Artists and businesses prep for Corey Avenue Art and Craft Festival in St. Pete Beach

If you’re looking for a way to support local businesses in the new year, Corey Avenue in St. Pete Beach is holding the popular Art and Craft Festival on Saturday and Sunday.  

What we know:

It has been around for decades, but this one is particularly important after 2024’s hurricane season. Many of the businesses along Corey Avenue spent the past year rebuilding and recovering. They say they’re now open to business and hope people stop by while they’re at the festival.

"We're trying to get back to the new normal," Ken Hautmann, President of the Corey Area Business Association and owner of Chill Restaurant and Bar, said. "It was a rough time," he said about the storms and rebuilding.  All the businesses were out there helping clean up and try to get everybody open as fast as possible. So, it was great how everybody came together."

Dig deeper:

Not only have the businesses along Corey Avenue now reopened, but there are also some new businesses as well.

"The events on Corey Avenue really make a huge difference for us, really, you know, gets attention to Corey Avenue, to some of the great businesses that we have here, and we look forward to another nice event," Hautmann said.

This weekend’s festival features handcrafted art, jewelry and more made by local artists and vendors. They’ll transform Corey Avene into an open-air market.

"St. Pete Beach is back, you know, I would say 95, almost 100 percent back to normal. Come on down and please, please come and see Corey Avenue. It's a great place to go shopping two blocks away from the beach," Hautmann said.

The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. If you can’t make it this weekend, Corey Avenue has a Sunday market every week from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.