Messineo's Gourmet Market opens to the public on Thursday but had a sneak preview Wednesday night, with vendor samples, a street closing for outdoor seating, free wine and nibbles.  [DIRK SHADD, Times]

Hundreds of people turned out Wednesday night for a first look at Messineo's Gourmet Market in downtown St. Petersburg.

A few blocks west, a curious crowd packed the Kalamazoo Olive Company, a tiny store catering to an equally tiny niche.

Which begs a question: Don't they know there's a recession going on? Double-digit unemployment and a cratered real estate market and all that?

Call it the triumph of optimism.

Messineo's, 179 1st Ave. N, is three years in the making, the brainchild of former Wild Oats executive Jim Mason of St. Petersburg and his New Jersey cousin, also named Jim Mason. (There are six Jim Masons in this extended family!)

"I never imagined it would take three years to put this project together,'' said Mason.

He says it took that much time to research, find the right location and track down the local products and organic food suppliers.

With a Publix a few blocks away and a Fresh Market planned at 2900 Fourth St. N, Mason is stressing service and convenience. Customers can shop at lunch and have their food delivered free after work. Or grab a sandwich and salad and eat at an outside table. Maybe a little blue cheese cole slaw. Not bad.

Mason settled on downtown for its demographics - one of the highest median incomes in the region, he says, with 1,500 condo units within walking distance - and a certain mindset.

"Downtown St. Petersburg is perfect because nobody really likes to leave downtown,'' Mason said. They work there, live there, eat, shop ... why drive somewhere?

Still, for those of us surviving the recession through the wonders of Aldi, a $6 half gallon of milk and $4.49 a pound mushrooms can make your wallet shrivel. But the organic market is growing despite the recession, so who knows? After all, as Mason put, recession or no, "People have to eat.''

Do they also have to eat oil and vinegar? James Ryan hopes so.

Ryan (photo, left), a former certified financial planner with Raymond James, is the proud owner of the Kalamazoo Olive Company, 449 Central Ave. It's more gift store than good market, a place to fill up a basket for your out of town guests.

Kalamazoo, Mich., is not an olive powerhouse. The name of the store is an homage to Ryan's home town. He figures if you don't know it's a city in Michigan you'll at least think it's a cool-cute name.

He says it's the only retailer in the region with this particular niche, which is obviously small but to Ryan its potential is huge. Everyone by now knows olive oil is good for you but, Ryan says, "olive oil should taste better than what they're using.''

The store features 30, 15-liter tanks of oil and balsamic vinegar -- Mission olive oil from Northern California, Frantoio from Tuscany, Arbequina from Chile (which has a smooth taste with a spicy aftertaste). Taste before you buy.  He also sells olives bottled in Tampa and tapenade bottled in Tarpon Springs.

If you're lucky, you can get Ryan as your olive oil docent, guiding you through the subtle differences. After several tastings, though, the oil can start to blend together, at least to the untrained palate -- and come on, how many palates are really that tuned to the subtleties of olive oil?

But they were handing out dirty martinis during Wednesday night's soft opening, which would cleanse that untrained palate right about now.

Or maybe that's optimistic.