Entrepreneurs: Eric Demby

MEMORIES FOR SALE

Chelsea Flea reinvents itself, and in the process, invests in New York’s future.

by Dan Metz photography by Sam Hollenshead/Chelsea Flea

ERIC DEMBY KNOWS OLD NEW YORK. He grew up in the City and still lives here. It was perhaps for that reason that he and his partner Jonathan Butler were excited to acquire the lease for Chelsea Flea, an age-old open-air social hub and collectibles market that has suffered for the last few years under a cloud of what Demby calls “bad vibes.” Though the pandemic has slowed progress somewhat, he has faith that the city and the market will flourish again. In the face of nationwide financial burdens and setbacks, Chelsea Flea lets New Yorkers breathe life into their city, creating the future they want to see.

The original Chelsea Flea Market opened in 1976, and at its peak, the open-air flea market sprawled across as many as five empty lots. It was the ultimate exercise in democracy—the fancy and the famous shopped alongside everyday New Yorkers. Andy Warhol was a regular, drawing inspiration from the tchotchkes and antiques he found there. Forty years later, in 2019, founders and thenowners Alan and Helene Boss were struggling. They could no longer cover the lease in a neighborhood now filled with towering high rises. In the winter of 2019, Chelsea Flea had what everyone thought would be its last day—it looked like the much-diminished market would disappear forever.

But behind the scenes, Demby and Butler—the masterminds behind the multi-site Brooklyn Flea, and Smorgasburg, Williamsburg’s open-air weekend food market—took over the lease, hoping to breathe some life into the business. Over the winter they spent their days reaching out to current and former vendors, some of whom felt they had been burned by former management. The Chelsea Flea was all set to open the first weekend in April 2020.

The arrival of COVID-19 smashed those plans, causing an indefinite delay for reopening, as well as putting a pause on their other projects. Demby and Butler persevered, opening where they could, while they could. They re-opened a version of Smorgasburg called “Smorg to Go” from July through October, and opened the DUMBO Brooklyn Flea on Saturdays from September through Christmas. The Chelsea Flea officially re-opened on weekends in September and is gaining momentum. “Everyone’s more spread out, but the nature of the venue kind of lends itself to crowd control.” In a touch-deprived population, Demby feels the newly reopened Chelsea Flea has benefitted from its “unplugged” aesthetic. “You learn a lot and you’re surprised (when) you’re not being directed by any kind of algorithm other than your eye and aesthetics.”

Chelsea Flea is also a lifeline for business owners who have suffered during the Pause. While restaurants were closing across the city, Demby and Butler worked with Rethink, a food insecurity organization, to raise funds to pay vendors to make food for community-based organizations in their neighborhood. Many vendors also lost their brick-and-mortar stores after being closed down for so long, and Demby hopes that a stall at Chelsea Flea will be a strong first step towards getting their businesses up and running again.

He believes the market and its vendors are a path forward for New York City. The vendors are local small business owners and members of the same community as their customers, making it a great place for New Yorkers to support local growth. “I’ve said this before,” adds Demby, “Smorgasburg and the flea markets are participatory capitalism. You’re voting with your dollars for the kind of city and the kinds of small businesses you want to see.” DT