36 The Queens Courier • OCTOBER 31, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com LICFLEA&FOOD Season Of Success LIC Flea a boon to the community; comes back April 2014 Since LIC Flea & Food opened five months ago, it saw weekends filled with growing amounts of success as family, friends and people from all over New York made their way to Long Island City and made the market their weekend destination. The outdoor market kicked off on June 15 and since then has offered the community THE BURGER GARAGE 25-36 JACKSON AVENUE, LONG ISLAND CITY www.theburgergarage.com The Burger Garage is home to New York’s finest burgers, hot dogs, fries, beers, shakes, and more. Its titular burger, the BG Burger, is a quarter pound of custom-blended black-angus beef with lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles and house-made sauce. At The Burger Garage, not only will customers get their food fast, but it will be made with the freshest ingredients, and served to them by Burger Garage’s friendly, competent staff. The Burger Garage only serves beef that contains no antibiotics or hormones, and is ground daily. More information can be found on The Burger Garage’s website, www.theburgergarage.com. BILL’S BALLS www.billsballsnyc.com Husband and wife team Bill Morris and Daniela Del Giorno both share a common interest in hospitality and food, and once they noticed markets like the LIC Flea & Food becoming more popular, they decided it was time to get into that scene themselves. Last April, the couple opened Bill’s Balls, an artisan meatball vending and catering company. Their meatballs come in all different flavors and varieties, and are influenced by the diversity of New York City. Their best-selling dish is by far their original beef Italian meatball, followed closely by the Upstate, a buffalo chicken meatball served with blue cheese and celery chimichurri. All of Bill’s Balls’ sauces are made from scratch, and the meatballs are made fresh and hand-rolled by Bill himself. More information can be found at www.billsballsnyc.com. BONHEUR www.bonheurny.com When Sunnyside resident Aki Haok noticed the lack of authentic Japanese jewelry in New York, she decided to open up Bonheur, a store that specializes in just that. Bonheur, which Haok opened six months ago, offers a wide selection of Japanese-style earrings, necklaces, rings, and more. Haok’s best-selling items at the LIC Flea market were her earrings, which will soon be made available on her website, www.bonheurny.com. “ “For my first time in a flea market, I think it went pretty well,” said Haok. quick access to public transportation, a wide variety of vendors and economic growth in the growing community. “I’m so grateful to all the amazing vendors that took part in the first season of LIC Flea & Food,” said Joshua Schneps, LIC Flea & Food president. “The participation of the vendors is what made LIC Flea so special. We were fortunate to be embraced by the community and have thousands of people discover and enjoy the neighborhood.” Since its inaugural weekend, residents and visitors from near and far have been able to enjoy unique vendors selling food from around the world, including “designer” delicious chocolates, pizza right out of a portable oven, marshmallows of every flavor and unique popcorn. LIC Flea has also featured antiques, artists’ works, vintage clothing, costume jewelry and more for the family. “When I heard about the Flea, I was really excited because finally Queens had a flea market,” said Kazuko Nagao, owner of LIC Flea vendor Oconomi, who regularly serves Oconomiyaki, Japanese vegetable pancakes. “It’s kind of sad it’s coming to an end but we’re definitely excited to come back.” Throughout the months LIC Flea has celebrated Japanese heritage, welcomed the Big Apple Circus, HGTV’s show “Flea Market Flip,” a Charming Child Contest, a pumpkin patch straight from the farm, our furry four-legged friends were invited for an early Halloween costume contest and visitors were also able to take free kayak trips at the Anable Basin right next to the market. During LIC Flea’s last weekend, which was on October 26 and 27, visitors were able to participate in a workout during CrossFit Long Island City’s Barbells for Boobs fundraiser, raising money for Barbells for Boobs, a nonprofit breast cancer organization. LIC Flea also held a bar crawl through the neighborhood offering $1 half pint beers at certain locations. And since LIC Flea brought in people from all around the borough and the city, local business have also been positively impacted as new customers made their way through the neighborhood as well. “It both brought attention from people that lived in the neighborhood to come out and do something they normally do, but also brought people from all over the place,” said Marcus Burnett, co-owner of Rockaway Brewery, located across the street from the market on 46-01 5th Street. Burnett said he saw a 50 percent increase in sales during the summer. “It has been a big increase in business because of it. It was a good vibe.” LIC Flea will back in Long Island City in mid April 2014. “We were fortunate to be embraced by the community and have thousands of people discover and enjoy the neighborhood,” said Schneps. “The first year was a great way for us to create a following and we look forward to the upcoming season.” LIC Flea & Food is within walking distance from the No. 7 train and East River Ferry LIC/Hunters Point stop. Riders can also transfer from the N and Q lines at Queens Plaza to connect to the No. 7 train. LIC Flea is already looking for new vendors with unique and high quality hand crafted items, vintage items, artisan items and as well as fantastic food to participate in next year’s market. Applications can be completed at www.licflea.com. In its first season, LIC Flea & Food has hosted numerous events, including a celebration of Japanese heritage.
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