By Tas Anjarwalla
Imagine a summer block party in Williamsburg, New York — people selling artsy knick-knacks and gourmet junk food, musicians jamming out unusual tunes and young, fashionable hipster couples and families lounging around and enjoying the weekend — and there you’ve got the Garden Sale event taking place at Küçükçiftlik Park this past weekend.
Though the purpose feels a little vague, Garden Sale is being marketed as a kind of mini-design/art-cum-music festival “with DJs, workshops and film screenings.” Independent designers from all around Istanbul (and by all around I mean mostly Beyoğlu and Kadıköy) di
Out on the lawn a medium-sized stage has been set for a continuous line-up of musicians to do their thing. In the early evening a DJ cranks out some great Motown hits and some seriously stylish and skin-baring Turks (and expats) are sprawled across the grass on Küçükçiftlik Park’s many big outdoor pillows and bean-bag chairs.
All-in-all it’s a pretty chill affair – people seem to mill about the stalls, then grab a beer and sit out on the grass to chat and listen to live music. Plus, the venue is not too crowded but there are still enough people to keep it feeling lively. By nightfall a hoard of people are dancing to the live reggae band’s slow jams and the vibe is getting pretty festive. And well, there’s plenty of beer (10 TL) to go around and Taksim is just a short walk away.
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Below are a few of my favorite stalls at Garden Sale 2013 and how to find them outside of it:
Bizon
Designers Seçil Abdişler and Murat Gökçe Yılmaz are based out of Kadıköy and each create very different items. Seçil’s specialty is bronze jewelry and Murat, well, he makes hats — and lamps and furniture and tutus — out of cardboard.
www.bizonstudio.com
Ezgi Turan
This artist’s self-named label is one full of stunningly sophisticated clothing items that are printed with the traditional Turkish technique of Ebru, or water marbling. She’s got some seriously chic and soft pieces that would be worth the splurge, and the stall next door will teach you the art of Ebru for 5 TL!
www.galatart.com
PofPof
The manager at Galata Kitchen, a homemade Turkish food joint in Beyoğlu, has created the ultimate cigarette pouch, with millions of hidden pockets and a rolling board built-in. I don’t even smoke, but it’s pretty dang nice. I watched three people buy one in five minutes. Also, I have heard good things about Galata Kitchen and think it’s cool they are branching out.
www.pofpofstore.com
facebook.com/galatakitchen
Carnaval Büfe
For the Americans out there who miss the delicious and unhealthy treats of childhood, Carnaval is where it’s at. Sloppy Joes, corn dogs, chilli dogs, cheese balls – it’s like you’ve died and woken up at the South Carolina State Fair.
Kadife Sok. Kadıköy
www.carnavalbufe.com
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