A Guide to Brooklyn's Flea Markets and Thrift Stores

Living in Brooklyn means you don't have to spend a fortune to furnish your apartment. With the borough's seemingly endless array of thrift stores and flea markets, there's no excuse not to create a chic and sophisticated space with cozy personal touches.

That attitude also applies to your closet, thanks to the myriad local artists and designers peddling everything from knitted hats and scarves, to hand-painted tees and unique baubles at markets in Williamsburg, Fort Greene and Park Slope. But before you scurry from market to thrift store and back again this season, look to your eclectically decked-out neighbors for inspiration. You may just see some of their castaway duds at consignment shops like Beacon's Closet and Buffalo Exchange, where locals sell and trade their gently worn favorites.

While some of Brooklyn's most enticing flea markets, such as Park Slope's, hibernate in the winter, several are open year round. Favorite fleas like the Brooklyn Indie Market in Carroll Gardens and The Brooklyn Flea in DUMBO are open weekends, presenting the perfect opportunity to try out a new brunch spot before you traipse giddily from vendor to vendor – just save some room for the mini cupcakes from Kumquat Cupcakery, sold at the Brooklyn Flea.