34lic flea FLEA, FOOD... & MUSIC SONGZA HAS THE BEAT FOR LIC FLEA JULY 2013 I LIC COURIER I www.queenscourier.com ALOBAR 46-42 VERNON BOULEVARD LONG ISLAND CITY alobarnyc.com Alobar, a neighborhood favorite, brings its New American cuisine in delectable portions to LIC Flea & International Food Bazaar. A restaurant that prides itself on using locally raised animals and seasonal vegetables, Alobar has made a tailored menu to suit the crowd at LIC Flea. The soft shell crab po’boys, ginger pulled pork topped with sweet carrot and cilantro slaw and all beef hot dogs topped with southern style sausage gravy have been especially popular so far. Owner Jeff Blath said he’s proud of the menu’s full-bodied fl avors. “Our food has layers of fl avors going on in different styles, just like we do at our restaurant,” he said. “LIC Flea is great. We’re excited that it brings a lot of people to the neighborhood that might not otherwise come.” MATTED 46-36 VERNON BOULEVARD LONG ISLAND CITY matted-lic.com Stop by the Matted stand for an array of organic, gluten-free make-up, jewelry, mid-century furniture, paintings and oneof a-kind maps of Queens. The make-up line, called Adoris, and the maps, created by local artists, have been the star sellers at LIC Flea. “The maps are really funky and people really relate to them and plus you can personalize them. And the make-up is terrifi c,” said owner Donna Drimer. She brings a selection of antiques that are also available at the original boutique and gallery, which features local artists. “They’ve been buried for 60 years so they’re very fresh, not the block. The paintings are all of products,” she said. “I love the neighborhood.” WINK AND FLIP winkandfl ip.com Feast your eyes on Wink and Flip’s handmade jewelry line, where items are laid out to represent the rainbow. Designer Natasha Spedalle focuses on creating eco-friendly necklaces, stud earrings and rings with a vintage charm. “I sell affordable fashion jewelry; really colorful pieces at a price point that I think people will fi nd enticing,” she said. “I think it’s great to see people coming to LIC. LIC Flea is a really fun place to hang out on weekends and I’m glad to see all our neighbors. It’s nice that it’s one of the fi rst fl ea markets we have in Queens.” GERARD CHRISTOPHER Head on over to Gerard Christopher, where Stephen De- Francesco and Gerard Flynn sell a carefully selected collection of previously owned men’s vintage clothes and accessories including Hermes ties, items by Hugo Boss and other designer labels. Described as “Mad Men retro,” DeFrancesco said, “some of the items are sorts of things you can’t fi nd in major stores. They’re unique, period pieces.” Their selection also includes mid-century decorative objects such as pottery, art glass, picture frames, small furniture, maps, serving-ware and other unique fi nds. “We’re very excited about LIC Flea . We think it’s a great spot. We like the crowds and vendors. We look forward to the market growing.” NORDEA SOAPARIE etsy.com/shop/nordeasoaperie Nordea Soaparie is a handmade beauty line with delicately scented lotions, soaps, lip balms, hand sanitizers and perfume oils. Made from scratch using nourishing ingredients such as coconut oil, olive oil and shea butter, creator Nordea McKay was inspired to create products that were as hydrating as they were cleansing. Her unique felted soaps are made with builtin washcloths that allow users to use cleanse without a separate shower cloth. “The people I’ve spoken to are very excited and welcome the market,” said McKay. “I’ve seen a really nice mix of food and vintage items.” BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO Whether you are working out at the gym or checking out the new LIC Flea in Long Island City, Songza has the right playlist for you. Based in LIC, Songza is a free music streaming service that delivers the listener the right music at the right time through the biggest library of expertlycurated playlists via Android, iPod, iPad or PC. All the playlists are handpicked by music experts and DJs. “We’ve always been keen in fi guring out the best way to help people discover music,” said Eric Davich, Songza co-founder. “Music is something that people consume as a lifestyle enhancement. It’s not something people consume as a product.” The music on the playlists on Songza, which on average feature 60 to 80 songs, are personalized to each listener based on implicit behavior, like pressing thumbs up or down to a song, or explicit behavior, such as when you listen to certain music. Songza takes into account data such as time of day, time of week and the device you are using to recommend playlists based on the specifi c moment. “It would get you to the right music that would change your mood based on context and be able to evolve and stay fresh,” said Davich. Songza, which now provides music in the United States and Canada, offered the music for opening day of the LIC Flea & International Food Bazaar featuring a fun mix of new summer tracks and mixing by DJ Jilly Hendrix and DJ Whitney Day. A playlist is now featured on Songza just for the LIC Flea. It includes both crowd-pleasing pop songs and unknown emerging artists. The Songza headquarters will also be moving right next to the lot LIC Flea calls home. “It will evolve as the Flea evolves and as more DJs play at the Flea,” said Davich. “We’re really excited it’s right in our backyard. It’s a really great event.” To fi nd your perfect playlist, visit www.songza.com or download the Songza app to your device. LIC Flea is located at 5-25 46th Avenue in LIC. It is open every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. like what you would fi nd around original. We have a very good mix being there. I think it’s great for 1 2 3 4 5 1. ALOBAR, 2. NORDEA SOAPARIE 3. MATTED, 4. GERARD CHRISTOPHER 5. WINK AND FLIP
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