SPL LIVING
9 January/February 2020 StPeteLifeMag.com
Neighborhood Association’s
Sunshine Award for Best
Event, the St. Pete Chamber
of Commerce’s award for Best
Hotspot and Hangout and Creative
for Best Local Farmer’s Market.
“As with most farmer’s markets,
the intent was to bring in highquality,
fresh produce, which is
hard to do in Florida because the
state is dominated by large-scale
agricultural businesses,” said
Johnson. “But we have a bit of a
wanted to create what I called a
combination of a farmer’s market,
a festival and a town square.”
To achieve that, Johnson says they
followed a three-part formula:
upbeat live music, three times the
average seating space and a wide
selection of ready-to-eat food – so
represented. “People know to
come hungry. They get something
to eat, they hang out. It’s a place
you come to run into friends as
much as you do to shop,” Johnson
said. “I’ve had people tell me, ‘it’s
my happy place’.”
The market has even become
such a hit, it’s not uncommon for
visitors and vendors to drive over
an hour to attend. Worden Farms,
a regular produce provider at the
event, hails all the way from Punta
Gorda, 100 miles away.
The other major farm involved,
Little Pond Farm, drives in from
Bushnell, about an hour north.
“We’ve been coming here for six
years,” said co-owner of Little
Pond Farm Ellen Trimarco. “This
is the best market for us – over
10,000 people come through
every Saturday. Right now, the
are by far the most popular.”
The Dancing Goat, another
returning farm, was one of the
with just milk and eggs and now
have a variety of cheeses from
cottage cheese all the way to
feta,” owner Pam Lunn said. “It is
we sell our goods here to support
our philanthropic endeavors,
including fostering animals and
donating to the National Humane
Society.”
Even if you aren’t interested in
fruits and veggies or fresh-cut
of other interesting booths. Juan
Santos, a local artist, was one of
the founding vendors and has a
variety of colorful St. Pete-themed
watercolors on display and for
sale. “To me, this is like my living
website. I get to meet and talk to
my customers. Even if they don’t
buy anything, I just like to share
my creations,” he said. “And the
vendors, we’re like family now.
I’m from Venezuela and it reminds
me of how my family would all
get together at my grandmother’s
every weekend to just eat and
hang out.”
Ruben Robles, who was running
the St. Pete Ferments stand –
kimchi to kombucha – shared a
similar sentiment. “I love all the
You make friends with all the other
vendors, so it’s really a chance to
catch up with each other as much
as it is to sell products.”
But the strong sense of
community doesn’t stop with the
can feel the friendliness and
connectedness the market prides
here. It’s great; we’re loving the
food, the people. We’ll for sure
come back,” said Ashley Craft.
Visitor Alyssa Sola agreed, stating:
“I like that there’s organic options
something I’ll keep coming back
to.”
The welcoming environment is so
appealing that even those with
by.
“ I’m in school so it’s hard to
Pam Lunn, owner of The Dancing Goat farm, sells goat milk
products at the Saturday Morning Market.
/StPeteLifeMag.com