Region
Part of the Annex/Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market (HKFM) triad of markets, Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market (HKFM) sets a standard for distinctive vendors. Now wonder why it was named one of the top ten shopping streets in the world by National Geographic. All year round, rain or shine, the street is closed to traffic on Saturdays and Sundays, when around 150 vendors fill their booths with furniture, vintage clothing, jewelry, ephemera, objets d’art and retro decorative items.
Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market is a place where collectors and top-notch hagglers come to shop for antiques, collectibles, vintage clothing, mid-century modern items, home decorations, furniture, jewelry, and more. The clientele is diverse - you might run into celebrities and fashionistas and you certainly will see residents and tourists alike browsing the market for hidden treasures.
This unlikely stretch of street in New York's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood still exudes an authentic New York vibe, although the neighborhood's real estate prices are nowadays comparable to chic Chelsea. One asset of Hell's Kitchen Flea Market is its slightly out-of-the-way location, which urges vendors to offer lower prices than those which used to be found elsewhere, in order to compensate for the little trek.
Like any good flea market, it’s all in the digging. And with up to a hundred and fifty vendors setting up along this stretch of West 39th Street, there are countless treasures to uncover - all the more so as, many vendors selling at Hell's Kitchen Flea Market come from the now defunct Chelsea Antiques Garage, which used to be the best flea market in the city. All in all, the year-round weekend antiquing at Hell's Kitchen Flea Market is unparalleled and should be on your New York bucket list.
Due to the gentrification of the Hell's Kitchen area and rising costs, Hell's Kitchen Flea Market consolidated in January 2019 with the legendary Chelsea Flea Market (est. 1976). Flea market lovers and antique enthusiasts will find many of their favorite Hell's Kitchen Flea Market vendors there. Chelsea Flea Market offers a vast array of antiques, collectibles, the decorative arts, and other interesting inventory. Bringing the Hell's Kitchen vendors to Chelsea creates a real critical mass of merchandise that will enhance the buying experience for shoppers and the selling experience for vendors.
Jessica King
16th June 2015 at 00:08I’m giving it three stars since when I go with my family they sometimes buy something. One persons junk is another persons treasure (or something like that). I think it is all high priced and the vendors are unrealistic. You have to learn how to barter with them. I’m a lover not a fighter!! I would need to want something pretty bad to argue over price. I will for food, but not goods!
It’s fun to go for the day, get some sunshine, and look at everything. If you are a collector of anything, like antiques and memorabilia, you will be in heaven. I like to keep my load in life small and light since I’m not one to stay in one place very long!! For the collectors, go and go often!!
Nicole Wood
26th June 2015 at 00:50Not the biggest flea market I’ve seen in Manhattan, but the Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market offers a wide variety of old, new & artsy items. As it was late afternoon on a Sunday, they weren’t very busy. In fact, some vendors looked downright bored. Because nearly the whole block was closed between 9th & 10th Avenues, I suspect they may have more vendors & shoppers on other weekends. I enjoyed browsing although I didn’t buy anything.
Craig Adams
28th April 2016 at 18:48Hell’s Kitchen Flea has been around for awhile and we will stop in when we can. It’s a crapshoot if you’re going to find what you’re looking for, but the last time we were here in the summer my girlfriend found a ton of clothes she loved so we decided to head back. This time around there was more curiosity rather than practicality, but still fun to browse. I think with any flea market it depends when you go and who is setting up shop there, but compared to LIC and Williamsburg, you’ll find more oddities here then things you’ll legitimately go home with.