http://brokelyn.com Food, restaurants, shopping and cheap fun on a budget in Brooklyn NYC Mon, 20 May 2013 16:44:18 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 http://brokelyn.com/buy-a-piece-of-d-i-y-history-this-weekend-at-the-market-hotel-tag-sale/ http://brokelyn.com/buy-a-piece-of-d-i-y-history-this-weekend-at-the-market-hotel-tag-sale/#comments Thu, 16 May 2013 12:00:23 +0000 David Colon http://brokelyn.com/?p=43763 Read More]]>
Just try not to think of how covered in sweat everything is. via Facebook For people of a certain age, the Market Hotel was the ultimate DIY venue in Brooklyn. Maybe even in the world. Well, OK, maybe that’s a little bit of an overstatement. Still, the Market Hotel was really cool, and was shut down too early by Bloomberg’s fun police. They’re cleaning things out there now, and will be having a tag sale this weekend, so maybe you can own a thing that you sat on looking bored because you thought that made you look cool. Since the Market Hotel was shuttered, there’s been an ongoing effort to re-open it as an all ages community art space. Of course, you need room for something like that, hence, selling off some old cool but unnecessary items. There’s not much info about what they’ll be selling exactly, just that the sale will go down… Read More]]> http://brokelyn.com/buy-a-piece-of-d-i-y-history-this-weekend-at-the-market-hotel-tag-sale/feed/ 0 http://brokelyn.com/summers-beauty-must-haves-from-your-local-dollar-store/ http://brokelyn.com/summers-beauty-must-haves-from-your-local-dollar-store/#comments Wed, 15 May 2013 13:06:44 +0000 Cat Agonis http://brokelyn.com/?p=43329 Read More]]>
Mermaid Parade ready eyeshadow from the dollar store? Methinks so. All photos by Cat Agonis As much as we adore all those summer moments on rooftops and in hydrant pools, it takes a little extra care to stay fly and fresh to death in the heat. That’s already hard enough when you’re hustling in this city, and time and money is always something you’re running short on. So you need to learn to take advantage of beauty product deals at your local dollar store, mine being Flushing 99 Cent Plus, on Flushing Avenue. Unfortunately since many things at the dollar store aren’t actually a dollar anymore, prices here cross the .99 cent threshold. But they’re still way cheaper than anything at Sephora or even Duane Reade where you have to spend upwards of $8 just for a flippin eye pencil. WACK. Anyway are we ready? Let’s do this! What: Lotion with aloe… Read More]]> http://brokelyn.com/summers-beauty-must-haves-from-your-local-dollar-store/feed/ 4 http://brokelyn.com/urban-outfitters-wants-to-welcome-you-to-bushwick/ http://brokelyn.com/urban-outfitters-wants-to-welcome-you-to-bushwick/#comments Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:59:12 +0000 David Colon http://brokelyn.com/?p=43172 Read More]]>
Now when you get in a cab to go home, you can just point at your shirt! It’s almost summer, allegedly, even if the best you can hope for from the weather right now is freezing your ass off in Citi Field’s cheap seats. Summer, of course, means going to thrift shops and finding basketball jerseys to wear both because they are comfortable and because they’re still timely, because the NBA playoffs last until around August or it feels like that anyway. What if you don’t want to go to a thrift store though, because they’re too dirty or you’re taking a (non-violent) stand against Macklemore? Well, Urban Outfiters has your back with their Bushwick jersey/tanktop thing! Are people buying this? We hope not. This seems more like a really dedicated April Fool’s prank, or a high-level trolling act than an actual pice of merchandise you can buy. Which it’s not, since… Read More]]> http://brokelyn.com/urban-outfitters-wants-to-welcome-you-to-bushwick/feed/ 0 http://brokelyn.com/a-beginners-guide-to-finding-bargains-at-fulton-mall/ http://brokelyn.com/a-beginners-guide-to-finding-bargains-at-fulton-mall/#comments Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:21:15 +0000 Cat Agonis http://brokelyn.com/?p=42985 Read More]]>
What treasures await educated bargain hunters? via Flickr user emily geoff I LOVE to shop, but this habit of mine comes with some unfortunate side effects. In the past, I’ve hit up an outlet spot like DSW, thinking I’m getting a deal on some pair of Aldo boots or something that still comes out to like, 100 freaking dollars, and then 6 months later the zipper breaks and the heel pops off. Or there’s the time I spent $60 on some dress at Topshop, since that’s apparently the going rate nowadays for something that cost $2 to make, only to have the seam inexplicably unravel and leave me half-naked in line at some Duane Reade NOT within walking distance from my house. F that. I don’t know about you guys, but these betrayals, which always occur after I justify a higher-than-normal purchase price, are what caused me to look into other cheaper outlets to… Read More]]> http://brokelyn.com/a-beginners-guide-to-finding-bargains-at-fulton-mall/feed/ 7 http://brokelyn.com/smorgasburg-and-brooklyn-flea-are-back-this-weekend/ http://brokelyn.com/smorgasburg-and-brooklyn-flea-are-back-this-weekend/#comments Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:00:49 +0000 Rebecca Fishbein http://brokelyn.com/?p=42789 Read More]]>
CAN’T WAIT TO EAT THIS (via flickr user skelastic) Don’t let the wind chill deceive you — the summer outdoor market season is VERY NEARLY UPON US, and this weekend marks the return of Smorgasburg and Brooklyn Flea! And thank god, because that artisanal BK-made salsa we bought last July has totally expired. Not that that’s stopped us… The Fort Greene Flea reopens at 10 a.m. this Saturday at its usual Lafayette Ave location: expect lots of bespoke local handcrafted and vintage goods like wooden spoons and other knicknacks by Chris Han’s Natural Crafts, fancy old-school threads courtesy of Vintage by Sue Harmon, and jewelry crafted from recycled records made  by Wrecords by Monkey. Smorgasburg will also open on Saturday at its brand spanking new spot at the East River State Park, approximately 20 feet from its old location; vendors like Brooklyn Big Bao, Brooklyn Cured and Porchetta will be slinging their tasty wares from… Read More]]> http://brokelyn.com/smorgasburg-and-brooklyn-flea-are-back-this-weekend/feed/ 0 http://brokelyn.com/free-stuff-alert-williamsburg-bazaar-is-giving-customers-20-to-shop/ http://brokelyn.com/free-stuff-alert-williamsburg-bazaar-is-giving-customers-20-to-shop/#comments Wed, 27 Mar 2013 19:00:09 +0000 Rebecca Fishbein http://brokelyn.com/?p=42654 Read More]]>
Mombucha, just like Mom used to make! (via Zaarly.com) Oh, Williamsburg, is there no end to your artisanal craft fairs? Between the Brooklyn Night Bazaar, all one million incarnations of the Brooklyn Flea and that overpriced clothing market you’ve got going on for “vintage” shoppers from Manhattan on N. 7th Street, we’re getting a little overwhelmed. So, yes, there’s a new bazaar headed to the Northside this Saturday, but this one really might be worth a visit: not only is it totally free to attend, but the organizers are giving you $20 to shop there! Sound too good to be true? Well, maybe: the bazaar is a one-day affair, and it’s to promote Etsy-esque online marketplace Zaarly, which peddles artisanal local wares and services. They’ll be bringing some storefront owners featured on the site to The Space at the Villain (50 North 3rd St between Kent and Wythe Aves) starting at 3… Read More]]> http://brokelyn.com/free-stuff-alert-williamsburg-bazaar-is-giving-customers-20-to-shop/feed/ 1 http://brokelyn.com/get-your-vinyl-on-at-record-store-day-2013/ http://brokelyn.com/get-your-vinyl-on-at-record-store-day-2013/#comments Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:17:32 +0000 Rebecca Fishbein http://brokelyn.com/?p=42583 Read More]]>
Head down to Academy, and a few other stores, for your limited edition vinyl fix. via Facebook We’ve been mourning the impending death of Williamsburg vinyl shop Sound Fix Records for the past few weeks, but there’s some good news for lovers of stores that sell music outside of the iTunes gulag: next month marks the return of the annual Record Store Day, in which independently-owned record stores nationwide celebrate their dying awesomeness with special record releases, meet-and-greets, performances and general record-related revelry. The event was dreamed up by Chris Brown in the late ’90s — not Rihanna’s boyfriend, mind you, but a record shop employee who wanted to celebrate a musical art that was even dying then. Plenty of New York record shops will be participating, including a number of vinyl shops in Brooklyn: Permanent Records and Co-op 87 Records in Greenpoint, along with soon-t0-be shuttered Sound Fix and Academy Records Annex in Williamsburg… Read More]]> http://brokelyn.com/get-your-vinyl-on-at-record-store-day-2013/feed/ 0 http://brokelyn.com/whats-the-value-of-skipping-a-shopping-run-at-ikea-99/ http://brokelyn.com/whats-the-value-of-skipping-a-shopping-run-at-ikea-99/#comments Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:20:37 +0000 David Colon http://brokelyn.com/?p=42464 Read More]]>
Although, we guess you can hang out at the bar while the person shops for you. via Flickr user Urban_Lisa So we’ve previously covered how much it costs you to to shlep all your crap home from Ikea (both a useful guide AND a window into Tim’s hairstyle at the time). But we’ve also gotten sage relationship advice from cupcake genius Allison Robicelli that included a whole paragraph on not going to Ikea. Fortunately for you, Ikea has a way to avoid both the shlepping and the fighting, and still get your stuff, but of course, it’ll cost you. For $99, you can give them a list of all the stuff you want, and they’ll both buy it for you and deliver it to you. So, the question is, is the Picking with Delivery service worth it? We say no, but then again, we’re a site devoted to saving money and being smart with… Read More]]> http://brokelyn.com/whats-the-value-of-skipping-a-shopping-run-at-ikea-99/feed/ 4 http://brokelyn.com/price-check-your-various-drinking-options-in-nyc/ http://brokelyn.com/price-check-your-various-drinking-options-in-nyc/#comments Wed, 13 Mar 2013 19:19:56 +0000 Channingg Tatum http://brokelyn.com/?p=42329 Read More]]>
Drink up, for freedom! Jesus have we been thirsty lately. Ever since Nanny Bloomberg told us that we couldn’t drink soda in 48 oz. Big Gulps, the way that nature intended, we’ve been avoiding liquids in general. Of course, that makes washing down various Doritos-flavored tacos a little harder, and is constantly drying us out. But what else were we going to drink? What else was there? Then an angel, in the form of a judge, told the Mayor he could sit and spin on his soda ban and gave freedom back to New Yorkers. But while we were watching the news, we heard something strange: people advocating other forms of liquid to pour into your mouth? This was news to us! So we set out on a price check: what do these things that are not soda cost to drink? TAP WATER FROM YOUR KITCHEN – FREE So there’s this thing in your kitchen and you… Read More]]> http://brokelyn.com/price-check-your-various-drinking-options-in-nyc/feed/ 0 http://brokelyn.com/psa-for-the-love-of-god-please-dont-buy-a-bed-off-craigslist/ http://brokelyn.com/psa-for-the-love-of-god-please-dont-buy-a-bed-off-craigslist/#comments Wed, 13 Mar 2013 18:00:19 +0000 Rebecca Fishbein http://brokelyn.com/?p=42356 Read More]]>
It’s there, just waiting…Via Armed Forces Pest Management’s flickr Consider this your PSA for the day: Craigslist is a wonderful resource for finding many things, like jobs, apartments and that beautiful bearded man who smiled at you on the G train. But sometimes, we see things up for grabs on Craigslist that make us cringe, like ads for free and/or cheap mattresses and beds. Let’s talk for a minute about bedbugs, because I (and many, many other Brooklynites) have had personal experience with these fun little creatures. They are real, they bite you in your sleep, it takes goddamn forever to get rid of them and you will bag and wash all your clothes and personal belongings until you never want to look at a quarter or clear plastic bag again. But what’s more frustrating about them is that they’re pretty hard to detect, and you could have them hiding in the… Read More]]> http://brokelyn.com/psa-for-the-love-of-god-please-dont-buy-a-bed-off-craigslist/feed/ 1