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Chelsea Flea Market Will Reportedly Close After This Weekend
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Dec 27, 2019
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Adam Spitz / Flickr
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Dec 27, 2019
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Flea markets, long the domain of collectors, artists and eccentrics, have been dying a slow death in New York City amid the pressures of real estate development and changing shopping patterns. In 2014, The Antiques Garage, one of the mainstays of the Chelsea flea market scene, closed after being housed for 20 years inside a two-story parking garage at 112 West 25th Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. Today, the site is home to a 40-story hotel tower. In 2009, Chelsea Antique & Collectible Flea Market, which was located on a parking lot on 17th Street and 6th Avenue, also disappeared.
Now, Jeremiah Moss, who chronicles the loss of landmark stores and cultural institutions in the city, has reported that this weekend will be the last for Chelsea Flea Market. The market, which is run by Alan Boss, has been operating since 1976 on an empty lot on 25th Street between 6th Avenue and Broadway. Following the closure of The Antiques Garage, which had also been run by Boss, most the vendors had relocated to Chelsea Market.
On Instagram, a self-described New York City dealer under the account name heirloomunited, also confirmed the news, although he said he had heard that the owner was considering three new locations for a possible relocation. In a sign of the competitiveness of the industry, he explained that he was not really upset by the turmoil, which he said had been talked about for a while.
"I'm one of the new guys coming up and I'm always trying to take overthrow the old regime," he said, adding, "It's a little bit like Game of Thrones."
On the blog Jeremiah's Vanishing New York, Moss wrote that art reporter Paul Jeromack told him there was "a possibility it will get a reprieve," and that someone could take over the market from Boss and his wife Helene. But he said that Jeromack has said that the church next door, St. Sava Serbian Orthodox, which owns the parking lot, does not want to renew the lease. In 2016, the 19th century church was badly damaged in a four-alarm fire. As of earlier this year, renovations were still ongoing.
A message left at a number listed on the Chelsea Market website was not returned. Efforts to reach someone at the church were unsuccessful.
"Every day, in every way, we're living in a more and more overpriced, hollow, and disposable city," Moss wrote.
In the era of mass-produced furniture giant Ikea and the cult of living clutter-free a la Marie Kondo, the value of used treasures has plummeted. In September, the New York Times reported that Showplace, an antiques center with about 50 stalls across the street from Chelsea Market, was shifting its business model to convert its basement and its famed makeshift cafe into a fancy auction and exhibition space that would attract a more “serious” clientele.
“It’s the place to hang out when you want to discover something you never knew existed in the world,” Cedric Benetti, a photographer and cataloger for Showplace, said in the story. “Something bizarre shows up, you have no idea what it is — and you end up with it.”
Tagged
vanishing New York
Chelsea Flea Market
jeremiah moss
Flea Markets
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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