BUSHWICK —If she can make coffee out of dandelions, Courtney Novak can recreate her herbalist-and-fortune-teller-infused flea market on multiple empty lots.
Now, the yogi-artist-sustainable farming student has proven it, by reopening her Bushwick Farm and Flea on Boerum Street and Bushwick Place after it was booted from its first location by developers of a boutique hotel.
"It was really kismet, because I'd been eyeing this lot when I rode my bike by it," said Novak, 30, of the new spot, whose owner Zadok Zvi (nicknamed "ZZ") she said called her after reading in DNAinfo.com she'd lost her market's home on Bogart Street.
"He said he felt bad for me I'd lost the lot," she said. "He's doing the best to clean up [the new place] for me and he's got wood to build tables for the market."
Novak kicked off her inaugural Boerum Street flea Tuesday to the serenades of local musician-shaman Rob McMahon and stone fortune telling readings, she said, along with 15 other tables.
There was Laurell the healing crystal and gemstone seller; Anit Hora the herbal alchemist; Kyle Depew, the handmade soy wax candle vendor; Uta Brauser the artist and designer; vegan organic Prem Soaps; and the vegan Mac n Food truck, to name a few.
And in the future Novak plans to increase the music line-up (with the help of Pedal Power, which uses bikes to generate power for live shows), to include more vendors, and to spruce up the lot with gardening.
The twice weekly market runs Tuesdays 2 p.m. - 8 p.m. and Thursdays 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Vendors, volunteers and visitors can find more information on her website.
