July 5, 2017 By Nathaly Pesantez
A market featuring Queens-made fashion, jewelry, crafts, and food will take place in Astoria this weekend.
The Queens Craft Brigade, which consists of a group of local artisans, will debut their first market Sunday, July 9, at the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall (31-35 41st St.) from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Eighteen vendors are expected and there will be music provided by Astoria’s HiFi Records and comfort food offered by Queens Kickshaw.
The event is being organized by Robert Duffy and Kiesha Jenkins-Duffy, a married couple who moved to Astoria two years ago. Together, they run Unified Queens, a small business that opened last year that sells T-shirts with designs based on the history of Queens.
“Our primary goal is to put together this event so other small businesses from Queens can sell their stuff,” Duffy said. “We want to be part of the community and help people.”
Plans for a monthly market in Astoria from September through December will be in the works after Sunday’s event. Other locations in Queens are also being considered to host markets.
“There are a lot of people making really interesting stuff in Queens,” Duffy said. They can be your own neighbors, and you don’t even realize it. That’s why I’m really excited about this market—it’s just people from Queens.”
Some of the vendors include: The Salvage Sawhorse, a Ridgewood-based operation that sells handmade wood home and office accessories; Hooks and Luxe, a Jackson Heights jewelry firm; Astoria-based Ken Jones Studio, which offers prints; and items from Sunnyside’s The Calm Cool Collective.
Hellgate Farm will also be present and selling a variety of sauces, as will Single Girl Cookies with baked goods.
More information on the event can be found on the Queens Craft Brigade’s official website and Facebook page.
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2 Comments
Cool! Queens is really the best place for this as its diversity and proximity to everything including public transportation makes it easy to get around without the hassle of traveling to and from Manhattan!!
I’m looking forward to go on Sunday.