24 THE QUEENS COURIER • JULY 25, 2013 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com LIC Flea set to be reality TV star! BY JOHANN HAMILTON Queens residents watching HGTV’s “Flea Market Flip” might notice a familiar location. “Flea Market Flip” is a program that visits different flea markets around the country, gives its contestants $500 and then sets them loose to buy, fix and flip items at the market for a higher price. At the end of the program, one team wins the grand total of profits made that day. On Sunday, July 21, camera crews were at the LIC Flea and International Food Bazaar to film an upcoming episode. “It’s pretty exciting seeing all the cameras and crew walking around,” said LIC resident Mary Elizabeth, who was at the market during filming. “I’ll have to watch the show now to see if I can find myself in the background.” “It’s a fun place to be,” said Rebecca Tase of the market, which launched Saturday, June 15. “You meet a lot of interesting people.” Tony Dillon said this past weekend was his first time at the market and that he enjoyed the booths that appeal to a wide range of people. The weekend also marked the beginning of complimentary shuttle bus service from Astoria to the LIC Flea. The shuttle departs at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. from 30th Avenue and 31St Street, and runs every Saturday and Sunday. “It’s great that Queens has markets like this, and the location is fantastic,” said Indra Patel. “I live pretty close to here, so I’ve been here every weekend since it started. I love how many different food shops there are. It’s almost like every day is a totally different market.” Vendor and owner of the Burger Garage, Tom, said he is glad to be a part of LIC Flea, especially now that they have been voted the number one burger in the borough. “I enjoy my weekends here,” said Karen Overton, another vendor and owner of Recycle a Bicycle. “It’s worth it to be here.” LIC Flea runs every Saturday and Sunday during the summer from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and is located in the parking lot at the corner of 46th Avenue and 5th Street. REED CHIC BOUTIQUE www.reedchicboutique.com Reed Chic Boutique offers trendy, affordable clothes for working women, including pieces that can transition to a “night-out” look. In 2012, Tricia Reed opened her online store, www.reedchicboutique. com, and shortly after broadened her horizons with a permanent popup shop located at 159 Bleeker Street. “I still have the online store, and within the next year, I plan on opening a storefront, hopefully in Long Island City,” explained Reed. In February 2013, Reed’s interest in outdoor markets grew, and after doing some research she discovered LIC Flea. “We’ve been selling a lot of women’s tops, dresses, skirts and I sell Elle & V jewelry exclusively as well,” said Reed. She added she has received a lot of positive feedback from women in the area. What Reed has enjoyed most about the Flea is “meeting other vendors and learning more about the community and what it has to offer.” HONG KONG STREET CART www.facebook.com/hongkongstreetcart / @hkstreetcart When Stephen Li started Hong Kong Street Cart three years ago, it was because he had a passion for food. He realized what a great opportunity it would be to open his own food stand. Today, he travels around New York going to various flea and food markets, and this year he will be bringing his unique flavor of Hong Kong to the LIC Flea on Saturdays and Sundays. Hong Kong Street Cart’s menu varies with the seasons. This season it will offer green mango salad, cold spinach noodles and more. “I’m very happy and excited I get to be part of the LIC market,” URBAN MAN MADE www.urbanmanmade.com Urban Man Made, founded in April, is a unique LIC Flea vendor in that it is a “store for men,” according to owner Tom Stajmiger. The store will feature handmade products for men such as wallets, belts, bottle openers and more. Although the merchandise is not handmade by Stajmiger himself, he searches the country for the best handmade products to sell. Those include items from gift shows, artists, national vendors and the popular e-commerce website Etsy. Urban Man Made will be at the LIC Flea on Saturdays and Sundays. It offers many LIC-themed items such as watches and cork wallets. It also features unique scented candles for men that come in musky, cologne-like scents. NEW AMSTERDAM BAKING COMPANY www.newambakingco.com New Amsterdam Baking Company, owned by Christine Burns and her husband Mario Frascarella, will bring their fresh, homemade cakes to the LIC Flea market this year. They could not be more excited. Started in April as a “what if?” project, New Amsterdam Baking Company arose as a result of Burns’ passion for baking. This will be her first continuous flea market. Its best-selling items are their chocolate pretzel cake and their bourbon cake, both of which are made fresh and contains only high-quality ingredients. A resident of Brooklyn, Burns is a huge fan of the LIC flea. “We’re very happy to be at the forefront of this market. I think LIC is one to watch!” she said.
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