A positive note for Jamaica

Joe Moretti provides coverage of the Queens International Night Market that took place recently in Jamaica. Sometimes good things happen there.

Squatter takes up residence at fire site

Sadef Ali Kully

From the Times Ledger:

A fire destroyed parts of the long-closed Merrick Flea Market at Merrick Boulevard in Laurelton last week and the property manager from BP Real Estate Investors boarded up the windows for safety.

But residents and community leaders gathered Monday with Councilman Donovan Richards (D-Laurelton), the FDNY and the city Department of Health to voice their concerns about a homeless man who has been squatting on and off for the last two years on the private property, the illegally parked cars for sale, dumped furniture and construction trash.

“It has become a dumping site, but more than that it has become a safety hazard, a nuisance and a health issue,” Dwight Johnson, president of the Federated Blocks of Laurelton, said. “It needs to be completely sealed off.”

The fire occurred Aug. 25, according to the FDNY, and there were no victims.

The squatter did not mind the city FDNY, the Council member or the DOH visiting the property where he has set up his home. He threw his sunglasses on and sat on a chair while blasting a R&B music from his radio. He had created a makeshift living room with an old red leather couch and bedroom with a dresser out of other people’s trash.

Flea market seeks liquor license

From the LIC Post:

The operators of the LIC Flea & Food are applying for two liquor licenses– which they say are needed to keep the market viable.

Executives for the LIC Flea & Food market told Community Board 2 last night that they want to cordon off a section of the parking lot at their 46th Avenue and 5th Street location for the purposes of selling liquor. They also want a license to sell liquor from an old ferry that is adjacent to that parking lot at Anable Basin.

Andrew Kirby, president of Plaxall, the company that owns the 24,000 sqf. lot and is a LIC Flea partner, said these licenses were important to the success of the market. Kirby spoke on behalf of Joshua Schneps, the founder, who was on vacation.

“They [the vendors] are telling us they are not getting enough business, and that people who buy a $13 lobster roll want to be able to buy a glass of beer,” Kirby said.

“A lot of these vendors were out summer weekends not selling anything,” Kirby said, adding that, “We may not be able to keep the flea market going if we can’t attract these vendors back… and to do that we need things like this.” He said that there is the “time clock” and that they need to get going with it.

However, the community board had a number of concerns about the licenses—such as the LIC Flea’s close proximity to the PS/IS 78Q, the lack of experience of the operators in running licensed establishments as well as noise and traffic concerns.

Knockdown Center really has no shame

Came upon this eyesore one fine morning in Ridgewood right near 1717 Troutman Street, which, as you may recall, was forcibly vacated in 2007, throwing hundreds of hipsters out on the street. (After some reno, it reopened as legitimate art studios in 2009.)

It's pretty amazing that one would do this to his/her vehicle.

However, only very special people would drive down in their PT Cruiser from the Land of Lincoln every weekend (heh) to sell junk at a defunct factory to a handful of people.

Of course, all "arts centers", like MOMA and the Met, advertise themselves way, so allow me to suggest a new strategy... Since your magic blue bus grew horns, perhaps this vehicle should also sprout one, à la Blues Brothers:



That should round 'em up!

Expired meds sold at Aqueduct

From NBC:

The FDA says it’s illegal, but it’s being sold to anyone right out in the open, and the people doing it don't seem to care that selling illegal and expired medications put lives at risk.

NBCNewYork.com went undercover at the aqueduct flea market in Ozone Park, Queens, where these kind of medications are sold for a steal.

On a bitingly cold Saturday afternoon, the flea market at the Aqueduct Race Track is packed with people buying everything from makeup, old candy, and clothing.

But taking a closer look at the goods being hawked you’ll find a more nefarious lineup of goods -- expired, over-the-counter medications like Robitussin, Claritin, and even children's medications, like Dimetapp.

The expiration dates range anywhere from a few months past the guaranteed safety date to years expired.

Pediatrician Greg Yapalater says the main concern with meds like these is not so much that they are expired, but rather the uncertainty of where they come from – whether they’ve been stored properly or if they’ve been tampered with.

Click here to watch Leroy Comrie and Ruben Wills get upset about this.

Flea market vendors lose at Aqueduct

From The Real Deal:

It's easy to spot the winners in the long-awaited deal to put hundreds of video slot machines in a new racino at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens. New York state gets a $380 million licensing fee and future tax revenue to bank on, while Malaysian gaming company Genting gets to put 4,500 video slot terminals just three miles from John F. Kennedy International Airport. Meanwhile, the local economy gets a big shot in the arm from a project expected to generate 1,300 construction and 800 permanent jobs.

To find the probable losers, look no further than the South Ozone Park racetrack's sprawling front parking lot. There, 1,000 vendors stage the city's largest flea market on Tuesdays and weekends from April through December. For those small business operators, mostly immigrants, the flea market is their first toehold on the path to prosperity. With the flea market facing possible closure, the vendors' prospects are uncertain, and they may find their lives upended.