The Art and Crafts Market at the pedestrian zone of Nachalat Binyamin Street, near the Carmel Market in the heart of Tel Aviv was established in 1987. In Tel Aviv one can find streets with only shoes, or spices, or lamps, and Nachalat Binyamin is the street of textiles, mainly fabric, which are sold whole sale and retail, one shop after the other, a street full of fabric shops.
On Tuesdays and Fridays one part of the street becomes alive much more, as a matter of fact there is an explosion of people, color, texture, a mixture of vendors, stalls and shops, merchandise, SUNbrellas, entertainment and music, with a variety of coffee houses and restaurants as well, all with the back drop of the fabric shops.
It is a most enjoyable and happy sight and event. You can even have your feet massaged and your hair braided African style.
The street itself and the surrounding area feature an eclectic and broad array of interesting architecture, Bauhaus style among it. In the last years a great effort has been made to restore many of the buildings to their former glory, with stunning results.
At the market exquisite fashioned items can be found. The rules for being accepted as an artist are: the item has to be original and handmade, and the creator has to be present at his or her stall. The array of ARTicles and CRAFTicles sold is immense. One can find jewelery, pottery, Judaica, dolls, toys, fused glass, things made from wood and gourd and leather, from papier mache and newspaper, and even from silver ware. A lot of imagination and creativity is going on there. The prices are very reasonable and great gifts can be found. The atmosphere is wonderful, it gets quite crowded at the peek hours, but it is always fun!
We took guests from abroad there yesterday and ended our tour at the old port in Yafo with a tasty lunch of grilled fish. I am sure they will tell about all of it at home with excitement in their voices!
My husband was the photographer and he captured the most lovely people at the market and on the way: looking at each other, eating, arguing, resting, receiving items, being pregnant, counting money, reading, smoking, looking bored, making music, smiling, laughing, braiding hair, talking on the cell phone, photographing, checking out and choosing items, watching glass being fused, fusing glass, getting a massage and giving one, looking pretty and being dressed nicely and special, and more!
You are invited to open the link and to accompany us on our lovely tour through Tel Aviv!
People, Buildings, Colors, and Textures in Tel Aviv Yafo, July 2010
