Brocante Vintage Market in St. Petersburg announces plans to close

ST. PETERSBURG — Vintage aficionados, pickers and salvagers will have to look for new digs to buy and sell their wares after December, when Brocante Vintage Market will officially close.

Owners Sean and Celesta Carter announced on social media Wednesday that the December market will be the last. Even though the market is thriving financially, they said, they have decided to end it for personal reasons.

"We just want to take a step back," said Celesta Carter. "We want to focus on our home, travel and the other interests and hobbies in our lives."

Brocante opened in August of 2013, in a 15,000-square-foot warehouse at 2200 2nd Ave. S. The once a month market houses around 50 vendors. The place has more of a street market vibe than a flea market or antique mall. Vendors, called Brocanteurs, contribute their time to setting up the market each month.

In addition to running the market, both Sean and Celesta are in sales and run a small real estate business together. They also owned the vintage shop Paper Street Market, which they closed in 2016.

Real estate investor Phil Farley recently bought the warehouse that houses Brocante. He plans to create a mixed-use space that would include artists' studios and retail. The Carters said this wasn't part of their decision to close, but was serendipitous because they were ready to move on,

There's potential for some of the Brocanteurs to keep the market going.

"I definitely think we will leave a void in downtown and wouldn't be surprised if someone doesn't step up and carry on,"Carter said. "The Brocanteurs are part of our family, and it's something we would support wholeheartedly."

Contact Maggie Duffy at mduffy@tampabay.com. Follow @maggiedalexis.