The Miami Flea Promotes Community Growth And Creativity
Community And Creativity: The Miami Flea, a monthly flea market, brings the community together for art and entertainment to support entrepreneurs and local artists.
Miami has always been known for its VIP only lavish parties, bikini-clad beach goers and sun drenched sidewalks at South Beach.
Yet, there’s a new culture of Miami that’s slowly emerging—one that aims to support locals and build community. At the heart of this change is a flea market that’s putting Miami back on the map for all the right reasons.
The Miami Flea, located at 1440 N. Miami Ave. in the Arts + Entertainment District, is a monthly flea street market that takes place every third Sunday of the month fused with arts and live music.
Despite being an empty lot used for construction and parking by day, the venue quickly transforms into a vibrant and bustling marketplace by opening at 4 p.m.
Once there, you can find anything from hand-crafted jewelry, vintage clothing, ice cream sandwiches, prints, doggy bandanas and more.
The event brings together hundreds of local artisans, makers, eateries and musicians, all for the sake of sharing and selling their work with the locals. More than just a space for vendors to sell their products, The Flea is a meeting point for like-minded creatives and entrepreneurs to come together to celebrate unity.
“The people that I have had a chance to interact with at The Miami Flea have always been great,” said Roman Corrales, a vendor at The Flea. “Being a brand owner and vendor for a while now, The Miami Flea offers a much-improved vibe… it’s refreshing to see a crowd that’s more engaged.”
With more than 2,000 attendees, The Miami Flea has hosted several seasoned live bands and musicians, such as The Wynwoods and Jahzel.
Located in the heart of the A+E District, a growing urban/residential neighborhood between Wynwood, the Design District, and Downtown Miami, The Miami Flea attracts a diverse group of people.
“I’ve only been living in Miami for a few years now, and this is the first time I’ve ever experienced anything like this,” Karen Felix, 19, said. “And everything is reasonably priced too, which I appreciate as a student. Having fun in Miami usually costs a lot of money, but not this.”
Working behind the scenes are event producers Isabella Acker, 28, and Pola Bunster, 26, of The Prism Music group, a cultural and community event programming agency who works with the A+E district to curate The Miami Flea.
“A+E District developed The Miami Flea to feed off of the collaborative nature of the open-air markets around the world while exposing locals to their own city’s culture,” Bunster said. “We needed a platform for local artists to feel welcomed, so The Miami Flea brings together local musicians, restaurants and creators to express themselves and eventually work together.”
The goal of the team’s work is to give Miamians exciting cultural experiences, free of charge.
The Miami Flea has been recognized by local news publications such as The Miami New Times, being named the “Best Flea Market” in its 2016 “Best of Miami Series.”
With plans to expand to host a bigger event in the future, the team celebrated The Flea’s first anniversary in August.