Pop-Up Community Market Days – January 2025

Check out community markets happening throughout Pasco County

January 14, 2025 michele525 BUSINESS, CALENDARS | ARCHIVES, DIVERSIONS, GET OUTDOORS, LOCAL BIZ SPOTLIGHT, Market Days, PARKS & REC 0

I was following my best intentions to shop small local businesses during the holiday season when I bumped into Aisha Martinez and Anais Cancel a couple of local entrepreneurs who have earned quite a healthy following at local markets and in Tampa, too, as the purveyors of Dulza’s, a niche catering side hustle with a Puerto Rican flare.

Martinez and Cancel were featured in a What’s What New Port Richey business story in June of 2023 about the growing pop-up market industry and in particular, the Community Markets and Events business, which also serves as an adverting sponsor for this page.

Back then they were pushing delicious desserts and considering a step-by-step process of growing their business model, starting at local markets.

Another local e business venture headed by event planner, Cheryl Taylor called, Community Markets & Events, helped to provide the pop-up venues to sell their sundries in parks, neighborhoods and on occasion at local businesses and malls.

These local pop-ups offer a convenient way for the community to shop locally, support small businesses while helping to sustain and hopefully grow the local economy. Markets also give vendors of all sorts – whether it be bakers, soap and dog treat makers, honey gatherers, jewelers or lemonade stand owners – an opportunity to build a customer base along with their business model while keeping overhead costs down. For some, it’s the next step in moving on to a food truck or brick-and-mortar store.

That, in fact is what happened for Martinez and Cancel, who over the summer moved from table and tent to parking a full-blown food truck.

And while they will be keeping their day jobs, there is a sense of pride and anticipation moving forward.

“We got to the point where we had to,” Martinez said. “A phone call came out of nowhere that a truck was available and a week later we had our food truck.”

Next steps.

Now on to Markets and Events happening in the new year.

And if you run into Martinez and Cancel, to be sure to get the Empanadas. Yum

Click on the ads listed below for information on each specific market or visit the Community Markets & Events website here to connect to vendor information and rates.