say what?
Our juried, urban Flea launched in June 2013 and is held outdoors in the summer and fall on Sundays, and indoors in Winter and Spring. Since then, the Flea has hosted hundreds of vendors--local vintage vendors and the area's artists, artisans and makers, plus community non-profits, food trucks and carts, and live musicians--activating a tiny parcel of unused 195 District Commission land.
Suffice to say, we don't consider ourselves a typical flea market. We're a marketplace, for sure, inspired by the insanely popular, fun and famous flea in Brooklyn, New York. We're serving up a taste of vendors who embrace vintage as a lifestyle, together with a burgeoning maker community--both rich with talent, grit and promise. Our vendors are carefully selected, small- and micro-businesses, and their wares are hand-picked, homemade, handcrafted and small batch. In many cases our vendors are using the Flea as a launchpad to grow, to meet their customers and to move on to the next level. Many of our vendors have indeed outgrown the Flea, and that's just fine with us. In fact, we're rooting for them.
We welcome local community non-profits with any mission related to the arts, youth, LGBT issues or animal welfare. We invite local musicians to play the boardwalk unplugged for our engaging, generous and appreciative patrons.
We've also hosted dozens of the area's best local food trucks, carts and purveyors whose products are locally sourced and homemade, and they keep our Flea patrons and vendors well-fed and watered.
And we believe all of this helps the local economy by encouraging Rhode Islanders to "buy local" and support their friends and neighbors who are vending at the Flea. Thousands of visitors--both locals and tourists--shop the Flea every weekend and we believe we've earned the awards we've received as Editor's Pick from Best of RI (Rhode Island Monthly, Best of New England (Yankee Magazine) and Best of the Region (Romantic Homes).
Suffice to say, we don't consider ourselves a typical flea market. We're a marketplace, for sure, inspired by the insanely popular, fun and famous flea in Brooklyn, New York. We're serving up a taste of vendors who embrace vintage as a lifestyle, together with a burgeoning maker community--both rich with talent, grit and promise. Our vendors are carefully selected, small- and micro-businesses, and their wares are hand-picked, homemade, handcrafted and small batch. In many cases our vendors are using the Flea as a launchpad to grow, to meet their customers and to move on to the next level. Many of our vendors have indeed outgrown the Flea, and that's just fine with us. In fact, we're rooting for them.
We welcome local community non-profits with any mission related to the arts, youth, LGBT issues or animal welfare. We invite local musicians to play the boardwalk unplugged for our engaging, generous and appreciative patrons.
We've also hosted dozens of the area's best local food trucks, carts and purveyors whose products are locally sourced and homemade, and they keep our Flea patrons and vendors well-fed and watered.
And we believe all of this helps the local economy by encouraging Rhode Islanders to "buy local" and support their friends and neighbors who are vending at the Flea. Thousands of visitors--both locals and tourists--shop the Flea every weekend and we believe we've earned the awards we've received as Editor's Pick from Best of RI (Rhode Island Monthly, Best of New England (Yankee Magazine) and Best of the Region (Romantic Homes).
OUR VENDORS
Although we've hosted over 400 local vintage vendors, artisans, makers and food purveyors, our market is juried, meaning there's an application process. And every week we bring you a fresh-picked lineup with new and returning vendors ready to welcome you to another #SundayFunday. What you won't find is anything mass-produced or licensed, or typically sold through groups, clubs, franchises or independent salespeople on a large scale.
If this all sounds good to you, sign up for our Flea news and updates below to learn about upcoming markets, pop-ups and other exciting happenings. If you're a prospective vendor or musician, check out our Frequently Asked Questions page and market description under the Vendors link above. Check out our Contact & Visit Us page for details on outdoor and indoor locations.
Here are some of our regular vendors--and dogs--below!
If this all sounds good to you, sign up for our Flea news and updates below to learn about upcoming markets, pop-ups and other exciting happenings. If you're a prospective vendor or musician, check out our Frequently Asked Questions page and market description under the Vendors link above. Check out our Contact & Visit Us page for details on outdoor and indoor locations.
Here are some of our regular vendors--and dogs--below!
OUR DOGS
Yes, our Flea has dogs. Well, they're not all ours--just the first little white one below named Happy. But we welcome the rest, as long as they are leashed and well-behaved (and don't pee on the vendors' tent legs). Send us a snap of your dog at the Flea and we just might feature your fur baby here. And we'll have you covered--with water and treats and poop bags at our Info booth.
