Localtopia 2015

 

I was really excited to have off work on February 7^th because two of my best friends, Tony & Katie, got married!  Since I work most Saturdays, I wanted to make the most of it.  So that morning, I headed to St. Pete with my friend Vimmi for the 2^nd Annual Localtopia. 

 

It’s an event run by Keep Saint Petersburg Local featuring all sorts of local businesses.  It took place in Williams Park in downtown St. Pete.  Since I wanted plenty of time to get ready for Tony & Katie’s wedding, we went right at 10am when the event started. 

I was especially excited because The Hole Donuts teamed up with The Urban Canning Company to create the Glazey Susan – a glazed donut filled with strawberry balsamic & cracked pepper jam and topped with pecans and pretzels!  I love it when local companies collaborate together. 

Vimmi and I were looking for the donuts, but couldn’t find them anywhere.  Then we realized we were at the wrong park (the St. Pete Saturday Morning Market takes place a few blocks away at Progress Energy Park).  That market runs every Saturday 9am – 2pm from October to May.  While we were there, we picked up some coffees at Bay Coffee and Tea Company (I had an Almond Joy latte), and Vimmi found some gluten-free goodies at one of the local stands. 

 

 

While the Saturday Morning Market was big, the Localtopia event was huge!  It had over 100 vendors with all sorts of products, arts & crafts, food, and drinks.  There was live music on the stage and the park was packed!

 

I managed to score the last two Glazey Susan donuts (brought one home for Lance since he was working…but I could have easily eaten both myself). 

The filling was so good that I bought a jar of the Strawberry Balsamic & Cracked Pepper Jam too. 

Vimmi found some gluten-free cupcakes that looked amazing!

 

And we both purchased some awesome soaps from Bodhi Basics.  Their soaps are all organic with no artificial ingredients.  The company is named after their dog, Bodhi, so a portion of their profits goes to local no-kill animal shelters.  They’ll be opening a retail location on 1^st Avenue next month.  I got the Moroccan Clay soap which smells fantastic – with a variety of oils, shea butter, Moroccan rhassoul clay, and spices like cloves, cinnamon, and turmeric.  They even have a soap that’s made with local pork fat from Bodega on Central!

 

 

 

O’Berry’s (which was featured at Green Bench’s Brew Brunch) had some really pretty arrangements of cacti and succulents in fun containers. 

I was also excited for the Drink Like A Local truck – which had about 2 dozen different beers from local breweries, some of which aren’t even officially opened yet.  I tried the Kumquat Hefeweizen from Urban Comfort, which opens soon on Central Ave.  It was sweet, but not too sweet.  I’m looking forward to checking their brewery out soon!  My only complaint about the truck was that the people pouring the beers didn't seem to know much about the different breweries...I was hoping there would be a representative from Green Bench, 3 Daughters, Urban Comfort, etc. 

 

 

We grabbed some lunch before heading back to Tampa.  I had a meatball hoagie from Mazzaro’s which was huge. 

It was certainly a popular event, so I’m sure there will be a Localtopia 2016 to look forward to!