Flea Market Is Sprucing Up for Move to Coney Island by Liz Robbins - NYTimes.com

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Debbie Quintana-Stiefel knows it is time to expand her palette. Beyond the brown and deep-red lipsticks she carries, she must now add fuchsias and oranges and complementary foundations to satisfy her new customers.

It is a fairly significant change she plans to make to cover the even more diverse complexions of the Brooklyn women she expects to serve when her cosmetics stall moves from the defunct Aqueduct flea market to a new home in Coney Island.

For 33 years, Ms. Quintana-Stiefel was a fixture at a once-bustling racetrack parking lot in Ozone Park, Queens, that hosted 500 vendors. Developers shut down the market in December to build a new casino at the struggling track.

Now the market’s former operators are bringing a handpicked group of 120 vendors from Aqueduct to a smaller site in Brooklyn and introducing a freshly polished identity: no fleas allowed.

Strictly prohibiting secondhand goods, the market of 170 vendors will open on May 15 as part of a shopping and entertainment site called the BK Festival, representing another step in Coney Island’s ambitious, if often contentious, redevelopment plan.

Sitting on Stillwell Avenue, one block from Surf Avenue, the 110,000-square-foot space will also have a fairground for concerts, rodeos, corporate-sponsored giveaways and pony rides.

“They’re going to put some lace and frills to dress it up a bit,” Ms. Quintana-Stiefel, 56, said. “That’s a good thing for me.”

Ms. Quintana-Stiefel, whose wholesale business, Allessia Kosmetics, built a loyal following of Caribbean, African and Central American customers at Aqueduct, was curious to see how the Bensonhurst and Bay Ridge faces would change her stock.

“Aqueduct got big and it got sloppy — this will be a classier act,” she said.

Tommy Brady, 53, an owner of the BK Festival, said, “We want it to fit in more with the whole program of the new Coney Island.” He managed the Aqueduct market with his partner, Tommy Walker, 60, for 13 years.

On Wednesday, the “two Tommies,” as vendors know them, and their event director, William McCarthy, plan to sign the contract with the developer of the property, Joseph J. Sitt.

In 2009, the Bloomberg administration paid Mr. Sitt, 46, the chief executive of Thor Equities, $95.6 million for 6.9 acres he owned in Coney Island; he kept 5.6 acres to develop hotels and stores with the goal of turning Coney Island into a year-round destination. He has razed some older buildings, angering some in the community, but the festival space on Stillwell was already vacant.

That site represents the first part of Mr. Sitt’s vision, even if it will only be seasonal, through October.

“It’s a little nostalgic — I started my businesses as a flea market operator at the Aqueduct,” Mr. Sitt said. At 16, he sold toys when the flea market was known as Barterama, waking up at 2 a.m. to load a truck and grab a corner stall.

Three decades later, his family-friendly concept is more sophisticated, based on focus groups and testing. Two years ago, when the Aqueduct gaming project seemed imminent, he recruited vendors, from pickle makers to bakers, alongside entertainers for a monthlong stint in Coney Island. The results convinced him the model would work.

“There will be no used goods, no dollar goods, but it will be all upscale product, almost like an outlet center,” Mr. Brady said. “We’re not here to hurt nobody; we want to help Coney Island.”

But in Queens, the market’s closing has left some in the immigrant communities missing a primary option for low-cost shopping.

“When we look back at what we lost, we’ll realize in South Queens that we’re not only giving up something that was really historic, it was a support system for many people who would send products back to their native communities,” said Richard S. David, the executive director of the Indo-Caribbean Alliance in Ozone Park.

He said that an impression had been created, unfairly, that the market had represented something “low-scale and unattractive.”

Some former vendors have found other sites. Mike Thai, 26, said he now sold “cheap watches” at a flea market behind the Sunrise Cinemas in Valley Stream, on Long Island. Mr. Thai said he neither wanted to travel to Coney Island, nor pay what he heard were higher rents.

The prices, factoring in total square feet, are the same, Mr. Walker said, because the stalls are slightly larger in Coney Island. The Aqueduct flea market ran three days a week, while the Coney Island market will operate on Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Mr. Brady said that while no shuttles were planned to take former shoppers the 13 miles from Queens, he hoped to have a trolley within Brooklyn.

“It’s been very tough; Aqueduct was my life,” said Yvonne Kissoon, 52, who had sold lingerie there since 1987 and has her shop nearby. She is excited to have a corner stall at Coney Island; she said she trusted Mr. Walker’s and Mr. Brady’s business skills.

“We don’t know what we’re going to get into,” Ms. Kissoon said, “but it’s better to try than fail to try.”

Officers Honored for Nabbing Car Thieves by Stephen Geffon - Queens Chronicle

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Frank Dardani, left, president of the 106th Precinct Community Council, officers Andrew Spina and Jennifer Martinez, and Capt. Thomas Pascale, commanding officer of the 106th. PHOTO BY DAVID QUINTANA

Auto thefts have increased significantly across the borough, according to south Queens’ top cop, Assistant Chief James Secreto.

But a recent arrest of three alleged auto thieves in the 106th Precinct by police officers Andrew Spina and Jennifer Martinez may well have put a dent in the problem.

The two officers were honored last week with the Cop of the Month Award for November at the community council meeting for their efforts in getting the alleged perpetrators off the street and recovering the vehicle with no injuries to police or the public.

“These officers are to be commended,” said Capt. Thomas Pascale, commanding officer of the 106th Precinct.

According to Pascale, on Tuesday, Nov. 23 at 6:30 p.m. a resident was loading packages into her Honda CRV while at the Aqueduct Flea Market with the keys left inside the vehicle. Pascale said that while the victim was occupied elsewhere, three individuals took off in her car.

The Cops of the Month with family members and significant others and Captain Pascale.

The captain said that a week later, on Nov. 30, Spina and Martinez while on patrol spotted the stolen Honda going eastbound on Rockaway Boulevard at 127th Street. The officers safely stopped the car at 140th Street and found it to be occupied by three individuals under the age of 16, according to Pascale. The individuals were then placed under arrest.

The plaques awarded to the officers read in part, “In recognition of this fine police officers’ dedication to duty and ideals of our community.”

Expired Medications Sold Illegally at Queens Flea Market | NBC New York

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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.

“Buying junk for a dollar is still junk. Buying poison for a dollar is still poison. Why go that route? There are other ways. Go with the generics in the pharmacy. They're always going to be cheaper”, says Yapalater.

To watch video report...click here

News 4 confronted the vendors and asked why they were selling illegal goods and where they got the medications.

In response the reporter and cameraman were called named and screamed at to leave. No one could tell us the origin of the products.

The Flea Market’s managers told News4 the vendor in charge of stand selling the illegal drugs is a man named Pat Flynn.

Flynn denied he was in charge and would not answer questions.

By the time News 4 alerted the Market’s authorities the goods were quickly swept into a box and taken away.

Aqueduct Flea Market says they will revoke Pat Flynn’s permit. The market maintains that it checks twice a day for illegal products being sold. Still customers say they see the stuff being sold every market day – out in the open for anyone to see. State officials assure us that the proper authorities will be by the flea to stop vendors like Flynn from continuing to sell expired meds.

New York State Assembly Member Michael G. Miller’s Aqueduct Flea Market Statement...

New York State Assembly Member Michael G. Miller today issued the following statement on the decision to discontinue the Aqueduct flea market:

“I am disappointed in the Genting, NYRA, and Lottery Division decision to longer house the Flea Market at Aqueduct. Because the Flea Market has been around for over twenty-five years and provides over a thousand jobs, I am committed to working with my colleagues in government, the management of the flea market, and our community to find a suitable location for this community institution.”  

Public Statement from Resorts World New York (Genting NY) Regarding Aqueduct Flea Market...

"Having heard from the vendors that they wanted an answer quickly in order to make their future plans, Resorts World New York expedited its review process. Since the Aqueduct facility will be a construction site for several months, the Division of the Lottery determined that the continued presence of the flea market would raise safety concerns in addition to being incompatible with the future use of the property. As a result, we have informed the Aqueduct flea market operator, Plain & Fancy Shows, Inc., that the contract permitting the operation of a flea market at Aqueduct will not be renewed after the contract's December 21, 2010 expiration date, although the market will be allowed to operate through the holidays, until December 31, 2010. Any future retail activity on the site would have to be approved and regulated by the Division of the Lottery, and must be fully compliant with all local, state and federal laws regarding working conditions (including hours, safety, minimum wages and documentation), insurance, the collection of sales taxes, appropriate licensing and other regulatory requirements."

Aqueduct Vendors Ask for Help by Timothy N. Lyman - Queens Courier

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Aqueduct Flea Market vendors gathered again last week to try to save their jobs.

The Aqueduct Flea Market operates three days per week on the grounds of the racetrack. There is still no definite word on whether or not the Market will continue to operate on the racetrack’s grounds as Genting prepares to begin construction.

So on Thursday, November 4, vendors and a representative from the Indo-Caribbean Alliance spoke to the members of Community Board 10 (CB). The vendors expressed fears of economic uncertainty and asked the Board to work with Genting to either preserve the Flea Market at Aqueduct or help the Market find a new location to operate.

“I’ve been working there for 14 years,” said Sudat, a vendor, as he wiped away a tear. “I’m just asking, please, for help.”

“Nobody is doing anything for the Flea Market,” said Martin Tai, who has worked there since he was 15. “Management is doing nothing. Now that Genting is working with Community Board 10, maybe you guys bring up the issue with them.”

Patrick Jenkins, Genting’s community relations official, was not present at the public forum. The Indo-Caribbean Alliance is circulating a petition, which has already gained over 200 signatures, to speak with the company.

According to vendors, Aqueduct’s management said it would negotiate in January. At last month’s meeting CB 10 chair Betty Braton said that the Flea Market’s lease would not be renewed after the holiday season.

“The Community Board plans on working with local officials and vendors to find the market a new site,” she said, adding, “if it comes to that.”

Genting’s Racino, which is expected to open in May or June of next year, will bring 800 permanent jobs to the community.

The Flea Market has operated at Aqueduct for over 40 years and currently provides approximately 2,000 jobs for its vendors, many of whom are immigrants and rely on the market as their sole source of income.

“All our investments, all our lives, are in this flea market.” Tai said.

Pols Cheer After Aqueduct Racino Groundbreaking, but Vendors Jeer, Saying They're Being Sold Short by Kate Nocera - NY Daily News

I find the Daily News headline to be misleading..In addition to the politicians at the groundbreaking, I think the over 1000 members of the community (me included) who attended the premier event were cheering, as well...I believe the Genting New York's new World Resorts New York will provide much needed jobs and provide financial stability to Ozone Park, Aqueduct Racetrack and the surrounding areas...

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About 100 merchants from the Plain and Fancy flea market protest Thursday's Aqueduct groundbreaking ceremony.

Vendors who operate a flea market in Aqueduct race track's parking lot say odds are they'll be the big losers now that developers have broken ground for a new casino.

A group of 100 vendors from the Plain and Fancy flea market protested yesterday's groundbreaking ceremony, which was attended by dignitaries and elected officials, including Gov. Paterson. The vendors say they have not been told where they will be able to move when the market's lease expires in December.

"The flea market has been here for over 25 years," said food vendor Alfredo Goyochea, 42. "These are good local jobs. If the market is not here I don't know what I will do."

Casino developer Genting New York has said the project will create nearly 1,300 construction jobs and 800 permanent jobs for the community.

Dan Silver, a spokesman for the New York Racing Association, which runs Aqueduct, said the association and Genting "are discussing what will happen next" for the displaced vendors.

But the merchants who sell from the South Ozone Park market three times a week said the construction will cost them their livelihood if they don't find a similar site.

"We are not against the casino," said clothing vendor Michael Aziz, 34. "But there are 1,000 vendors here who hire at least one or two workers. Those are permanent jobs. For many of us this is our only source of income."

It's not just the vendors who are upset about the market's potential shuttering.

"I'm on a fixed income so I buy everything I need here," said Georgia Bynes, 72, of South Ozone Park. "I buy my food here, my clothes, all my children's clothes. It's what I can afford. This is a great thing for this low-income community."

It was unclear to many of the vendors whether NYRA or Plain and Fancy's management is responsible for finding the market a new home. NYRA is under no obligation to renew the market's lease, an official said.

"We just want someone to tell us something," Aziz said. "There has been no communication. We just want to be able to sit down and discuss our future with them."

The management of Plain and Fancy has not told the vendors their plans for moving the flea market, and discouraged vendors from protesting the groundbreaking, vendors said. Plain and Fancy did not return repeated calls for comment.

Some May Lose in Aqueduct Game By Patrick Clark - Crain's New York Business

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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.

Consider Vietnam native Mike Thai, who has sold cheap wristwatches at Aqueduct for the past 10 years. On a day when the sun is shining and shoppers are plentiful, he can clear a profit of around $400. Since news of the racino deal broke, he's been considering relocating to a New Jersey flea market but worries that the 90-minute drive is too far.

“The problem is, my van is old,” Mr. Thai says. “It's not going to make it.”

MORTGAGE BLUES

Sandy Harry faces a more desperate situation. For the past eight years, the Guyanese immigrant has supplemented her income as a babysitter for a Manhattan family by selling jewelry and apparel at the flea market. Confident that she was getting ahead, she took an adjustable-rate mortgage and bought a house in Richmond Hill. When the interest rate jumped, she found herself struggling to make payments.

“Without this, I will lose my home,” Ms. Harry says. “I take the little salary I make in the city and I invest it [buying wholesale jewelry] to sell at the market to make a profit and pay my bills.”

According to the Center for an Urban Future's World of Opportunity report, immigrant entrepreneurs like Mr. Thai and Ms. Harry are among the most dependable engines of the city's economy, creating growth in all cycles. Many of them make their money catering to the needs of fast-growing immigrant populations.

Vishnu Mahadeo, president of the Economic Development Council in Richmond Hill, notes that many residents in his area rely on vendors like Mr. Thai and Ms. Harry for inexpensive goods they send to their families abroad.

“When they want to fill their suitcases to send back to their home country, the flea market is one of the places they go,” Mr. Mahadeo says.

Not everyone, however, would be sorry to see the flea market close. Some local residents consider it a source of garbage and crime.

Betty Braton, chairman of Community Board 10, which includes the racetrack, declined to comment on the fate of the flea market, but says she supports the racino because of all the jobs it will create.

NOW HIRING

Those jobs are already starting to appear. Genting is planning an Oct. 28 groundbreaking. A company spokesman says that hiring is ramping up in advance of that date. He also says that Genting has made no decision about the flea market. Nonetheless, the company told the Community Board back in July that the market would have to move.

The flea market's operator, Plain N Fancy Shows, which has only a month-to-month lease, says it has yet to be told if the market is staying or going. Although Mr. Thai wonders why there has been little concern for the vendor jobs that stand to be lost, he is resigned to moving on.

“We always stock up for Christmas shopping,” he says. “But I've talked to my friends here [in the market], and everyone says, "The flea market's ending.' This year, we're just liquidating [our stock].” ?