CROWN HEIGHTS — In the world of Brooklyn artisan markets, there's Gifted, and then there's Chosen.
Crown Heights' third annual "In The Glow" art bazaar may resemble the Brooklyn Flea's Gifted holiday market in its gold-dipped foliage jewelry and leopard print maxi skirts, but the Dec. 15 function is no cookie-cutter crafts fair.
For one thing, both the shoppers and the vendors are exclusively female. For another, they're nearly all Hasidic.
"The idea is that every person has a spark, has their glow, has their specific unique gift," said founder Yocheved Sidof, who is currently seeking vendors to fill this year's event.
"There’s something really empowering about celebrating women’s gifts, specifically in our community."
While the Orthodox event lacks its Brooklyn Flea's many counterintuitive uses for bacon, it more than makes up for that with everything from fashion designers to accountants and childbirth coaches.
"It started off as a Crown Heights event, but it’s not anymore," Sidof said. "The Crown Heights shopper is very savvy, so I think a lot of Jewish women in other communities would like to tap into that market."
The annual event has also served as a soft launch for many creative women, Sidof said.
"[At our first event] we had about 300 women, and about 40 vendors," Sidof said.
"I love that our event has kind of been a springboard or just a first stop or one of the first stops for a lot of up-and-coming Jewish creatives like [band] Bullet Proof Stockings and [clothing designers] Mimu Maxi."
Sidof said she believes that, more than simply offering an an opportunity to court clients, the bazaar actually fosters connections that might not happen otherwise.
"Some local woman got to experience childbirth education with two Satmar women in Williamsburg," Sidof said. "I don’t know where else that connection would happen."
"In the Glow" will be held at 570 Crown St. at 7 p.m. Dec. 15.
