brooklyn bound

I promise this is the last entry about my August adventures (since I’m only posting this about a month late).   I’ve been to New York many times for gift trade shows but never made the time to explore across the bridge in Brooklyn.  Since Steve and I had a free Saturday on this trip we took the gray line to Bedford Ave for the afternoon.  Williamsburg is a hub for hipster’s so it’s no surprise that vintage & diy market, Artists and Fleas is located there.

I remember hearing that Ferndale’s own, Rust Belt Market was inspired by these guys and it definitely had that feel… but I have to give props to Rust Belt owners, Chris & Tiffany for taking this concept to another level.  Ferndale has a true authentic gem because of their passion, dedication, creativity, collabration and lots of hard work.

Just a block down from Artists & Fleas is Smorgasburg.  This foodie’s paradise happens every Saturday from 11am – 6pm.  The creativity, variety of foods & view of the Manhattan skyline makes this a must-top  on my list.

If anyone is looking to transition into being an entrepreneur and can make a good pie… I think this idea is brilliant.  I saw a similar concept when visiting a street fair in Seattle a few years ago and am surprised that it hasn’t made its way to Michigan yet.   Pizza Moto is basically a mobile wood fired brick oven.  In this age of food trucks, festivals & universal love of pizza… I hope to see one of these joining a food truck rally near Detroit soon!

Lots of great logos, clever company names and food combinations… craft cocktails and dessert bar anyone?

This Arnold Palmer slush was oh-so-tasty.  I knew there was a long line at Kelvin for a reason!

We toured through the boutique district and ended up dining at the the festive Rosarito Fish Shack before heading back to Manhattan.

The main reason we visited New York was to attend the Retail Excellence Award Gala at the Chelsea Piers.  We were one of three finalists for store design of our newest Ann Arbor location.  Here’s our pretty feature in Gifts and Dec magazine.

We didn’t win, however I really want to visit the store that did!  Talk about having vision… they transformed a 12,000 sq ft Firestone garage into a lifestyle store where I would like to go live.  If you’re ever near Sioux Falls, you might want to swing by the wonderful world of Zing.

We ended the evening with a lovely late night walk on the highline and enjoyed all the sights and sounds of the city on a sleepy Sunday.

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