Meanwhile Brewing Co. hosted the Austin Flea on Feb. 25, featuring a variety of vendors selling everything from hot sauce to vintage clothing.
The market started at noon and quickly came to life with activity; families and shoppers enjoyed several food trucks, lots of seating shaded by trees, and a playground to entertain kids. Vendors surrounded the venue with racks and tables showcasing clothes, jewelry and, as always, lots of unique artwork.
Austin Flea originally started in 2009, and what started as a few shows a year has now become weekly markets scattered across local venues. According to the Austin Flea website, The Flea’s owner and manager, Kristin Jacobson, created the market after an inspiring trip to the Brooklyn Flea in New York. In an effort to create Texas’ version of the iconic market, Austin Flea was born.
The Flea is an artisan market, specifically aimed at providing a platform for “Austin’s best makers and crafters,” according to the website. To achieve this goal, the market never fails to feature local artists and creatives, each one equipped with immense talent and a unique story to tell.
This past market at Meanwhile showcased the original work of multiple artists, including Austin-based couple Hector Sandoval Jr. and Rebecca Wilson.
The two originally started their business, Easy Street Prints, in California by printing other peoples’ images onto wood, but they later decided to repurpose this method and make art of their own. They started printing and painting their own mixed-media designs after relocating to Austin in 2021.
“When we moved here, we realized we wanted to just make our own stuff,” Wilson said. “We both studied art, so it was the perfect transition.”
Wilson and Sandoval always make sure to stay active in the local art scene by participating in local galleries, festivals and markets on a monthly basis.
“Austin Flea is one of my favorite places to work,” Wilson said. “They’re awesome, and they always pick crackin’ spots.”
A few tents down from Wilson and Sandoval, another artist filled her table with watercolor paintings and paper jewelry. Denise Jaunsem is a painter and self-proclaimed nomad, living out of a trailer and traveling from place to place selling her art.
“My parents and grandparents were artists,” she said. “I was surrounded by art from day one, so I can’t help myself.”
When she’s in Austin, Jaunsem often participates in the local markets, and she said Meanwhile Brewing is one of her favorite spots. At her tent, she offered her flea market specialty– customized pet portraits, which are commissioned and painted quickly on the spot.
“The first person today who commissioned one had me paint a hamster,” Jaunsem said between laughs. “That was the first time I painted a hamster.”
Jaunsem hopes to grow her art business to ultimately support herself full time, and this is a goal that she continues to strive for.
The Austin Flea and its creator put heavy emphasis on the support and growth of small businesses. In Jacobson’s personal statement on the Austin Flea website, she said the Flea has seen multiple small vendors evolve into full-time businesses, which is one of her favorite parts of working at the market.
Her other favorite part is watching the markets transform everyday spaces into a hub for artists and their work.
“Going from a parking lot or taproom to a full on artists’ market with everyone’s creativity on display is something I still love seeing after all of these years,” she said in her statement. “It gives me a sense of pride to see all of the amazing artwork our vendors have to offer.”
This weekend, Meanwhile Brewing, Pinthouse brewing and Mañana Coffee will host flea markets. If you want to support this local artisan market, details on all upcoming Austin Flea events can be found here.