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Saturday Shops founder tells council vendor academy helped minority‑owned food trucks and small sellers grow
Summary
Council received an update on Saturday Shops, a vendor academy and retail program that has graduated more than 300 vendors, hosted 114 markets and generated more than $1.14 million in small‑business revenue over four years; founder Renee Edwards said the initiative also provided food and emergency relief during hurricanes
The St. Petersburg City Council heard an update on June 12 about Saturday Shops, a local small‑business incubator and vendor academy that supports minority‑owned food trucks, makers and microenterprises.
Lede: Renee Edwards, founder and CEO of Saturday Shops, told council the program has graduated more than 300 vendors from its interactive vendor academy, hosted 114 outdoor markets averaging about 80 vendors each, and generated more than $1.14 million in vendor revenue over four years. Edwards also said Saturday Shops operates a retail “Everyday Shops” storefront and has enabled vendors to reach new customers via the Grand Prix event.
Nut graf: Council members praised the organization’s role in disaster response and local economic development, noting its food‑truck mobilization after recent hurricanes and workforce and entrepreneurship training for family businesses and veterans.
Key points from the presentation and Q&A - Program scale and outcomes: Edwards said Saturday Shops has held 114 markets, produced $1,140,000 in market revenue, and that 102 vendors at the Everyday Shops retail location had collectively earned more than $228,000 since April 2024. The vendor academy and retail institute are part of a staged support model, she said. - Jobs and operations: Edwards said the organization has created roughly 10 jobs directly and five retail staff at Everyday Shops; vendors typically expand their own staffing as they grow. Food‑truck owner Naja Campbell (Son of a Brisket) credited Saturday Shops with early opportunities that helped his operation scale and participate in city events. - Disaster response and community support: Council members praised Saturday Shops for mobilizing food trucks after storms; several council members noted they rely on Saturday Shops to connect vendors to community events and disaster relief. - Next steps: Saturday Shops hopes to launch a Food‑Truck Academy with partners including St. Pete Fire Department and Duke Energy, and it is negotiating a retail site partnership at Brandon Mall for the Everyday Shops institute. Edwards estimated a market costs $8,000–$15,000 to stage depending on size and location and said typical market attendance ranges from 3,000 to 7,000 customers.
Why it matters: The presentation highlighted a grassroots path to small‑business growth and resilience, with the city’s commercial and emergency‑response ecosystems benefiting from vendor networks that can mobilize during disasters.
Ending: Council members said they will promote the program and look for ways to support vendor pathways, workforce training and integration with city resiliency efforts.
