Hastings Flea Returns for 11th Year
The Hastings Flea returns to the commuter parking lot for another season of shopping, music, food, and activities
by Janine Annett
Hastings-on-Hudson — Rivertowns residents don’t have to travel down to Brooklyn or up to Beacon to find one-of-a-kind items. During the spring and fall months, they can get all kinds of vintage and handcrafted items — plus enjoy live music, food trucks, and other activities — once a month at the Hastings Flea.
The Hastings Flea is returning to the Southside Commuter Lot in Hastings-on-Hudson for the spring season starting Sunday, April 14th from 10 AM-4 PM and every second Sunday of the month through June 9th; the Flea then returns in the fall (Sept. 8 - Nov. 10).
The Hastings Flea Market was established by Hastings-on-Hudson resident Ilana Arazie in 2013. Arazie, who is interested in fostering community as well as entrepreneurship, was inspired by the Brooklyn Flea. Now, Arazie has a new co-organizer of the Flea, Tarrytown resident Linnea Grimm, who owns Cursed Objects Vintage (a pop-up vintage clothing store).
“My first flea market was Hastings Flea last April,” said Linnea Grimm. “I loved it — and last year I participated in 50 flea markets between April and November. It’s been exciting to go and see all sorts of different types of markets, and take that knowledge and use it to grow the Hastings Flea and make it even better.” Grimm also has experience in nonprofit events.
“We have a lot of new vendors this year, as well as a good core group of long-time vendors — plus a new sponsor, Harvest on Hudson,” said Ilana Arazie, who also said the Flea will be expanding to the first row of the second lot of the commuter parking lot.
The Hastings Flea offers shoppers the chance to find unique items that can’t be found in chain stores — everything from vintage records to antiques, jewelry, art, crafts, home goods, and more. Plus, the Flea features activities for kids (like face painting, a Dungeons and Dragons table, a Pokemon table, and a table with activities from the Maker Hive), live music, and a cat adoption booth. One new vendor at the Flea will be offering permanent jewelry. This season, the food truck Kinwich will be at the Flea selling gourmet sandwiches.
“We want to have a little bit of everything, and have a cool selection for all our shoppers to find unique things that they love,” said Grimm.
Another benefit of shopping at the Flea is that attendees can feel good about shopping sustainably by buying secondhand clothes and vintage items. “Just buying one piece of secondhand clothing has an impact on your carbon footprint,” Grimm said. “Anyone who’s purchasing or reselling secondhand clothing is doing a big part to keep these things in use and keep them out of landfills.”
The Hastings Flea has vendors who sell items at a variety of price points, making it affordable for many shoppers. The event attracts people of all ages and is family-friendly.
To learn more about the Hastings Flea, visit https://www.thehastingsflea.com/.
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