24 The Courier sun • august 8, 2013 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com WATER FUN AT THE FLEA After walking around with family and friends, tasting the newest chocolate, drinking the freshest tea or searching for a unique antique at the LIC Flea & International Food Bazaar, visitors were able to test their paddling skills on the water. On June 15 and August 3, the LIC Community Boathouse offered LIC Flea visitors “walk-up paddling” at Anable Basin at 46-01 at the end of 5th Street, adjacent to the flea market. No reservations were required for these excursions and all ages were welcomed to hit the water. Minors under 18 years old had to be accompanied by a parent or guardian and all participants had to wear clothing and shoes that they wouldn’t mind getting wet. Each person received a hand stamp, waited to be called to the dock, found their perfect Personal Flotation Device and paddle, and were assigned to a boat. The trips, which ran about 20 minutes, remained within the boundaries of the Anable Basin to ensure the safety of all participants. Although the “walk-up paddling” excursions are done for now, LIC Flea visitors can still reserve to take one-way kayaking trips from Anable Basin to Hallets Cove, by Socrates Sculpture Park Participants must be 18 years or older, able to swim and will be on the water for about an hour. You can sign up for these “one-way paddles” on www.licboathouse.org through the “Request-a-Trip” tab. The “one-way paddle from Anable Basin to Hallets Cover” is available this Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. LIC Flea & International Food Bazaar is located at the corner of 5th Street and 46th Avenue and open every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. KITTY LEE THOMAS SWEETS www.kittyleethomassweets.com Kitty Lee Thomas Sweets gives a new meaning to the words gluten free and vegan. Owner and Chef Kristin Lee Godburn offers LIC Flea visitors gluten free items that make any mouth water. The delicious treats mixing chewy, caramel and salty include crisp bars, coconut almond chocolate, coconut chocolate chip cookies and lemon bars, which bring a gluten free and vegan tweak to a recipe from Godburn’s mother. “We’re trying to change people’s ideas of gluten free and vegan and disprove the idea that it might not be as good as something that is non-gluten free,” said Godburn. “We guarantee that we can disprove that.” Visitors who stop by at the Kitty Lee Thomas Sweets booth at the market will also be able to indulge in the Parfait Bar, exclusive to the LIC Flea. At the bar, people can make their own pudding parfaits by picking a sauce, pudding base, fruit and cookie – all gluten free. “It’s a brand new area for us and with everything that is developing in Long Island City it is really awesome to be at the root of it,” she said. CHAMBRE DE SUCRE www.chambredesucre.com You will have a one of a kind experience with the teas and gourmet sugar offered by Chambre De Sucre every Sunday at LIC Flea. The 270-year-old family owned company, which sold sugar to the Japanese royal family, started importing and selling gorgeous hand-crafted non-flavored sugars perfect for coffee and tea. The cane sugar comes from Okinawa Japan and is handcrafted in Nagoya, Japan and shipped over to the company’s California headquarters. “Right now there is such a coffee and tea movement and the last thing people want is to dump not so great sugar in their coffees,” said owner Lisa Kunizaki, who was born and raised in Queens “It will give them that extra little something. An affordable luxury.” Chambre De Sucre offers LIC Flea visitors seven teas, each named and numbered from members of Kunizaki’s family, and handcrafted sugars which are exclusively packaged and priced for LIC Flea. Visitors also get tea samples and a selection of teas that will not be available to the general public until October. “I am very grateful to Queens because it has been my home,” said Kunizaki. “It’s all about being grateful and it’s more about giving back, having fun and meeting people.” This upcoming Sunday, Chambre De Sucre will feature a “Breaking Bad” theme in honor of the show’s season premiere later than night on AMC. PURA FRUTA www.purafruta.com Pura Fruta offers LIC Flea visitors the best quality squeezed fruit juices. Every weekend fruits, most being organic, are cold pressed on hydraulic presses to give people perfectly raw and fresh squeezed juices. The fruits are on seasonal rotation and for the summer include papaya, watermelon, blackberry, coconut water, mango, pineapple and tamarind. Pura Fruta also offers more exotic fruits such as dragon fruit, mangosteen and rambutan. The juices are in the simplest and most natural form with nothing added after the fruits are freshly squeezed. “It’s a great way to have incredible health in the community,” said co-owner Adriana Ayales. “We have a one to one connection with the community that comes to the flea market and we want to educate people about the best quality of juices possible.” SOHOGIRL www.sohogirlny.com Get a taste of SoHo outside of the bustling city with Shakira Bateman’s custom jewelry designs, appropriately called SoHo Girl. “When you’re in SoHo, you see so many eclectic styles,” said Bateman. “They have something for everyone. So do I.” Bateman features custom-made jewelry made by her and also various designers. Each month, she features a different designer in her collection for customers to try on. Her merchandise can now be only found online at sohogirlny. com and now every Saturday and Sunday at LIC Flea. The Fashion Institute graduate hopes when people buy her pieces and wear them, it will spark conversation. “Wherever you go, I want someone to compliment you and ask where you got the piece,” she said. Bateman additionally has worked countless photo shoots, video shoots and with various celebrity stylists. Some of her work has been featured on MTV and VH1. “I have a passion for fashion,” she said. “With this line, I want to bring SoHo to people who don’t have access to it.” ZACHERY ALEXANDER For original fashion, flock to Zachery Alexander’s designs at the LIC Flea. The first-time seller designs original apparel and bags and said he is “the seamstress, the tailor if needed.” “I want people to acknowledge the beauty of the pieces and all of the hard work I put into it,” Alexander said. Alexander said his handmade line is “very feminine, womanly and natureinspired” and typically range in price from $15 to $75. Before coming to LIC Flea, Alexander worked oneon one with clients and designed costumes for dance companies. He also worked full-time at a shoe store, and realized he wasn’t creating and doing what he loved. “Then I thought, ‘I need to start selling. I need to start having people wear this,’” he said. LIC Flea is the first venue at which Alexander has gone public with his work, and admits it is a learning experience for him. He now sees the business value in making more than one size in each item, so “everyone can come in and leave with something,” he said.
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