To Market We (Hope To) Go

GULFPORT PHOTOS/LARRY BUSBY

To Market We (Hope To) Go

As we head into fall, the season when outdoor markets generally gear up, it’s hard to be certain what the rest of the year holds in store. Many markets closed or suffered losses and hardships through the pandemic the last season. Now, with less mandates and more open businesses, our fingers are crossed that local outdoor markets will return.

Here, we take a look at St. Pete’s market scene heading into this fall. Be forewarned, managers and vendors may decide at any time to close, change hours or drop out. We suggest you check online or social media before heading out.

Saturday Morning Market

Since opening in 2002, St. Pete’s Saturday Morning Market has established itself as a beloved institution, a regular weekly gathering spot for downtown residents to grab breakfast or lunch, pick up some fresh produce, cheese and baked goods, roam through plants, hats, crafts and clothing, and listen to some homegrown music.

“We plan to open and operate as usual, as long as it’s safe to do so,” said market manager Gail Eggeman.

Saturday Morning Market opens October 2 and runs weekly from 9 am to 2 pm in the Al Lang Field parking lot at the corner of 1st Street S. and 1st Avenue S.

From October through May, the market attracts thousands of people from across Tampa Bay every weekend (except during Grand Prix). Some 140 vendors from as far away as Punta Gorda have been coming every year to set up early Saturday mornings in the Al Lang Field parking lot, where the market is held. During summer months a smaller version of the market moves to Williams Park.

Last year, things looked a lot different. After shutting down completely, fences went up to monitor attendees, masks were mandatory, and tables and chairs had been removed; there was no live music. Still, the regulars came, pushing strollers, walking dogs, greeting friends and neighbors. What will the Saturday Morning Market look like this fall when it opens October 2?

Gulfport Markets

Over in fun-loving Gulfport, the market scene is thriving with support from the Gulfport Merchants Chamber. Four markets operate on a weekly or monthly basis. Every week from 9 am to 2 pm year-round, the Gulfport Tuesday Fresh Market brings vendors from across the region offering fresh produce, jewelry, handmade arts and crafts, botanicals and other unique items in an open-air market along Beach Boulevard, the town’s main street. A Fourth Saturday Fresh Market open from 9 am to 2 pm July through October is a recent addition (dates for 2022 were undecided). It’s similar to the Tuesday Fresh Market along Beach Drive.

First Friday Art Walks along Beach Drive offer the perfect opportunity to stroll the shops and pop in at one of the many dining and drinking establishments in the cooler evening hours from 5 to 9 pm. The vendors are vetted to encourage higher quality arts and crafts in a juried event. Live music is everywhere, along with welcoming locals and proprietors who serve as cheerleaders for this laid-back town on Boca Ciega Bay. To find your favorite new gecko earrings and some holistic lotions and potions, the festive Third Saturday IndieFaire Night Market is worth checking out every month from 5 to 9 pm along Beach Drive.

For more information on Gulfport markets and art walks, plus a lot more, go to visitgulfportflorida.com

Worth Mentioning

Vintage Marché, Tampa Bay’s largest monthly vintage flea market, has gained dedicated fans from both sides of the pond since it started in 2013 as Brocante Vintage Market. Held the first weekend of every month in a 15,000-square-foot warehouse in the Warehouse Arts District, Vintage Marché is jam packed with more than 50 vendors hawking antiques, trash and treasures from all eras — it’s up to you to sift through it all.

Here you’ll find everything from furniture to lamps, vases, toys, china and cookware, glassware and bottles, holiday displays and ornaments, clothing and hats, paintings and clocks, well, you get the picture. Set aside a couple hours and wear comfortable shoes.

Get a sneak peek at the goods during First Dibs Friday when a limited amount of tickets are sold for $5 allowing entry between 4 and 8 pm (it’s refundable when you purchase an item). Otherwise, join the throngs from 9 am to 6 pm Saturday and 9 am to 5 pm Sunday. Located at 2200 2nd Avenue S. To learn more, go to vintagemarche727.com

Vintage Marche

Over on St. Pete Beach, the Corey Avenue Sunday Market attracts locals and visitors year-round from 10 am to 2 pm. Dozens of vendors sell everything from fresh produce and baked good, organic products, flowers and plants to clothing, jewelry, arts and crafts. It’s an easy stroll to find shade or a bite to eat at one of the nearby boutiques or eateries. Better yet, you’re just a few minutes from one of the nation’s top beaches, so plan to make a day of it. Look for the vendor tents set up along 300 Corey Avenue.

Relatively new to the St. Pete market scene is the Deuces Sidewalk Market, in the historic Deuces District. The small outdoor pop-up market at 833 22nd Street S. has a changing lineup of mainly arts and crafts vendors each Sunday from 1 to 4 pm.