Tuesday Mornings on Pine Avenue Now Start at the Roser Campus

The Anna Maria farmers market that used to set up at City Pier Park never went away. It took two moves and two seasons to settle, and it ended up a short walk from where it began, on the Roser Church property at 512 Pine Ave.

The new spot is only part of what changed. The market's Tuesday hours, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., line up with the Roser Guild Thrift Shop's Tuesday hours directly across the street. This season also runs through the end of May, so a Tuesday on the 500 block of Pine Avenue has turned into one outing that lasts most of the year.

The market went back to Pine Avenue the long way

The City of Anna Maria hosted the market at City Pier Park starting in 2018. Then Hurricanes Helene and Milton hit in 2024. According to the Anna Maria Island Sun, the park was used first as a staging area for recovery crews and later as the temporary Anna Maria Post Office, which left the market without a home.

Devinne "Dev" Whittaker had sold at the city market. She stepped in and moved it to the athletic fields at The Center of Anna Maria Island for one season. When The Center put money into those fields over the summer, she worked out a new arrangement with Roser. Whittaker told the AMI Sun on opening day in 2025, "They said we could do it every year here if we want. It's a great day, no rain and lots of room. And we're on Pine Avenue again, closer to where the market used to be."

The tents go up between the main church building and Lake La Vista. The Sun described the parking lot's travel lanes doubling as wide footpaths through the market. Parking is usually easy, since the church property has several lots.

The calendar shifted along with the address. The 2025 season was the first that ever opened in October, and it was scheduled to close in April so vendors could get ahead of the summer heat. This season opened on a rainy Tuesday, Oct. 6, and is scheduled to run every Tuesday through the end of May, weather permitting. That adds roughly a month of spring Tuesdays compared with last year.

The tents that made the whole trip

Whittaker told the AMI Sun in October that she has 40 vendors, with room for 43 at most, plus a waitlist. "More than half of my vendors have been with me since day one," she said.

The produce stands go back further than that. Milagros Produce and Tillman Thomas's stand have both been selling since the city-hosted market's first year. Thomas's stand appeared as TJ's Produce in last year's coverage and as Thomas Produce this fall. On the Sun's visit, Tony Martinez was running Milagros Produce, and Tillman and Judy Thomas had tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, avocados, citrus and fresh herbs. "Today was really good and I'm running out of stuff," Thomas told the AMI Sun.

Here is who else the AMI Sun found under the tents this fall:

• Ted's Breads, run by Whittaker and Ted Louloudes, with miche, Ted's signature sourdough wheat bread, plus cookies and scones. The bakery also sells inside The Center.
• Hermano's Chicken Salad, where Lazaro Suayero sells chicken salads made with pasture-raised chicken and Cuban seasonings. He says the dill pickle version is the top seller.
• Spare Kitchen, where Michael Calvino bakes biscuits on site all day, including rosemary garlic, sweet potato and chocolate chip, and serves sausage made from his father's recipe.
• Sol Sipsters, a coffee and matcha tent run by sisters Olivia and Grace Schoditsch, next to Banana Bums, their mom's frozen banana whip stand.
• Manatee Pottery, where Holmes Beach resident Eileen Van Lieshout sells handmade mugs, bowls, trinket dishes and ornaments. This is her third year at the market.
• Black Circle Coffee, new to the market this season. Brian Nagy launched it in Sarasota in February, and some of the coffee names pay homage to Phish.
• AMI Turtle Watch, where volunteer Joanie Derry promotes the Adopt-a-Nest program and sells turtle-themed items to raise money for it.

Live music changes from week to week. Trevor Bystrom played on Oct. 13, and Albert Donadi was booked for Oct. 20.

Across the street, the same five hours

The other half of a Roser Tuesday sits at 511 Pine Ave., across from the historic Roser Memorial Chapel. The Roser Guild Thrift Shop reopened for the season on Tuesday, Sept. 8, after its summer break. Its posted hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon. Donations are accepted Wednesdays from 9 to 11 a.m.

That lines up the market and the thrift shop for the same five hours, on the same block, every Tuesday from now through spring. According to Roser's thrift shop page, the shelves carry gently used clothing, small appliances, comforters, jewelry, beach items, glassware, framed art, books and music. The Roser Women's Guild uses the proceeds to fund scholarships, community programs and local missions, and to support the church.

There's one timing detail to know. The Guild's calendar notes that the annex, the outdoor garages, may close at noon even though the main shop stays open until 2.

The shop runs on volunteers. Anyone interested in working as a cashier or sorter can call the church office at 941-778-0414.

How a Tuesday on the 500 block fits together

With both schedules side by side, a Tuesday morning comes together like this:

1. Start at the annex if that's what you want. Its outdoor garages may close at noon, so go there before the market if you plan to browse them.
2. Cross to the market at 512 Pine Ave. Coffee from Sol Sipsters or Black Circle, a biscuit from Spare Kitchen, then produce from Milagros or Thomas before the best items run out. On the Sun's visit, Thomas was already running low.
3. Finish in the main thrift shop. It stays open until 2 p.m., the same time the market closes.
4. Park once. The church property has several lots, and both stops are on the same stretch of Pine Avenue.

The coming market Tuesdays are Nov. 10, 17 and 24. As with any outdoor market, rain can change the plan, since the market runs weather permitting.

November 14 adds a Saturday

The same campus has one more date this month. After a two-year hiatus, the Roser Holiday Market returns to the Roser Church Fellowship Hall on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free, and per the Roser Holiday Market page, vendor registration is already full.

The tables lean handmade. Vendors on the list include Marilyn's Creations with jewelry and resin work by Marilyn Yoder, Ceramics by Patti from Patti Matson, Sparkle with Kathy's bead art pictures, Christmas decorations from Eclectic Variety, and Lucy Edwards's table of honey, dressings, BBQ sauces, jams and soups. An Operation Christmas Child table is part of the lineup too.

Bring a bag of groceries along with your shopping list. During the Holiday Market the church will collect nonperishable food for the Roser Food Pantry, which helps local families who need extra support during the holidays. Questions go to [email protected].

The Nov. 14 timing has a bonus. The thrift shop's Saturday hours run from 9 a.m. to noon, so for three hours that morning you can shop handmade gifts in the Fellowship Hall and secondhand finds across the street at 511 Pine Ave. If gift shopping and the thrift shop are both on your list, plan to arrive before noon.

Our favorite way to spend a Tuesday is a Ted's Breads miche in one hand and a coffee in the other, so if you see us on Pine Avenue, come say hi. And if a market-morning chat turns into questions about your own place on the island, Your AMI Home Girls are happy to talk over a biscuit. Get your free home valuation or schedule a consultation whenever it suits you.