ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Strolling through local markets is a favorite weekend for many Tampa Bay residents and they're only attracting more people. 

What You Need To Know

  • Sunday Market St. Pete is making its debut at St. Pete High from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday.

  • The new weekly market will feature more than 75 vendors. 

  • Tampa Bay Markets says foot traffic and interest from vendors has been rapidly growing since 2021.

A new weekly market, Sunday Market St. Pete, is making its debut this Sunday. It will feature more than 75 vendors every week selling everything from farm-fresh product to art and baked goods.

The market is run by Tampa Bay Markets, which operates dozens of others in the area. This will be the organization’s first market in St. Pete.

Organizers say foot traffic at their markets has been growing since 2021, as well as interest from small vendors looking to participate. 

“I just felt like I was seeing all these different applications coming in one after another,” said Tiffany Ferrecchia, the operations director for Tampa Bay Markets. “I think a lot of people started a small local business in the COVID time and they’re looking for a place to sell what they make.”

Many small, local vendors rely on markets to get their name out there.

“Anything a business owner can do in order to get the business out there where it’s not costing them an arm and a leg and getting all the foot traffic you get at their events, it’s phenomenal, it makes a world of difference,” said Kenneth Stephens, the founder of Not Your Mommas Cookies.

Stephens just started bringing his fresh-baked cookies to local markets about five months ago to help expand his customer base. 

“You have an opportunity to make more income based on the time that you spend here,” he said. “That, in a lot of ways, makes a world of difference for a lot of vendors, a lot of people that are just starting out. I truly believe in them. The community obviously believes in them, so we get here and we make things happen.”

Sunday Market St. Pete will run until May and pick back up again in the fall. Depending on the turnout, however, organizers may consider making it a year-round market. It will be open every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Petersburg High School, though the event is not affiliated with the Pinellas County School District. 

It’s important to note this market is different from the existing Saint Pete Sunday Market, which happens on the third Sunday of the month at ArtsXchange in the Warehouse Arts District.