{"id":67476,"date":"2019-07-11T09:58:58","date_gmt":"2019-07-11T13:58:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/?p=67476"},"modified":"2022-01-27T14:50:37","modified_gmt":"2022-01-27T18:50:37","slug":"from-the-catskills-to-palm-springs-the-phoenicia-flea-stays-true-to-its-nomadic-roots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/67476\/from-the-catskills-to-palm-springs-the-phoenicia-flea-stays-true-to-its-nomadic-roots\/","title":{"rendered":"From the Catskills to Palm Springs: The Phoenicia Flea stays true to its Nomadic Roots"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Phoenicia Flea makers&#8217; market has been popping up in spots around the Hudson Valley and the Catskill since 2014. This year, the flea has not only expanded to new spots in the Northeast but also to a roster of new western markets from Scottsdale, Arizona to Palm Springs, California. We sat down the founder and curator James Anthony to chat about how this flea market started, why being nomadic matters, and what\u2019s next for the makers&#8217; market. Now, the flea is not just a great weekend getaway from New York City but from Los Angeles and San Francisco as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Hot-spoonb-1024x649.jpg\" alt=\"Phoenicia Flea: Hot Spoon Preserves\" class=\"wp-image-67479 lazyload\" width=\"768\" height=\"487\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Hot-spoonb-1024x649.jpg\" alt=\"Phoenicia Flea: Hot Spoon Preserves\" class=\"wp-image-67479 lazyload\" width=\"768\" height=\"487\" srcset=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Hot-spoonb-1024x649.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Hot-spoonb-350x222.jpg 350w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Hot-spoonb-768x487.jpg 768w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Hot-spoonb-696x441.jpg 696w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Hot-spoonb-1392x883.jpg 1392w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Hot-spoonb-1068x677.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Hot-spoonb-662x420.jpg 662w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Hot-spoonb-1325x840.jpg 1325w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Hot-spoonb-1920x1217.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Hot-spoonb-735x466.jpg 735w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Hot-spoonb.jpg 1615w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>Scenes from the Phoenicia Flea in <a href=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/68016\/weekend-getaway-to-the-catskills-what-to-do-in-livingston-manor\/\">Livingston Manor<\/a>: <em>Hot Spoon Preserves<\/em> shares samples of their creative spreads, which are made with simple, locally sourced ingredients.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em style=\"color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 22px;\">On how the flea got started&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We started in July of 2014. Our first flea was hosted at the <a href=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/44681\/cheap-winter-getaways\/#graham\">Graham and Co.<\/a>, which is a hipster motel in Phoenicia. I was the general manager there and had always wanted to see some sort of market happening in that town. I talked to the team at the Graham and we decided to do it that summer. For the first event, there were only about 14 merchants. We set up tents around the perimeter of the green space. People played badminton and we had a bonfire. It was an all day event. Trailways goes down Main Street in Phoenicia. People could take the bus and spend the whole weekend.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That first event went so well that we decided to do it again in October. The second event was even better, it was beautiful as the leaves were changing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><h3><em>On becoming nomadic&#8230;<\/em><\/h3><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I decided that I wanted to do the flea monthly the following year, but that was too much for the hotel. That\u2019s when we decided to become nomadic, which was actually a new business model within the makers&#8217; market movement. It was truly a blessing in disguise. We started approaching different properties to see if they wanted to host us. In 2015, we did six events, then 12 and then 18.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/IMG_7468b-697x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Phoenicia Flea: Sara Golden Jewelry \" class=\"wp-image-67481 lazyload\" width=\"523\" height=\"768\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/IMG_7468b-697x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Phoenicia Flea: Sara Golden Jewelry \" class=\"wp-image-67481 lazyload\" width=\"523\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/IMG_7468b-697x1024.jpg 697w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/IMG_7468b-204x300.jpg 204w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/IMG_7468b-768x1129.jpg 768w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/IMG_7468b-696x1023.jpg 696w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/IMG_7468b-1392x2046.jpg 1392w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/IMG_7468b-1068x1570.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/IMG_7468b-286x420.jpg 286w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/IMG_7468b-571x840.jpg 571w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/IMG_7468b-1920x2823.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/IMG_7468b-735x1081.jpg 735w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/IMG_7468b.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 523px) 100vw, 523px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>Scenes from the Phoenicia Flea: Catskills based jeweler, Sara Golden highlights one of her newest pieces.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><em>On curating the market&#8230;<\/em><\/h3><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We do things in a way that\u2019s not traditional. We don\u2019t just have an application. We seek out vendors and vet them. We are committed to maintaining a certain taste level and authentic aesthetic. We can look at a merchants social media page and figure out if they\u2019re a fit in 30 seconds. Because we do so many events, we\u2019re not concerned about selling as many tables as possible, we\u2019re concerned about maintaining our core aesthetic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><h3><em>On growing to the West Coast&#8230;<\/em><\/h3><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I grew up in L.A. I\u2019ve always had a love affair with Palm Springs and the desert. Last year, we decided to try to plan a few events and go out there for the winter.&nbsp; We ended up doing 8 events in Scottsdale, Palm Springs and Downtown L.A. Those events went so well that we got approached by an historic property in San Francisco that was looking to include a makers&#8217; market as part of their permanent programming. We\u2019re in talks to do that in the near future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>This is the new frontier: going to new markets, especially to places that haven\u2019t been a huge hub for the makers&#8217; market movement.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><h3><em>On where the flea will go in the future\u2026<\/em><\/h3><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re in the process of seeing how quickly we can curate a new region. There\u2019s already the Mojave Flea in the Southwest and The Fog City Flea is launching this fall in Northern California. We\u2019re looking to Nashville next year and then launch a new brand of markets in the Appalachian Trail area from Louisville to New Orleans. We want to tie together the area\u2019s history of craftsmanship and bring it into a modern form.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our growth has accelerated really easily, which is, in part, the nature of the nomadic business model; we\u2019re able to curate a roster of top makers and merchants in any part of the country. After trying out the West Coast, we realized that we had the tools to go anywhere. This is the new frontier: going to new markets, especially to places that haven\u2019t been a huge hub for the makers&#8217; market movement. There\u2019s a lot of other territories and destinations in the United States where this makers culture isn\u2019t really happening.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Larry-Shoesb-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Phoenicia Flea: Larry Shoes\" class=\"wp-image-67486 lazyload\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Larry-Shoesb-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Phoenicia Flea: Larry Shoes\" class=\"wp-image-67486 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Larry-Shoesb-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Larry-Shoesb-350x263.jpg 350w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Larry-Shoesb-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Larry-Shoesb-80x60.jpg 80w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Larry-Shoesb-160x120.jpg 160w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Larry-Shoesb-265x198.jpg 265w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Larry-Shoesb-696x522.jpg 696w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Larry-Shoesb-1392x1044.jpg 1392w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Larry-Shoesb-1068x801.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Larry-Shoesb-560x420.jpg 560w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Larry-Shoesb-1120x840.jpg 1120w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Larry-Shoesb-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Larry-Shoesb-320x240.jpg 320w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Larry-Shoesb-480x360.jpg 480w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Larry-Shoesb-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Larry-Shoesb-735x551.jpg 735w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Larry-Shoesb.jpg 1365w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption><em>Scenes from the Phoenicia Flea: <a href=\"http:\/\/shoplarry.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Larry Shoes<\/a> summer line of ultra comfortable, sustainably sourced leather sandals. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><h3><em>On connection to the local community<\/em><\/h3><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The thing that I love is that the markets are centered around the destination experience. We\u2019re about Joshua Tree, the Catskills, Ojai, Asbury Park. We\u2019re always looking to draw from the destination, not only bringing the makers in but also connecting with the people who are part of the local culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Scenes from the flea by author, header photo courtesy of the Phoenicia Flea<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; The Phoenicia Flea makers&#8217; market has been popping up in spots around the Hudson Valley and the Catskill since 2014. This year, the flea has not only expanded to new spots in the Northeast but also to a roster of new western markets from Scottsdale, Arizona to Palm Springs, California. We sat down the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":110,"featured_media":67477,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[334,757,224,747,852,829,315,4,851,266,11256,969,325,271,1614,807,10609,849,1867,1868,316],"tags":[10612,10616,10615,10613,10614,10611,10610],"class_list":{"0":"post-67476","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-catskills-new-york-destination","8":"category-activity-2","9":"category-arts","10":"category-bus-2","11":"category-crafts-shopping-2","12":"category-culture-2","13":"category-day-trips","14":"category-events","15":"category-flea-market-shopping-2","16":"category-interviews","17":"category-livingston-manor","18":"category-locations","19":"category-new-york","20":"category-news","21":"category-off-the-press","22":"category-pet-friendly-themes","23":"category-phoenicia","24":"category-shopping-2","25":"category-transit-type","26":"category-travel-type","27":"category-weekend-getaways","28":"tag-foggy-city-flea","29":"tag-hand-crafted","30":"tag-handmade","31":"tag-makers-market","32":"tag-makers-market-movement","33":"tag-mojave-flea","34":"tag-phoenicia-flea"},"acf":[],"mv":{"thumbnail_id":67477,"thumbnail_uri":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Phoenicia-Flea-by-Phoenicia-Flea-350x197.jpg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/110"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67476"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67476\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}