Tampa Street Market Rumors

If you drive up Florida Ave on your way home from work, you might have seen the paper covering the windows on our shop this week. We have got the rumor mill churning in our little neighborhood.

#1 Tampa Street Market is housing homeless refugees during the cold spell.

#2 TSM is going out of businees due to intense competition in the neighborhood.

#3 TSM is under repair due to fire-bombing during the contentious OSHNA elections.

#4 TSM is being renovated to house Conan O'Brian's new Tonight Show in Tampa.

#5 The shop doesn't have a heater and burning trash barrels might scare off customers.

#1 No, but it wouldn't be a bad idea if only we had a heater - driving by that big tent at Metropolitan Ministries I wonder how many people go there to get out of the cold.

#2 No, and unfortunately a lot of our competition comes from big boxes like Target and Crate and Barrel that happily price out local stores through outsourcing labor to places that pay their workers pennies a day to turn out disposable junk. (yeah I said it)

#3 No, but if I am definitely over our ridiculous association infighting. This is an awesome neighborhood! It is ruining our reputation and pushing people away from a great neighborhood.

#4 I wish, that poor guy is getting squeezed out by Leno's big chin and tired jokes. I can barely make it to 11:30 so forget it if your show gets pushed after midnight.

#5 This is the truth. Our landlord even said "Nobody ever complained about the heat before." and encouraged us to shell out our last dimes for the ten or so space heaters it would take to warm our place up. Sorry, we'll just have to close down and the place could use some sprucing up anyway. We are looking for new stuff and building pieces so that the shop will be fresh when the cold finally thaws. Christmas takes its toll on the store and we feel it is important to bring our best work out for customers.

We will re-open in a few weeks and maybe even have a little post New Year bash to celebrate it. Keep an eye out for it. Also, we are trying to entice some of our city's interesting folk artists and crafters to help us get through the year by renting space and/or working days for us. If you are interested in being a part of the best shop in Seminole Heights then drop us an email - amy@tampastreetmarket.com

-Charles