By Sam Skopp
Every second and fourth Saturday, national art, designer and vintage market Artists & Fleas opens on the lawn of Westminster Elementary School, located at 1010 Abbot Kinney Blvd., from 11 in the morning to 5 in the evening. On the East Coast, Artists & Fleas hosts markets in Williamsburg and Chelsea, and here in town, they host locations in the Arts District and locally in Venice, where they’ve held bimonthly markets for almost a year now.
“[The Market] features local artists, designers, vintage collectors, food trucks, fashion trucks, live DJs, games and just a whole lot of fun,” said Georgia Varidakis, the Regional Manager for Artists & Fleas.
Some of the vendors included juice and smoothie truck Zugo, jewelry and homegoods by Shop851, baby clothing by Paper Cow, skincare products by Gaffer & Child, photo art by Emet Martinez Photography and much more.
“We have a lot of people who, when we’re setting up in the morning who come up to the fence and are like, ‘I’m so happy you’re here today!’” said Varidakis. “A lot of people who are tourists that come into the area will have been to our New York locations and are really excited that they find us here.”
Some vendors participate in both the Arts District and Venice markets, however because the Arts District market is held in conjunction with a farmer’s market, only at the Venice location do they curate their own food trucks.
“It’s a little bit more breezy, airy and light hearted here. There’s a bit more space to play with,” said Varidakis. “The response from local artists has been amazing because it’s providing them a place where they can sell more than one weekend a month.”
For more information about Artists & Fleas, visit artistsandfleas.com.
