The Market Report

To close out our Tampa group of stores, here's the music video for Tampa! We previously saw a music video for the Hudson County group. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!

As a kind of bonus Snapshot to round out our Tampa group, here's a look at a former WT Grant back in Ybor City. WT Grant was a chain of department stores that went out of business in 1976 (and, incidentally, a chain that I frequently confuse with CH Martin ). I'm puzzled by the fact that by searching "WT Grant Ybor City" I came across two videos showing the demolition of the Ybor City WT Grant building in early 2016, when it clearly has not been demolished in early 2018. Right? And there you have it, that closes out our Tampa group! Because I was visiting family there, I didn't have much supermarket time. But I hope that at least gives NJ-area readers a look at Tampa's independent supermarket scene. Beginning on Monday, we're back with a New Jersey store tour!

Right up the street from Ybor Supermarket is the confusingly similarly-named Ybor City Food Mart. It's also not a full supermarket (although it doesn't claim to be, either), and it does also have a deli. Operating under the name Xander Markets, the store at 1821 E 7th Ave, Tampa is in an interesting building with a very attractive (and intricate) facade on the outside. It's likely that the building was something else before the food store. I don't know exactly what, if anything, the sea horses would represent. The building has been maintained pretty well, although it's obviously quite old. This store seems to cater more to tourists, selling ice cream and souvenirs more than groceries. Very nicely kept-up tile work on the front of the building, as many Ybor City buildings have.

Ybor City is a neighborhood near downtown Tampa that has historically been the Cuban and Italian district. It's also a significant tourist destination. Founded in 1885 as a cigar-making independent city, it was absorbed into Tampa two years later. By the time of the depression, mechanization of cigar manufacturing combined with decreased demand for high-quality cigars caused Ybor City's economy to plummet. Although redevelopment has been occurring since the 1980s, it's a slow and, based on my quick observations, only moderately successful process. The vacancy rate along the main street of Ybor City, 7th Ave, is quite high. Ybor City is no longer an Italian or Cuban neighborhood as both of those populations moved outside of the central business district. Unfortunately, they took their supermarkets with them. Ybor City's remaining food markets are pretty minimal. The so-called Ybor Supermarket is nothing more than a convenience store. As shown by the sign in the ...