By Natalie Bieser
June 13, 2012
Any chance to shop is a good thing but to shop locally is even better! Especially if it’s in the heart of Over-the-Rhine, surrounded by the coolest, hippest and creative folks in the city.
This past Saturday, the City Flea, “a curated urban flea market,” kicked off their 2012 season. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. urbanites and suburbanites of all ages made their way to the corner of 12th and Vine to peruse and purchase from 60 plus vendors.
Whether you are looking for a pair of vintage cowboy boots, unique locally designed jewelry, organic bath products, refurbished furniture, screen printed tees, OR, if you just want to taste some local fare and take in the scene, the City Flea offers something for everyone.
I was curious to learn more about the City Flea’s roots so I went straight to the source… Cincinnati natives / husband-wife duo, Nick and Lindsay Dewald.
iSPY: The two of you are back in Cincinnati after living in Chicago, L.A. and NYC. When you returned home, what was the biggest change you noticed in Cincinnati?
Nick & Lindsay: We felt that there was a living growing community of creative people that were all actively contributing to the city. We were different people before leaving Cincinnati so it’s possible that our eyes weren’t as open to it as they were upon our return, but it seemed like the city had reached its tipping point while we were gone. We half expected to be starved of culture and excitement when we got back and ended up overwhelmed by it.
iSPY: How did you get the idea to start the City Flea?
Nick & Lindsay: We lived a few blocks from the Brooklyn Flea in NY and loved having it be a part of our weekend plans. We adored the concept and were sad to have to leave it. Upon returning to Cincinnati, great events like Crafty Supermarket, Second Sundays on Main, and “Pop Shops” quickly made us realize that there was a demand for local and unique shopping destinations as well as a large group of creative people with amazing goods to sell. We knew an “urban flea market” could work here.
iSPY: The City Flea is not your grandma’s flea market—what makes this one unique from other flea markets?
Nick & Lindsay: There are some qualities of a traditional flea market that we do love, but we like to think that this style of market is more fine-tuned. We choose who ends up filling up the lot to make sure that the product and process are in line with what we think people want to see. We offer an atmosphere that involves artisan popsicles, vintage tunes drifting through the air and adjacency to some of the most unique small businesses in the city. We like to think a stop at the City Flea can be PART of an amazing urban day out.
iSPY: When Washington Park opens, the City Flea will move there. Tell us a little a bit about the set up there.
Nick & Lindsay: Although we did like the concept of invigorating a normal unused parking lot on a weekend afternoon at our space last year, Washington Park will be a much more comfortable location for us, the vendors, and the shoppers. With the garage under our feet for those coming in from further out, a dog park, a playground, brand new restrooms, and lots of shady trees and green space, Washington Park will allow for people to spend the whole day in view of the flea. We are so excited for Cincinnati to have a new beautiful urban park and we are pleased to be a small part of it.
iSPY: What are your hopes for the City Flea in years to come?
Nick & Lindsay: We simply hope that people realize how important it is to support our vendors. If people are excited about handpicked quality vintage items and hand crafted goods and support these small operations who are bringing them to us than the City Flea will continue to grow. As people keep the dollars in this city, the city will continue to grow as well. We encourage people to plan ahead- buy birthday gifts, holiday gifts, etc. and push those dollars to the little guys in town. It is INCREDIBLY important for the future of the city.
iSPY: What do you love most about Cincinnati?
Nick & Lindsay: Cincinnati is a place where you can make things happen. We could spend all day listing the new businesses that have popped up in the past several years as a result of young energetic everyday people who have passion for something. It is a small enough town that you can quickly get to know people and get a lot of people excited about a good idea. It is a big enough city that you can live a cultured, exciting, and entertaining life without paying an arm and a leg for it.
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Nick and Lindsay Dewald promise that one stop to the City Flea, and you’ll be hooked. So bring your friends, kids, and parents… heck, bring your whole neighborhood and head to the next City Flea on Saturday, July 14th at the newly opened Washington Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
To learn more about the City Flea, visit the website: www.thecityflea.com or try their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/thecityflea
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