Boro Artisans Make a Splash at Arts and Culture Fest

Say hello to Brooklyn's newest outdoor market.

Boasting a diverse group of vendors selling mostly handmade and one-of-a-kind products, the  opened up for business Saturday morning outside the Parkside Avenue B and Q line station.

Many of the sellers at Arts and Culture Fest are veterans of other outdoor markets and festivals, like Delila Kee, who previously sold her handmade Guatemalan and Senegalese accessories at .

"The location is great and I live just down the street, so it's really convenient," Kee said.

Organized by Creative Side founder Atim Oton, the market began its weekly run with 15 vendors hailing from all over the borough helping to enliven what was once an empty and underused corner at Ocean and Parkside avenues. 

Oton first got the idea to set up the market while walking to her mother's house nearby.

"I know this location well, and every time I passed, I said, 'There's nothing happening here," Oton said. "It's a great underutilized space."

Though food wasn't offered at today's market debut, Oton said the Fest would eventually include eats courtesy of CaribZone, which will also set up several booths to help celebrate Caribbean month in June.

"It's a start," Oton said of today's opening. "It's just the beginning."

The Arts and Culture Fest will take place ever Saturday from April 21 through Oct. 20. Click here for information on how to apply to be a vendor.