By LINDA CHION KENNEY
More than halfway through its current season, the Winthrop Pop-Up Market in Riverview is set to return this Saturday with more than 160 spots filled with artists, innovative makers, food vendors, food trucks and creative and thriving local business people selling their wares.
The March 16 pop-up event is the sixth in the current season, with remaining dates set for April 20 and May 18. The event runs 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Winthrop Town Center in Riverview, on Sullivan Street. Billed as a “bustling hub of creativity,” the event features “artisans and entrepreneurs who come together to showcase their craftsmanship and offer you an extraordinary shopping experience that is bound to leave a lasting impression.”
The master-planned Winthrop community, founded by John and Kay Sullivan, is a neotraditional town that includes a Taylor Morrison residential community running into The Regent, which abuts the community in the southwest corner on Watson Road. Winthrop is home to charter schools and to the annual St. Patrick’s Day party hosted by the Sullivans, which this year celebrates its 30th anniversary.
Included in the pop-up mix Saturday, March 16, will be up to 15 spots reserved for nonprofit members, as promoted by the newly renamed Central Hillsborough County Chamber of Commerce. It’s a name change recently introduced for the Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce, founded more than 50 years ago.
At the helm for pop-up organizing details is Winthrop Vice President Cindy Manchesi, who said the popularity of the pop-up over the past few years has led to the decision to expand next season. The aim is to hold not one but two pop-ups in each month of the season, which runs from October through May. The additional weekend will showcase artist vendors, which Manchesi said could showcase as well school and student talent.
“We like to feature local artisans and business men and women,” Manchesi said, of the typical pop-up lineup. “It’s a fun event for the community, and we want to support our community.”
Manchesi said spots are chosen from the 200 to 300 applications received. While roughly half of the spots are reserved for interests that sign up for the full season, the other spots are rotated, allowing for something fresh each week.
A view from a recent Winthrop Pop-Up Market
Overall, the booths “feature a little bit of what everybody would want,” Manchesi said, noting the vendor who sells honey, the scout who sells cookies, the artisan who makes special wine bottle bags for gifts. There are people selling seasonings, handmade jewelry, scarfs and chains for dogs, candles, soaps and framed artwork. The list is endless, Manchesi said, “and most of what’s showcased is handmade or unique.”
“The pop-up brings the community to a safe haven,” Manchesi said. “It gives them something to do. We get to showcase Winthrop and its businesses, and each month we get to donate $1,000 to a local nonprofit.” Past recipients have included the boy scouts and girl scouts and the Emergency Care Help Organization (ECHO).
For more on the Winthrop Pop-Up Market, and applications to participate or receive a nonprofit grant, visit www.winthroppopupmarket.com/.