ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Hear that?

That’s the sound of your alarm going off at 6:43 a.m. just in time for St. Pete’s 48th annual Sunrise Sale, which is only five days away!

What You Need To Know

  • Local shops are preparing for St. Petersburg's 48th annual Sunrise Sale

  • Business owners are using this sale to say thank you to their customers, who have shown support through a tough year

  • The sale is this Thursday, July 15 and will start at 6:43 a.m.

“I believe it was the original sunrise time 48 years ago,” said Jose Martinez, owner of Sartorial Inc. in downtown St. Pete. “At 6:43 folks are outside shopping in their pajamas.”

Martinez and his son Jelani are already preparing for their customers to roll out of bed and into some of the best sales they’ll see at the local shops in downtown St. Pete all year long.

“It’s our way of saying thank you to the community for the kind of support and embrace that they’ve done at Sartorial, Inc.,” said Martinez.

Up the block, Savory Spice Shop is getting ready too.

“It should be hopefully pretty crazy in a good way,” said Becca Fox, manager of Savory Spice Shop.

The shop will be offering discounts as high as 40% off as a way to say thank you to their customers.

“Our loyal customers like to stock up and we appreciate kind of being able to give them that great discount,” Fox said.

Businesses say this year it’s especially important to thank the customers. Without the support, some of these businesses may not have survived the last year.

“As a small business it’s been a difficult time and we really appreciate people continuing to support us,” Fox said.

Difficult to say the least —

When the pandemic hit, many of these stores had to close their doors, not knowing when they might be able to reopen.

“There was always a genuine concern [we would not survive the pandemic],” Martinez said.

But through purchasing gift cards, setting up private shopping appointments and ordering items online, the community showed its loyalty.

“Our community really demonstrated that they want this store to be here, to stay, to be successful,” Martinez said.

The Sunrise Sale will happen this Thursday beginning at 6:43 am.

For a full list of participating stores, visit http://www.stpetedowntownbiz.com/sunrise-sale.html.