This article is sponsored by Montclair Flea.
Attention shoppers: The Montclair Flea is back and better this year with a fresh lineup of events, vendors, and deals to shop (not just for one weekend, but all year long). Whether you’re a vintage lover, gift-giving fanatic, or just enjoy the thrill of sifting through unique goods, there’s something for everyone to discover at the market, which is taking up permanent residency at Lackawanna Station. Keep reading to learn more about the Montclair Flea Market and its new permanent home at the historic Lackawanna Station.
About Montclair Flea
Locals may know the Montclair Flea from last year’s Holiday Market, which attracted nearly 40,000 New Jerseyans. Now, the Montclair Flea is taking up permanent residency at Lackawanna Station, located at 1 Lackawanna Plaza in Montclair. The property has long been neglected, but will be thoroughly repurposed into a hub for growth and community connection.
This permanent setup allows flea goers to visit every weekend throughout the year from 11AM – 6PM (excluding holiday weekends). Besides an array of makers, doers, and entrepreneurs, this year’s calendar features newly themed events that spotlight local vendors, niche collectors, and even a few festive seasonal celebrations. The Montclair Flea is more than just a market, it’s a community-centric celebration of creativity and connection. Think of it as Montclair’s very own Chelsea Market, filled with inherently local finds.
What to Expect
The official kick off will take place May 10th and 11th with “MOMclair,” a specialty Mother’s Day Market filled with curated, local micro businesses. Locals can expect plenty of shopping, programming for kids, food, drinks, music, food trucks, murals, sculptures, and even art exhibitions.
In the past, Montclair Flea has showcased a diverse lineup of talented vendors showing off everything from art and handcrafted jewelry to homemade beauty products, clothing, home decor, artisan goods, and more. So no matter if you’re treating yourself or just on the lookout for the perfect gift for a loved one, there’s no doubt you’ll discover something special here.
How to Participate
Locals of all kinds are welcome to participate in the Montclair Flea. If you’re an artist, artisan, designer, or collector looking to grow your business, the Montclair Flea serves as a hub for all types of creators. Interested vendors can apply here for a chance to become part of North Jersey’s most exciting marketplace. Vendor applications are free (there’s a cost to vend), come with zero obligation, and are valid all year. The Montclair Flea team accepts and responds to applications on a rolling basis to keep things tightly curated and typically replies within five business days.
The Montclair Flea will take place every non-holiday weekend, rain or shine, from 11AM – 6PM at Lackawanna Station located at 1 Lackawanna Plaza, Montclair, New Jersey. For more information, visit the Montclair Flea’s website and follow @montclair_flea and @lackawannastation on Instagram for updates.
Struggle Summer Continues as Delays + Cancellations Disrupt EWR
On April 15th, 2025, Newark International Airport shut down one of its biggest departure runways in alignment with a $121 million rehabilitation project to repair its infrastructure. The 60-day closure is meant to give the facility time to work on the runway to bring it up to current safety standards. Passengers were warned to expect delays and plan accordingly, but the situation has devolved into a series of infrastructure malfunctions and staffing issues. The work is just beginning, but it would appear that so are the headaches for passengers, with countless delays and cancellations. Read on for the latest about the flight issues occurring at Newark Airport.
Newark Update
In mid-April, The Montclair Girl shared a report about upcoming disruptions at Newark Airport. One of the airport’s largest runways would be shut down. Runway 4L-22R closed on April 15th due to renovation plans that include a paved runway surface, updated lighting, improved airfield signs with LED lighting, new electrical infrastructure, and drainage improvements, as per EWR’s construction advisory. This runway will remain closed until mid-June.
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This project is part of a two-year construction initiative to renovate and upgrade several of EWR's sites. This started in 2024 and is expected to continue into 2026. The next planned upgrade will be on September 16th, 2025, for the Corbin Street Ramp Project. The ramp will be closed for one year, and “all vehicular traffic will be detoured via Marlin and Kellogg streets,” as per EWR.
Read More: 19 New Businesses in the Montclair Area This Spring 2025
While customers were forewarned about possible issues flying in/out of EWR, it took a few days for the full brunt of the work to be felt by fliers. The week of April 28th saw over 100 flight delays and cancellations each day at Newark Liberty International Airport. Since then, the number of delays and cancellations has been rising. According to the flight tracking website FlightAware, there have been 208 flight delays and 112 cancellations just at 1PM on May 6th.
Newark is a major hub for United Airlines, and fliers on that airline have experienced the most disruption. In a message sent to customers, the CEO of United Airlines, Scott Kirby, stated that the shortage of air traffic controllers, which has been “chronically understaffed for years,” coupled with outdated technology at EWR, was to blame for the week-long flight issues. He also claimed that “over 20% of the FAA controllers for EWR walked off the job."
"It’s now clear – and the FAA tells us – that Newark airport cannot handle the number of planes scheduled to operate there in the weeks and months ahead,” CEO Scott Kirby said.
Starting the weekend of May 10th, United Airlines will cancel 35 round-trip flights per day at EWR. “It's disappointing to make further cuts to an already reduced schedule at Newark,” CEO Scott Kirby stated, “...but since there is no way to resolve the near-term structural FAA staffing issues, we feel like there is no other choice in order to protect our customers.”
On Monday, May 5th, Delta Air Lines Inc., which has about 30 departures a day at Newark, announced that it would also cancel a “small number” of flights due to air traffic control restraints, as per Bloomberg.
Deeper Issues
On April 28th, air traffic controllers from the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control, which directs planes to Newark Liberty International Airport, lost radar and radio communication with incoming flights and were “unable to see, hear, or talk to them,” Galen Munroe, spokesman for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), first shared with The New York Times. According to Bloomberg, communications were lost for 90 seconds.
The FAA shared in a post on n X that multiple air traffic controllers at the Philadelphia TRACON have taken government leave to recover from the trauma. CNN reported that at least five employees took 45 days of leave. NATCA said via a statement to CNN that these air traffic controllers “did not ‘walk off the job,'” as claimed by United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby.
Frequent equipment and telecommunications outages can be stressful for controllers. Some controllers at the Philadelphia TRACON who work Newark arrivals and departures have taken time off to recover from the stress of multiple recent outages. While we cannot quickly replace them…
— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) May 5, 2025
“Frequent equipment and telecommunications outages can be stressful for controllers,” the FAA said in the post. “While we cannot quickly replace them due to this highly specialized profession, we continue to train controllers who will eventually be assigned to this busy airspace.”
“Our antiquated air traffic control system is affecting our workforce,” the FAA also said in an earlier post. “We are working to ensure the current telecommunications equipment is more reliable in the New York area by establishing a more resilient and redundant configuration with the local exchange carriers. In addition, we are updating our automation system to improve resiliency.”
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Duffy calling for more resources for the airport. “Decades of underinvestment in the maintenance of critical air traffic control infrastructure, delays in upgrading to modern 21st-century air traffic control technology, and inadequate air traffic control staffing have resulted in a frail system nationwide,” wrote Governor Murphy.
“The FAA has stated that American airspace is short 3,000 air traffic controllers, and I appreciate your efforts to retain and hire additional controllers. As the FAA works to address the years-long shortfalls, I urge you to prioritize the region, the busiest airspace in the nation, by immediately addressing Philadelphia TRACON Area C staffing levels and developing a plan to address chronic staffing shortages at New York TRACON."
“As you work with Congress to fund additional investments in air traffic management systems, the New Jersey-New York region should be prioritized for technology and facility upgrades to help the more than 144 million passengers coming through Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) operated airports annually,” continued Governor Murphy. “We expect millions of additional passengers next year as we prepare to host the World Cup Finals and must avoid additional disruptions or strains on the system.”
In the meantime, passengers are encouraged to check with their airlines for updates and passenger policies. The Newark Airport website also has resources for passengers.
See More: Union Strike May Shut Down NJ Transit Lines Completely on 5/16: What to Know
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