If you love shopping but would rather support local up-and-coming entrepreneurs than the big names on 5th Avenue, the Hester Street Fair is the place for you.
The fair is a somewhat recent phenomenon—it all started on a Saturday in 2010, when four friends reclaimed an empty lot to start an open-air market. The very first Hester Street Fair attracted 500 people in just the first half hour, and the crowds still gather every Saturday to purchase food, vintage clothing and crafts. Many of the same vendors come back week after week, and several small businesses that started at the fair (some from day one) now have brick-and-mortar locations—just look at the success stories of Macaron Parlour and Melt Bakery, the second of which also operates in the open air on the High Line.
80 different regular vendors set up shop on Hester Street, selling a wide array of eatables and handicraft. Whether you’re looking for pastries, ice cream, tea, tacos, cheesecake, things with bacon in them or anything sugary, you’re sure to find it here, hand-made by local artisans. And then there’s all sorts of jewelry, skin care products, ceramic dishes, plush animals, eclectic paintings, and artsy scarves and dresses.
If once a week isn’t enough for you, check out Hester Nights, at the Eventi Hotel’s outdoor plaza. Every Thursday evening between May and September there’s an food and drink market featuring many of the same vendors you’ll find at the fair on Saturdays. Surrounded by trees and twinkling strands of lights, it’s a great place to spend an evening sampling all sorts of delicious fare. And from the 1st to the 22nd of December there’s a special Holiday Fair at the same plaza—during the Christmas season it’s fair-day every day of the week!
The fair can be found at the intersection of Hester and Essex Streets, New York, NY, 10002.
No Comments