ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — This weekend, more than 350 small businesses from across Tampa Bay will be setting up shop at Vinoy Park in St. Pete for Shopapalooza.
Everything from unique fashion and jewelry, to environmentally-friendly sun protective wear, to St. Pete-made delicious ice cream, will be available, with each of these businesses providing an inspiring story to go along with their products.
What began as a series of artistic doodles has turned into a small husband and wife-run company called Shape Shifter Fish and Friends.
“I literally just started shifting shapes, circles, half circles, triangles, to create a manatee, pelican, dolphin,” owner Maria Aller said.
Like many of these entrepreneurs who pursued their dreams during the pandemic, Aller faced her share of challenges and then some.
“So in June of this year, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, which made me put a halt on our business," Aller said. "So an event like this is great for us since we are not able to do so many events now."
Since 2009, Shopapalooza has grown from 40 to nearly 400 businesses.
“Vendors go, ‘This is the best event I’ve ever been a part of,’ or, ‘I’ve had more action the last two days than I had the last six months doing events,’” said Pat Largo with LocalShops1, who organizes the event.
Ray and Alyssa Wyatt, owners of Churned Ice Cream, were forced to leave their job working at a high-end hotel during the pandemic and are now serving ice cream in St. Pete out of a refurbished 1971 Volkswagen van.
“We could incorporate his chef and culinary background and my marketing and a little hospitality background, and we could do something that we really wanted to do together,” Alyssa said.
They anticipate tens of thousands of potential customers to pass them this weekend.
“You get to meet customers who have followed you on Instagram or Facebook. You get to meet them one on one,” Ray said.
Then there’s Moda Galleria Boutique. They said that, unlike your big box stores, when you buy at Shopapalooza, you aren’t just supporting a local business; you’re supporting a local family.
“And we can’t stress thank you enough, for everyone who does shop with our small business, because it is us," owner Cara Scott said. "It’s us putting blood, sweat and tears literally into our business day in, day out, providing for our families."
For more on these local businesses, check out Moda Galleria, ShapeShifter Fish and Friends and Churned Ice Cream.
Shopapalooza runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at Vinoy Park.
