(Courtesy of Annex Markets)
Thirfters, here’s some sad news from the west side: after 20 years in Chelsea, The Antiques Garage sends word that next weekend will be its last. The parking garage at 112 West 25th Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, is being redeveloped into a hotel tower, and the venerable flea, which has been on a month-to-month lease since 2011, has announced that its finals days will be June 28 and 29.
The Garage and its nearby outdoor markets, founded by “Lord of the Fleas” Alan Boss, were, of course, a forerunner to Brooklyn Flea. Everyone who’s ever moved into an apartment in NYC has passed through it at least once before deciding, “Fuck it, I’ll just go to Ikea.” We once parked our bike outside of the place, went in to spend some 10 minutes browsing, and emerged to see some guy about to cut our bike chain. (Did we mention that area used to be a great place to score a cheap bike?)
Goodbye to all that. Well, not quite: the folks at the Garage send word that several vendors will move to the Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market, and a good 90 percent of the 100+ vendors will move to the West 25th Street Market, which is being updated with new paving, tents, and ping-pong tables made from reclaimed barnwood (actually, not the ping-pong tables — this is old-school Manhattan we’re talking about).