Under a sunny and blustery sky, music and conversation filled the air as the 600 Block in downtown St. Petersburg launched its monthly Saturday afternoon Indie Market.
On March 3, a leisurely crowd meandered up and down the block, eyeing tables of iridescent glass guitar picks, embroidered vintage pillows, jars of locally harvested honey and vintage clothing racks.
Ramblin’ Rose Upcycle shop co-owner Rosey Williams said the idea for the market developed as the district began gaining notoriety as an arts and culture destination.
Williams said business owners wanted to garner attention “for our strip of independent businesses while giving outside vendors a chance to showcase their talent.”
“We hope more people can get involved and join in as shoppers, visitors, artists, and realize the importance and benefits of supporting the local economy,” Williams said.
Vendors interested in showing their work can contact stpeteindiemarket@gmail.com for more information.
The Indie Market is located on the 600 Block of Central Avenue in St. Petersburg and takes place on the first Saturday of every month from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Ramblin’ Rose co-owners Rosey Williams, left, and Kaitlin Crockett, right, inside their shop on the 600 Block of Central Avenue.Beverly Dock adds Native-American details to her handcrafted purses and moccasins. Originally from New York, Dock—of Chiricahua-Apache descent—uses some of her own recycled materials in her creations, adding “When I get tired of looking at it, I wear it. That’s the true meaning of recycled.”Area beekeeper and owner of St. Pete Hives, Rebecca Conroy has seen an increase in the classes she teaches about homemade body products and beekeeping. When asked if beekeeping is hard to learn, Conroy shrugged and said, “If a person reads a lot, anybody can do it. It’s good for the environment.”Oh Strumpets! Co-owners Becky Farley, left, and Olivia Ortiz, right, met online through mutual admiration of each other’s blogs. Farley jokingly said their quirky, handmade creations “are cute, but a little bit rotten.” The word strumpet means a girl with loose morals.Nic Weathersbee, left, of Urban Micro Farms, explains the benefits of growing your own food. Weathersbee says he has grown more food than he can handle from his raised bed garden and believes he can set an example of “teaching by existing.”Local clothing designer, band stylist and jewelry designer, Joanna Coblentz, came out Saturday to showcase her new jewelry line that she “creates just for fun and to support my dear friend, Rosey.”Local artist Herbert Davis stands with some of his acrylic “earth tones” and “Zen feel” paintings. Davis, who works from his studio for the past 15 years at the Salt Creek Gallery in St. Petersburg, came out Saturday to “see what type of traffic it would bring.”
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