Local markets are more than weekend events. They are test beds for new products, launch pads for entrepreneurs and reliable drivers of foot traffic that support nearby shops and restaurants.
Tampa Bay Markets, a for-profit company founded in 2010, has built a network of markets that now operates 18 event days each month, creating measurable impact across Tampa Bay.
Filling a gap for local entrepreneurs
When Tiffany Ferrecchia moved to Tampa in 2007 as a personal chef, she was looking for a place to sell her sauces and prepared foods.
Focused on healthy cooking, she had developed a line of products but found few consistent local markets where small vendors could reach customers.
“I came here and I was like, where’s the markets?” Ferrecchia said.
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At the time, Tampa Bay had only scattered options, leaving food makers and craft vendors with limited exposure and few low risk ways to test demand. Ferrecchia decided to build what the region lacked.
“I wrote a proposal and gave it to the City of Tampa and the Downtown Partnership,” she said. “They bid on it, and that’s how the first downtown market was born in 2008.”
She co-founded Tampa Bay Markets in 2010. The company grew from a single downtown event to six locations by 2020 before the pandemic forced a shutdown.
Building a small business engine
During the closure, Ferrecchia launched an online multi-vendor marketplace to help vendors stay visible. In 2021, Tampa Bay Markets reopened and added seven new markets in one year.
Today, the company operates 16 markets across Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties.
Ferrecchia now leads the business on her own after her longtime partner retired in June. She oversees a team of more than a dozen market managers.
Tampa Bay Markets hosts about 900 vendors each month. Booth fees range from $45 to $85, depending on location. Farmers receive their first year free with discounted space afterward.
“We really try to support local farmers,” Ferrecchia said. “It’s important to us that they have a place to sell.”
Signature markets include the Dunedin Downtown Market, Fresh Market at Hyde Park Village, Fresh Market at Wiregrass, Sunshine Market at Midtown and the Sunday Market at Westshore Marina District.
Additional locations include Madeira Beach Wednesday Market, Seminole Heights Sunday Market, Kenwood Sunday Market in St. Petersburg, Sunset Market at Midtown, Carrollwood Market, Trinity Market and the Water Street Sunday Market in downtown Tampa.
Markets as launch pads for growth
Markets have become incubators for Tampa Bay entrepreneurs. Restaurants, bakeries and apparel brands use the events to build followings before opening storefronts.
“Gulf Coast Sourdough created a sandwich shop after starting with us,” Ferrecchia said. “It’s sad when they outgrow us, but it’s amazing to see their success.”
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The model works in reverse as well. Established restaurants use markets to introduce new products or promote existing locations.
“Back in 2010, Bavaro’s Italian restaurant sold sauces at our Hyde Park market,” she said. “That helped them get into Costco and Whole Foods.”
Measuring the economic impact
The most recent economic study, conducted by the University of Florida in 2017, found that Tampa Bay Markets generated an annual economic impact of $13.4 million.
On average, shoppers spent $33,000 per market day at vendor booths and another $177,000 at nearby businesses.
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Since that study, the organization has doubled in size.
“I’m sure the impact now is so much more,” Ferrecchia said. “The study showed how markets drive spending into the surrounding community.”
Human connections that scale
For vendors, markets are more than sales channels. They are communities.
“Being part of Tampa Bay’s market scene has been a huge part of Holy Guacamole’s growth,” said Joaquin Lazcano Anaya, owner of Joaquin’s Holy Guacamole. “It’s more than sales. It’s about building relationships.”
Lazcano Anaya has expanded into new markets across Tampa Bay and built a loyal customer base that looks for his booth each weekend.
Ferrecchia said stories like his reflect the company’s mission. “He’s been able to expand his business under our umbrella, which is exactly what we want to see.”
Programs like the Fulfill Your Destiny Vendor Grant award $1,000 quarterly to help small businesses invest in equipment and improvements.
Kids Market gives young entrepreneurs space to sell handmade goods. A Go Green campaign, created with the University of Florida and the University of South Florida, eliminates single use plastics across all events.
Why local markets matter to Tampa Bay
Markets like those run by Tampa Bay Markets keep dollars circulating locally, lower barriers for entrepreneurs and strengthen small businesses across the region.
“I think people see how they can have a full time job but still make really great products,” Ferrecchia said. “The markets make that possible.”
Fifteen years after its first event, Tampa Bay Markets has grown into one of Tampa Bay’s quiet economic engines. Vendors may come and go, but the local momentum remains.
Visit Tampa Back Markets’ website to find the market nearest you.
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