Urban Adventure – The Annex Flea Markets, NYC

The Annex Flea Markets, NYC

Given the limited outdoor space in Manhattan it’s no surprise to find two flea markets about a block apart, one in an outdoor parking lot and the other inside two floors of a parking garage. We visited 2 of the 3 Annex Flea Markets in New York city. What a great alternative shopping experience. No walking through flea market fields out in the countryside. This was shopping in the city and it provided a whole new vibe!

W. 25th Street Flea Market

The first market we visited was the West 25th street market – MAP (40 W 25th St), located between Broadway and 6th Avenue, open every Saturday & Sunday (weather permitting) 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. The market is outside in a vacant parking lot next to a lovely stone church, often with as many as 125 vendors selling. The day of our visit in early March, the sun was shining and everyone seemed happy to be outside, after the long snowy winter. The market was not full of vendors, but there was an interesting assortment of merchandise. There was a mix of asian, african, vintage, antiques and some furniture to poke through. Some tables are just piled high with goodies so you can dig around. Seemed like a market with the potential to find some good bargains. Since we were traveling by train we didn’t bring anything home with us.


There was a Porta-potty available – but  sorry I didn’t check it out.  Parking might be a challenge but you could probably find something nearby early in the morning. We took the subway from Brooklyn and got off at 23rd street. For public transit info visit MTA website.

The Garage Antique Flea Market

The Antiques Garage located one block west on 25th street, between 6th & 7th Ave. is housed inside two floors of a parking garage. This market is also open Saturday and Sundays from 9-5pm, and seems to be the place to find vintage and antiques instead of your typical flea market bargain junk hunting. Although I’m sure if you look and haggle hard you could get some good deals.

There were some very nicely curated booths with an array of interesting and unique inventory. Apparently lots of celebrities frequent this market, but I was too busy looking at all the cool stuff and chatting with the vendors to notice the other shoppers.

If you are into taking photos (like me) its wise to ask the vendors first. I usually do this, but got carried away snapping photos and one of the vendors was not too happy and let me know. Once I chatted with them and explained I was a blogger, and handed them a business card, they were ok with me taking photos….but just a heads up, it’s always polite to ask before you shoot.

There is a restroom at this market, but be prepared to stand in line. This block of W 25th street also has a Goodwill Thrift Store and several vintage clothing and group antique shops, so it’s a great place to spend a few hours.

I hope during our next visit we’ll be able to check out the Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market (great name, right?) it’s located at West 39th Street between 9th & 10th Avenues- MAP. The market is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday all year-long (weather permitting) It’s the 3rd market in the group of Annex Markets and looks really good from the info on their website.

New York, the city of 8 million stories….as well as endless opportunities for alternative shopping adventures! If you go and explore be sure to drop us a line, we’d love to hear your New York story!