Brooklyn Pop-Up Market Founders On Small Business, Affordable Shopping, Public Art & More
This Saturday, June 28 is the first day of the Brooklyn Pop-Up Market, the new food and flea event from neighbors Andy Belle and Misty Lynn McCauley. The BPM will be held Saturdays and Sundays (11am-7pm) through October 26 at 1072 Atlantic Avenue (between Franklin and Classon Avenues), and will feature artists and designers, vintage ware vendors, beauty products, fresh produce, vegan treats, music, fun for kids, and more. Ahead of the market’s debut, we spoke to Misty–who met Andy, a fellow entrepreneur, in college in 2004–about what shoppers can expect.
“We both love Brooklyn,” Misty says. “We both have a close connection to the area and our lives have shaped and blossomed here. We have some of the best restaurants, shopping, and the most interesting and creative people in all of New York City.”
Misty says she and Andy were inspired to start the market as a way to give exposure to independent artists and vendors.
“As small business owners, we both personally know there is a demand for an affordable way for small startups to get their products out there and to tap into the market to generate a customer base,” she says.
One of Misty’s big concerns is the accessibility of a market–both financial and otherwise–to patrons and vendors. “In many cases,” she says of current NYC markets, “even if the small business can afford booth space at the market, they often won’t make it past application process.
“That’s where we got our inspiration to create a market for the up and coming entrepreneurs. The Brooklyn Pop-Up Market is their place to shine!”
And it’s true that the market lineup is pretty diverse. Their expected 50 or so weekly vendors will carry everything from local art to textiles, vegetables to handmade jewelry, gluten-free and vegan snacks to new and vintage clothing and accessories–plus they’ll be featuring food trucks like The Cinnamon Snail, Valducci’s, and Big D’s Grub Truck, and DJs and performers starting the weekend of July 5 and 6. Whether you’re shopping around for a rug or soap, earrings or cucumbers, or just a quick bite, BPM could very well be your new weekend one-stop shop.
Some specifics to look out for include Full Circle7 custom tie-dyed clothing and fabrics, Mandy’s List (selling NYC residents’ unwanted furniture, books, housewares, apparel, and more), abstract landscape paintings by Pratt alumnus Sara Chun, Chia Chicks, Inc. (organic, vegan, gluten free chia cookies), IDK Trends vintage and non-vintage clothing, Happy Healthy Coffee (coffee, tea, and hot chocolate with 14% of proceeds going to charity), BoogieREZ Designs (photography, paintings, silk screening, and more), The Bejeweled Roo (soaps and salves, plus crafts made with recycled paper beads), Heirloom Vegan Eatery (comfort and Southern food of the vegan persuasion), Kizmet Kitchens (raw and dairy free chocolate and granola, plus vegan butters), Kirr Designs woven and beaded apparel, Got Cake! (custom designed cakes and push pops), Loretta Janezic Designs (vintage accessories, prints, and other items of interest), Cassie’s Creations Homemade Natural (body butters, washes, oils, and scrubs), and Little Choc Apothecary (vegan baked goods and crepes).
Misty explains that several aspects of the BPM differentiate it from the long-running Brooklyn Flea several blocks over.
“We are a flea market in the true sense,” she says, “and it’s reflected in our vendors and the prices. Brooklyn Pop-Up Market will serve as a conduit for new, small businesses with interesting and cool products, by connecting them with some of NYC’s savviest shoppers.”
Indeed, an emphasis on inclusivity and service to the entire evolving Clinton Hill community is a running theme in Andy and Misty’s vision. On top of its breadth of vendors and items at affordable price points, Misty says weekly educational events for kids will give the BPM “a more of a family friendly focus,” and that an ongoing art project at the market will unite locals.
“One of the other things we’re most excited about is our Brooklyn Pop-Up Mural,” she says. “The Brooklyn Pop-Up Mural will be public art in the best sense, because it will actually be created in public, by [BoogieREZ Designs’] artist Riisa Boogie Tochigi, with the community looking on.
“Good public art says something about the community. It says, this is who we are or, this is what we think, this is where we came from, this is what we want. And it says these things in a way that everybody can understand and enjoy.
“We began this venture with one idea in mind,” Misty says. “If we build it, they will come.”
Check out the Brooklyn Pop-Up Market Saturdays and Sundays from 11am-7pm starting this Saturday, June 28. Until their website is up and running, you can visit them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, apply to be a vendor here, and contact Misty and Andy at 646-409-5530 or 718-930-8444, or brooklynpopupmarket@gmail.com.