South St. Pete Marketplace Ends Food Desert With Convenience

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — South St. Petersburg residents have a local place to purchase fresh produce after almost four years following the closure of the area's Walmart Neighborhood Market.

Nikkol Patton, 53, a South St. Pete resident, saw the need increase for residents to have a nearby grocery store shortly after the coronavirus pandemic began. This sparked her idea to create a farmers market, South St. Pete Marketplace, in the parking lot of the Manhattan Casino.

"So many people from my community are struggling to afford taxis and ride-share services to take them to get groceries at the Walmart Super Center on 34th Street N," Patton told Patch. "After the Walmart Neighborhood Market in the Tangerine Plaza on 18th and 22nd closed, there have been different attempts to revive it but it's just never come to fruition. It's basically been a food desert."

Patton didn't like the inconvenience of driving to sometimes multiple grocery stores on a Friday to find fresh fruits and vegetables. Her family is Jewish, which doesn't allow cooking on the Sabbath (Saturday) so it's important for her family to cook a big meal together the day before the holy day. Most of her family is vegetarian and kosher, so she wanted a one-stop for fresh produce.

The Manhattan Casino gave Patton, who is also on its advisory board council, permission to host the marketplace on the property after she asked. Wasting no time, three weeks later at the beginning of November, South St. Pete Marketplace came to life with a variety of vendors, live jazz music, food trucks and fresh produce from a Clearwater organic farm, Life Farms.

"Everything they do — it's organic and an environmental friendly piece of land that they're working," Patton said. "They're a small crew but working diligently. In addition to giving back to the community in light of the coronavirus, I wanted to help local farmers make a little bit of profit. It's been horrible what farmers have had to go through during the pandemic."

Residents can purchase organic produce at the market using cash, debit cards or EBT cards.

Vendor space is available and free for the first couple of months. After the free-month-period, a space would cost between $30 to $50 per event.

South St. Pete Marketplace, 642 22nd Street South, operates every Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., and it is a year-long market.

Patton petitioned the state and city that if a shutdown happens again, the market will be deemed essential and remain open.

For more information, visit South St. Pete Marketplace Facebook page. Or if you would like to set up as a vendor, contact SouthStPeteMktPLC@gmail.com.