Longboat Key to debut market at Town Center Green

Longboat Key plans to launch a farmers market at Town Center Green on Friday, Jan. 14 and will feature 66 booths with vendors selling everything from art and produce to home goods and beyond. 

“We’re very excited about it, and the vendors are very excited about it because they love getting out and meeting new people, and this is a great opportunity to meet some new people and show them what they do,” said Nancy Ambrose, who will be the manager of the market. 

Ambrose has also managed the Coquina Beach Market, which takes place on Wednesdays. The market on Longboat Key, which will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., will be smaller initially, but Ambrose and Longboat Key Support Services Director Carolyn Brown hope to create an event that’s exciting and fresh for vendors and visitors alike. 

“We’re going to be setting up in the parking lot, not on the green itself, and we’ll have about 66 vendors and three food trucks each day,” Ambrose said. 

There will be one market a month until March, and Ambrose said 2022 is something of a test run to see how the market might do on Longboat Key. Ambrose has heard excitement from residents living near the area who plan on walking to the market, and she hopes that it will bring the community together to sit and talk with vendors and each other. Expected vendors include kettle corn, produce, sunscreen, clothing, shoes, health and beauty items, guacamole and handmade bags. The food truck The Maine Lane, which serves lobster rolls and clam chowder, will be there all three times. 

“It’s an opportunity to bring the community together and for people to do something fun without having to leave the island,” Brown said.