FAD Market at Brooklyn Historical Society Mother's Day Weekend

By designer Marcia Patmos

FAD Market returns to the Brooklyn Historical Society this weekend with a lineup of over 40 independent makers and artists.

They’re celebrating NYCxDESIGN and Mother’s Day with handcrafted art, jewelry, apparel, bath and body care, tableware and home furnishings.

Head to the museum’s patio for a lineup of locally crafted artisanal food and drink. Round the day off with a walk through the ongoing exhibitions in the museum.

By Bronsen

May 13 + 14
11am – 6pm
Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Free admission




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This Is the Weekend To Hit the Holiday Craft Fairs in Brooklyn

Photo: MK Metz

There are at least eight different holiday craft fairs that we know of in Brooklyn this weekend -- so this seems to be the time to get cracking on that shopping.

In Brooklyn Heights, head over to the P.S. 8 Holiday Craft Fair: ReCycle . ReImagine . ReCr8, on Saturday, December 7, from 12-5 p.m. at 37 Hicks Street.  More at http://ps8brooklyn.org/holiday-craft-fair/

Then cross Adams Street for the excellent Brooklyn Friends School Winter Festival and Artisanal Crafts Fair, also on Saturday, December 7 from 10:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. at 375 Pearl Street next to the Brooklyn Marriott. This is the real deal, with food and kids activities like skateboarding, performances and carnival games and rides. More at: http://brooklynfriends.org/winterfestival

In Cobble Hill, visit P.S. 29's Eat Pie and Shop Holiday Gift Fair and Pie Social. Eat a slice of homemade pie and pick up crafts and locally sold goods. Plus, games for the kids. Bring your old toys to donate to Toys for Tots. 425 Henry Street, on Sunday, Dec 8, from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. http://www.eatpieandshop.org/

In Park Slope, run over to the Brooklyn Holiday Book Fair: "Rare and extraordinary books" from booksellers from across Brooklyn will be for sale on Saturday, December 7, from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.  Presented by the Old Stone House and Honey and Wax Booksellers, with a reading of Auggie Wren’s Christmas Story by Paul Auster at 4pm. More at http://theoldstonehouse.org/

Also in Park Slope -- P.S. 321’s Holiday Shop: This shopping event takes place on Saturday, December 7 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., at 180 7th Avenue. Lots of artisanal vendors, arts & crafts, hair braiding. More at www.ps321.org/resources/events--programs/321-holiday-shop

Greenpointers is holding its Annual Holiday Market on Sunday, December 8th,from 1-7pm at 67 West St. 70+ talented local vendors will be selling handmade holiday gifts. More here.

More holiday fairs and weekend events in Gowanus, Bay Ridge and Williamsburg can be found listed here.

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Shopping at the Brooklyn Flea Holiday Market

Alphaville table. Photo: MK Metz

We dropped into the Brooklyn Flea's holiday market at the Williamsburg Bank building (1 Hanson Place in Fort Greene) over the weekend to make a desultory stab at holiday shopping.

If you're wondering where all the shoppers were this weekend, that would be here. The cathedral-like space was packed but not too claustrophobic. (At least not upstairs. You'll never get us into the vault.)

Vendors included Odette Williams with nice presents for kids: child-size striped cooking aprons with a big pocket in front stuffed with wooden cooking utensils; vintage sunglasses and toys at Alphaville (shown above); fancy-schmancy cutting boards from Gowanus Furniture shown below (the kind you're too

Photo: MK Metz

cheap to buy for yourself); and all kinds of jewelry, art and clever things made out of re-purposed other things.

We also bought a delicious loaf of yeasty raisin bread at the Commerce Bakery booth to bring to a friend.

The holiday market returns for four more weekends with more than 100 vendors.

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Why You May Not Want to Buy eBooks from Amazon

Photo: Elvert Barnes

When the Kindle 2 came out in 2009 we were enthusiasts. Now we are reassessing.

An avid Amazon eBook buyer had her Kindle eReader totally wiped clean (remotely) by Amazon with no refunds for all of her purchases and no real explanation -- only a maddening automatic response by an Amazon bot, which reads in part:

"We have found your account is directly related to another which has been previously closed for abuse of our policies. As such, your Amazon.co.uk account has been closed and any open orders have been cancelled.

"Per our Conditions of Use which state in part: Amazon.co.uk and its affiliates reserve the right to refuse service, terminate accounts, remove or edit content, or cancel orders at their sole discretion. Please know that any attempt to open a new account will meet with the same action..."

No matter how many letters the customer writes asking about this "related" mysterious account, Amazon just keeps sending the same non-response.

Read more about this Kafkaesque nightmare here.

Were you considering a Kindle for Christmas? Perhaps you should look at paper alternatives . . .

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