Cherry Blossoms

Last weekend was the annual Cherry Blossom Festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, a 15-minute walk from our apartment. We ventured out in spite of the pouring rain, which made everything lush and vibrant:

A New Venture

This past Saturday marked the opening of a new flea market in our neighborhood, at Franklin Av. and Sterling Pl. Organized by the very cool owner of Bristen’s Eatery (around the corner on Franklin), the flea market is set to take place every Saturday through September 26.

Jason and I spent the better part of last Saturday at the flea market. For those who don’t know yet, Jason is working on launching a line of sauces, marinades and salad dressings under the name “The Pour Gourmet.” He has been making his own sauces and dressings for years and has always toyed with the idea of bottling them (with my encouragement—I’ve been one of the sole benefactors of his talents for far too long!). As so many people are finding out these days, getting laid off in a shitty job market often leads to bright ideas and ingenuity. For Jason, it meant looking outside the proverbial box for new ways to put his many talents to use.

Faced with a gloomy, rainy outset to the day, we were not feeling overly optimistic about the market's opening. But after a soggy start, the rain stopped, the clouds parted and before noon, we were blessed with a sunny day. People started streaming into the streets (Franklin Av. is the main drag of the Prospect/Crown Heights border where we live) and into the flea market.

It was an exhilarating day—not only did we meet some awesome people from our neighborhood, but nearly everyone who stopped by our table for a sample loved Jason’s sauces. (For opening day, he offered a batch of his classic barbecue sauce, along with two unique variations—one infused with lavender and ginger and one with sweet peppers and pineapple.)

More than the modest sales Jason made that day, the genuine enthusiasm of people in the community for his products (as well as the flea market itself) was infectious. So many people told us they’d been longing for a community market like this one and it only promises to get bigger as the weeks go by.

Thanks to Nick, who wrote a very kind account of the day on his blog, I Love Franklin Ave (which I’ve enjoyed for months and can now associate with a real, live person).

The Pour Gourmet website will be up and running very soon. For now, if you're in the area on a Saturday, stop by the fantastic Franklin and Sterling flea market and say hello.