Tampa Bay Area

[sarahjayn1980]

Who's out there from the Tampa / St. Petersburg / Clearwater area (or the suburbs thereof including the odd municipality of Temple Terrace)? (I'd even take a Sarasotan, if hard pressed.) :)

[Nickle00]

I lived in Brandon for a couple years and miss it every day!! I hope to be back someday!! Do you live around that area at all?

[sarahjayn1980]

My parents live in Brandon (its where I am right now as I visit them every weekend). I live in West Tampa. I used to live in Ybor, and I am planning on moving to Seminole Heights.

[RunsWithFoxes]

(I'd even take a Sarasotan, if hard pressed.)

I'd even take a West Tampan (sounds likes a feminine hygiene product), if hard pressed. I'm in Sarasota. I may be the only non-senior-citizen in the county :up:

[VenomousX]

I live about a 20 minute drive from Plant City and a 30 minute drive from Brandon. Cool to hear about other veg*ans near me ^^

[sarahjayn1980]

I'd even take a West Tampan (sounds likes a feminine hygiene product), if hard pressed. I'm in Sarasota. I may be the only non-senior-citizen in the county :up:

Ha! If I had a dime for ever tampa / tampon joke I've ever heard, I'd be rich!

I went to New College in Sarasota. I loved it - - great town. (Though a little pricey and working in the airport was a strange and horrible experience for the most part.) I still think its a little bit of a stretch to say its in the Tampa Bay area, though. The whole Sarasota / Manatee scene is an area unto its self, you know?

[RunsWithFoxes]

The whole Sarasota / Manatee scene is an area unto its self, you know?

I wouldn't know...I just live here. I do gaze in awe and wonder at the vast metropolis to the North...

:angel:

[sarahjayn1980]

"Vast metropolis" is not something many people would use to describe the big guava except for maybe in terms of pollutants.

As for SRQ, it's more beachy there, I think.

[Tweety]

Saint Petersburg here!

Publix is having a buy one vegan candle get one free sale this week. w00t!

[sarahjayn1980]

really? that's awesome. publix is the best chain grocery, imo.

[Tweety]

I agree about Publix. Their "Greenwise" brand is all over the store. I stopped by their yesterday thinking I'd go there and then to the health food store. But I found my organic beans there, organic apples, and other items without going to the HFS. They even have come out with a chlorine-free bleach for about $1.69 for a half-gallon which is cool.

[sarahjayn1980]

I don't use bleach at all because I break out, but that's cool. I always like it when snow birds come here and marvel at the wonders of Publix, there are some pretty impressive ones, like the one on Siesta Key.

[sarahjayn1980]

Anyone else make it out to the Gasparilla Arts Festival?

[RunsWithFoxes]

I agree about Publix. Their "Greenwise" brand is all over the store.

Publix is still a supermarket built around the antiquated 'four basic food groups' mental model. I'm still waiting for a vegan supermarket chain with per-store square footage to rival the carnie supermarkets - it's gotta be coming. The closest I've seen so far is Sunflower Markets, which is rapidly expanding in the West and Southwest. However, even a Sunflower Market has small meat and dairy sections, although they could someday easily eliminate those and many folks wouldn't even notice.

www.sfmarkets.com

[Jeremy]

Publix doesn't really have any competition, especially where our way of living is concerned. The bulk of what we have throughout the state is Publix, and Winn Dixie, with a few Albertson's in between. Albertson's is expensive, and you're lucky if your Winn Dixie even sells stuff like tofu at all.

[sarahjayn1980]

Y'all still have Winn Dixies? Albertsons is kind of the broke ass store - the one near me closed last year! And what about Sweetbay?

[RunsWithFoxes]

I haven't figured out Sweetbay's branding strategy yet. They aren't a lower-class Whole Foods, and they aren't a higher-class Publix. There's almost no one inside the Sarasota Sweetbay whenever I go in there. It's hard to believe that they're making any money.

[Jeremy]

Y'all still have Winn Dixies? Albertsons is kind of the broke ass store - the one near me closed last year! And what about Sweetbay?

Really? We have a Winn Dixie and a Publix every few miles here on the east Florida coast :) I assumed it was probably about the same way in the Tampa area too. Never heard of Sweetbay.

[MrsKey]

Really? We have a Winn Dixie and a Publix every few miles here on the east Florida coast :) I assumed it was probably about the same way in the Tampa area too. Never heard of Sweetbay.

Sweetbay used to be Kash N Karry. They started switching not long before I moved and well ... It's better than a Piggly Wiggly (you know you're in the Deep South when you've got a Piggly Wiggly) but not as good as Publix. :D

[Tweety]

Publix is still a supermarket built around the antiquated 'four basic food groups' mental model. I'm still waiting for a vegan supermarket chain with per-store square footage to rival the carnie supermarkets - it's gotta be coming. The closest I've seen so far is Sunflower Markets, which is rapidly expanding in the West and Southwest. However, even a Sunflower Market has small meat and dairy sections, although they could someday easily eliminate those and many folks wouldn't even notice.

www.sfmarkets.com



We have a couple of health food stores here that aren't too bad. There is a Wild Oats in Tampa that does rival a big chain store for layout, but it's not vegan. It has free range organic meats and dairy.

I wouldnt' hold my breath as the vegan market in the area is undoubtedly small and we have to put up with the fact that in order to survive markets are going to have to cater to other dieters.

[Tweety]

Publix doesn't really have any competition, especially where our way of living is concerned. The bulk of what we have throughout the state is Publix, and Winn Dixie, with a few Albertson's in between. Albertson's is expensive, and you're lucky if your Winn Dixie even sells stuff like tofu at all.

SuperWalmart is giving them all a run for their money around here. But Publix seems to be holding up whereas Sweetbay and Albertsons, at least in my neighborhood have been hard hit by the competition.

[sarahjayn1980]

I haven't figured out Sweetbay's branding strategy yet. They aren't a lower-class Whole Foods, and they aren't a higher-class Publix. There's almost no one inside the Sarasota Sweetbay whenever I go in there. It's hard to believe that they're making any money.

I live in a high-Hispanic area . . . our Sweetbays are packed because they are very user-friendly. Mostly signs in Spanish, Hispanic specialty foods, etc. It's putting a lot of bodegas here out of business. They can't keep up.

[sarahjayn1980]

We have a couple of health food stores here that aren't too bad. There is a Wild Oats in Tampa that does rival a big chain store for layout, but it's not vegan. It has free range organic meats and dairy.

I wouldnt' hold my breath as the vegan market in the area is undoubtedly small and we have to put up with the fact that in order to survive markets are going to have to cater to other dieters.

Nature's Harvest isn't vegan, either, but its a nice store. I forgot about Super Target, too.

[sarahjayn1980]

http://www.vegtampabay.com/

[Tweety]

Thanks for the great link Sarah. I'm not going to watch those vids on the homepage just yet.