A&E will roll open the 2nd season of Storage Wars: New York on July 9 and the network has some “big” news in regards to a new cast member.
When we say big, we’re talking about Big Steve Valenti. Valenti stands at an intimidating 6′ 8″ and according to the previews, he also looms large when he’s out on the hunt. Here’s what the show’s official site had to say about Steve:
At 6 feet 8 inches tall, Big Steve has been selling since he was Little Steve. He started at a kiosk at JFK Airport and is now a partner in the Aqueduct Flea Market, one of the longest-running outdoor flea markets in Brooklyn.
His larger-than-life presence makes Big Steve a major force to be reckoned with.
As a partner in the Aqueduct Flea Market, one of the longest-running outdoor flea markets in Brooklyn, Big Steve is king of his castle. Will he take over the storage locker world as well? Only time will tell.
The business he partners up in is actually no longer called Aqueduct but instead the Aquaduck Flea Market. The market that used to be housed at Aqueduct got shut down in December, 2010. There were redevelopment plans to build a casino at the site and so the vendors, including Big Steve – who at the time ran Big Steve’s Appliances, had to find a new home. In an article via NY1, they stated that Big Steve had been a vendor at Aqueduct for nearly 30 years.
Big Steve teamed up with partner Dominic Ammerman to operate Aquaduck, which is located at 12637 Flatlands Avenue, on the corner of Flatlands and Fountain Avenue, in Brooklyn. The site boasts over 100,00 square feet of vendor space. It runs year round on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Tuesdays
Check out this perfectly flea-markety marketing ad that Aquaduck ran and was posted to YouTube:
A& E says of Valenti, “When Big Steve wants a locker, he’s not shy about letting people know. And by ‘not shy’ we mean he has a tendency to slam locker doors as hard as he can while yelling, ‘IT’S MINE.'”
If you’re interested in finding out more about Big Steve’s business you can check out their official website here and their official Facebook page here.
