New York City Shopping Inches Back. No Store Required.
I fared better at the Hester Street Fair (Seward Park, corner of Hester and Essex Streets) on the Lower East Side, which in general skews younger and more vibrantly eclectic than the other markets. I went during a vintage-focused weekend last month and — after having my temperature checked at the entrance, the only sale to do so — found a green Gouge lowrider-themed graffiti art T-shirt ($20) sold by Lawrence Woods, who runs the @vanitythread Instagram account.
After a Late Start, Hester Street Fair Stretches Out Its Season
To get a sense of this season’s vibe, we visited during the fifth annual Girl Power event, dedicated to the entrepreneurial pursuits of women creators. Olive, a songstress who performs as YungDaddy, guarded the front gate in a neon orange bomber jacket. She checked temperatures and doled out hand sanitizer while also selling her hand-painted masks, which display various toothy smiles in every color of the rainbow.
NYC's iconic Hester Street Fair returns to the block this weekend
Three months after its canceled opening, the beloved Hester Street Fair is finally back on the block starting this weekend!
The Lower East Side flea and street fair hosts one of Manhattan’s best collections of local vendors. Macaron Parlour, Petee’s Pie Company, Melt Bakery, La New Yorkina, Arancini Bros all got their start there. It's also known for its themed weekends, from Vintage Day to a CBD Fair and Lobster and Beer Fest.
Hester Street Fair Goes Virtual
And the Hester Street Fair keeps on keeping on… Like concerts, art shows, happy hours and just about everything else, the famous fair in the Lower East Side is now entering the digital realm.
Each Saturday, visitors can “shop” the fair’s vendors online and through the event’s Instagram page. Beyond shopping however, the fair will also be going live on IG every week with guest hosts and DJ sets. “During the week, we’ll go live twice daily to take a step inside the creative processes of our community, including workshops and tutorials,”
New York’s Hester Street Fair Lives On—Online
On any given Saturday, between the months of April and October, you might have found yourself stopping by to eat a peking duck sandwich, flip through an 8ball zine, or to try on something hand-dyed. Or perhaps, you went just to feel like a part of the community that congregates there: a (sometimes exhaustingly) hip but diverse crowd of artists, skaters, and Chinatown locals. While the Coronavirus pandemic has currently taken the physical space away, the community has found a way to continue gathering together.
Union Los Angeles and Nordstrom Celebrate Their Collaboration With a Lower East Side Block Party
As golden hour basked the city, a roped-off lot in the Lower East Side heated up. Security ushered VIPs inside as the sidewalk filled with fans and onlookers hoping to join the vibrant block party—a celebration of Concept 005: Union & Company, Nordstrom’s new collaboration with Union.
To the sounds of Stretch & Bobbito and No Vacancy Inn, guests shuffled and danced on the asphalt, patterned by the shadows from the adjacent basketball court.