?? Huh? What happend to love thy brother and all that rot? Methinks there is a deeper issue here beyond parking and crowd control.

cwbuecheler

I reiterate a former question: who needs to drive to Church in Brooklyn? There's a church every six feet. Unless you're crippled, get out and walk. It's healthy and your god would probably approve of the effort.

-- cdebris.com --