Fridays’ well known lunchtime event, "Tampa Downtown Market" is moving to Sunday. It is being replaced by “Lunch on the Lawn” at Lykes Gaslight Square.
Tampa Downtown Partnership hosts both events. The market is moving to Sunday because research is showing that consumers and vendors want two different things. The Sunday event allows consumers to leisurely shop and browse local products. The Friday event focuses on food, entertainment, and socializing with coworkers and friends. The market typically runs October through May, but it was announced in July that it would not run this year.
The change was prompted, in part, because some downtown restaurants complained that vendors were taking their customers as the market migrated from Franklin to Madison and then finally to Twigg Street.
Donna Chen, the Tampa Downtown Partnership’s marketing and communication director, said that while downtown workers enjoyed their lunches with friends on Fridays, they had limited time to shop. In addition, downtown workers could not feasibly purchase a week’s worth of produce and keep it in their office refrigerators for the remainder of the workday.
The hours for the new Sunday market are 10 am to 3 pm and it begins October 14. It is located in the 600 and 700 blocks of North Franklin Street.
The Downtown Partnership has heard that that many people like this idea. The Sunday market will offer a variety of wares, such as local artwork and locally designed fashion accessories, in addition to typical market fare such as fruits, vegetables, spices, eggs, and breads.
The Sunday market already has 40 vendors signed up. The Friday market typically brought in 40 to 60 vendors. The partnership is limiting the number of vendors to 50 for the Sunday market. VSpicery, a downtown business, found it difficult to participate on Fridays but plans to participate on Sundays. Val Herzog of the VSpicery, thinks that the Sunday market will bring in downtown residents and church goers and that it will grow over time.
Friday lunches begin at Lykes Gaslight Square (410 N. Franklin St,) on October 5, and run from 11am to 2 pm. The downtown partnership thinks that the Friday lunches are a good way for workers to get in the mood for the weekend. Workers dress more casually on Fridays and are interested in socializing, eating, and spending time with friends. Local restaurants will participate by offering express lunches for the tables in the park. The partnership is planning on providing tables for 50 to 100 people. Lunchtime will include live entertainment and light recreation, such as Frisbee throwing and hula hoops.
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