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Brandon Fresh Market owner says she's told to move

By ANDREW MEACHAM
Published November 3, 2006

The market, billed as a "multicultural experience" by its founder, had operated on a parking lot at 901 Lithia Pinecrest Road.

That arrangement came to an abrupt end Saturday when Walter Roberts, manager of a Gold's Gym that controls the parking lot, told Olga Santamaria and her vendors to leave.

Santamaria said the order took her by surprise.

"Everything was going very well," she said. "He called me and said, 'Get out of my parking lot.' "

The gym allowed the market to operate on Saturdays for the past year without paying rent. Roberts did not return repeated calls for comment, but Santamaria said he told her that the market was taking up too much space in the parking lot.

No problem, said John Sullivan, who owns Winthrop Village in Valrico and offered Santamaria an alternative location. The market resumes Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Winthrop Pole Barn, 11275 W Bloomingdale Ave. The site is at the corner of Bloomingdale Avenue and Providence Road.

A Colombian native who has lived in the United States for seven years, Santamaria started the market on Parsons Avenue and Mason Street in 2005 as an eclectic source of plants, breads and herbs.

The balmy bazaar has since added music and seen its vendors increase gradually from three to more than 20.

Andrew Meacham can be reached at 661-2431 or ameacham@sptimes.com.

[Last modified November 2, 2006, 08:05:43]