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Hand-made goods and organic food showcased at the Dunedin Downtown Market

By Travis Anthony
Published  January 11, 2025 4:00pm EST
Tampa
FOX 13 News

Dunedin Downtown Market

FOX 13 Photojournalist Travis Anthony went to the market where hand-made goods are being offered at a reasonable price.

The Brief

    • The Dunedin Downtown Market features more than 50 vendors every Friday and Saturday.
    • Tampa Bay Markets operate local markets like the Dunedin one in 13 locations around the Tampa Bay Area.

DUNEDIN, Fla. - In the beautiful weather of the winter, downtown Dunedin thrives with a weekend marketplace of fresh foods and locally sourced goods.

"One of the great things about Dunedin's Market is that it's got local produce, so we have a little bit of everything to choose from," shared Meredith Watson. "We have anything from baked goods, sourdough breads, olive oils, local honey. We've got a little bit of everything."

Hand-made goods and organic food is showcased at the Dunedin Downtown Market.

Watson is the Operations Manager of Tampa Bay Markets. Her group oversees the local markets, like this one in Dunedin.

"We get great, tremendous support from the community. We have a lot of loyal customers that see us weekly," she said, "On Friday's, I call it more of our local day; Saturday is more of our tourist day."

The Dunedin Downtown Market features more than 50 vendors every Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. in John R. Lawrence Pioneer Park on Main Street.

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"It's very important for the livelihood of these vendors," admitted Watson, "They will meet a tourist from Ohio, and they have a customer for life, because they can sell online. The face-to-face is even better."

That sentiment was echoed by Savannah Barrett from Five Acre Woods.

"Markets are how we make our physical appearance," she said. 

Hand-made goods and organic food is showcased at the Dunedin Downtown Market

The business is located in Dade City and her parent's farm. Her father makes handcrafted cutting and charcuterie boards. Her mother makes puzzle boxes for keepsakes.

"It's been really nice as a way to get out and be able to bring our product (to the public). We do have an online site, but that's kind of a secondary market. I think people would much rather support local," said Barrett.

The market gives a space for the owner and operator to meet a customer and to sell directly to the consumer. It's also a way for a niche market item to gain some traction in the community.

Rich More learned that from his candied jalapeño business "For Pedro's Sake."

"This is what keeps me in business. Without this opportunity there's no way I could scale up and grow," he admitted.

His candied jalapeño business was a hobby, just something that he did for fun.

"We only use fresh ingredients, everything is pretty simple," he stated, "I make the joke that I touch every one of these jalapenos at least once."

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Fresh and local is another reason that many shoppers visit markets like Dunedin's.

"When you shop here, you know that everything you get is organic. It goes straight from the farm to your bag to your table," said Emily Richo, a vendor for Life Farms out of Clearwater.

Of the market, she shared, "It gives these vendors access to the market, it gives them access to the local community."

For the adventurous, Barrett summed it up this way, "There's always something different at the markets."

Tampa Bay Markets operate local markets like the Dunedin one in 13 locations around the Tampa Bay Area.

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