All Your Holiday Needs on Franklin - Flea Market this Saturday

It's that time of year, and if the weather won't co-operate with fluffy snow, local merchants are happy to oblige with seasonal items and great gift ideas. Get out and get your shopping done on Franklin Avenue--you'll be rewarded with good deals and friendly faces (instead of the anonymous crush of insanity that is Manhattan this time of year), and you'll be keeping our local merchants in business for another year. Holiday shopping accounts for a huge chunk of yearly retail profits, so make sure you spread the wealth where you live.

- Nam's has a great display of seasonal evergreen displays (pictured), and they're a steal! I surprised the lady with an $8 potted Christmas tree, and they also have poinsettias, wreaths, and clippings. Step inside to grab a bottle of their newest item, fancy-schmancy beer, for the holiday party (corked Belgian-imitation ones are always fun).

- The trio of coffee-shop/cafes has something for everybody. Pulp and Bean (stop in and taste their soups today if you're chilly--the split pea is great) will stock assortments from Brooklyn's own Tumbador Chocloates in Sunset Park. The Breukelen Coffee House continues to offer breads, pies, and cakes mad to order from Balthazar along with their great lineup of homemade vegan desserts, and you get get Brooklyn-made breads and sumptuous sweet things down the street at Lily & Fig.

- Grab something to represent the Avenue and share the Brooklyn love with family and friends at About Time or The Pana Store.

- UPDATE: A comment from Emily (below) reminded me to mention Nairobi's Knapsack, which join Lily & Fig as a participant in the Shop Brooklyn initiative. I'll let her make the case:

"Don't forget Nairobi's Knapsack--I picked up a set of t-shirts for my niece and nephew the other day. Where else can you find a Che Guevera t-shirt in a size 2T?"

- Get great gifts from the Franklin Flea this Saturday, when this summer's merchants will return to their spot at Sterling and Franklin for a holiday encore on both Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM - 4Pm. I've already ordered some sauces from the Pour Gourmet, snagged a wallet from Frank, and grabbed some great recycled gifts from Planet Ert. The market will feature seasonal fun including hot chocolate and music, and the weather looks to be cold but clear--see you there!