Tuesday, July 26, 2011

DeKalb Market


Have you ever heard the phrase "curiosity killed the cat"? Well this weekend, curiosity almost stifled me with heat! I wanted to pass through the opening of DeKalb Market in downtown Brooklyn so badly that I endured another hot and humid day to walk there. I thought that the heatwave couldn't be that bad anymore...WRONG! Luckily, we're over it for now.

Does Brooklyn need another market of local producers plying their food and other goods? Probably not, but this particular area of Brooklyn is in need of some cheer, and I think DeKalb Market will totally help to make it feel more neighborhood-y. :) The area has been experiencing a boom in residential and hotel development recently, and this 7 day per week operation will give this area much needed attention and retail diversity.

What makes DeKalb Market different from any market I've ever seen is its layout. All of the stalls are old shipping containers. Really...


It's just a little bit of grass, but this busy intersection needs it!




Each vendor has its own little small store in a way. Some containers have entrances for shoppers to enter while others are a little more open air.




Joe: The Art of Coffee, a popular local coffee chain

Of course, one of the main reasons I was there was to check out one of the food vendors, BUT I did stumble onto the Dafnei table (not all of the vendors rent out containers). I fell in love with her purses handmade in Haiti. We had a short discussion about how Haiti was doing and about her mechandise. I want to do a post about her business another time. Husband J, take note for birthday/Christmas. :)

One of the clutches I admired

I was primarily there to check out Robicelli's cupcakes, which I have been wanting to try more of since the Taste of Brooklyn event earlier this year. They don't have a brick and mortar store, and most of their sale locations are not convenient for me. This one is. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. :)


It was way too hot to eat the cupcake(s) there, and Robicellis deserves their own post on this blog. I will show you their chicken and waffle cupcake.

That's a piece of CHICKEN on a cupcake. Brilliant!

They've also got cupcakes named after all of the actresses on the Golden Girls...more brilliance! I took home the Bea Arthur and will be writing about that. I may need to try all four, except I don't think there's one for Betty White? Hmm...I'll research, and get back to you on that.

I'm really happy that DeKalb Market will be adding something new to downtown Brooklyn, and I hope it grows. Good luck to all of the vendors!

3 comments:

Hannah {Culture Connoisseur} said...

Wow! I've never seen a market like that. The shipping containers are so cool. Have you ever seen container homes? Homes built out of shipping containers.

Try Anything Once Terri said...

Hannah,
That would be fascinating to see homes built out of shipping containers. I wonder how that works with plumbing, etc. Hmmm....

mack reynolds said...

using old crates for stalls= very innovative and awesome.

Fried chicken?! on cupcakes?! amazing. i need to visit new york. i've never been. i'd love a fried chicken cupcake.

 

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