Localtopia celebrates St. Pete businesses

For Keep Saint Petersburg Local founder and executive director Olga Bof, supporting the city’s independent businesses is an investment. 

It helps the community thrive and grow. 

Launching the annual Localtopia festival in 2014, she explained, was a way to celebrate everything that makes St. Pete unique. This year’s event will be held Saturday, Valentine’s Day, at Williams Park – its surrounding streets are closed for the occasion. 

The gathering will feature over 300 local vendors including artisans, jewelry makers, handbag sellers and clothing companies. Additionally, representatives from organizations such as the Florida Holocaust Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg, the Clay Co-op and the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance are scheduled to attend. 

There will also be a variety of offerings from St. Pete-based food trucks and breweries. The goal is to create a “mindful representation of our city,” Bof said. 

Even selecting Williams Park as the venue was a carefully made decision. Every single Localtopia event has been held on the property, she added. The park was St. Petersburg’s first and was named after city co-founder John C. Williams. 

Former presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan have given speeches there as well. Ford spoke to a group of senior citizens on the premises in 1976 – on Valentine’s Day. 

Despite welcoming thousands of guests every year, the festival does not come without its challenges. 

“Events like this have actually started to fold with our world being the way it is and how expensive everything is,” Bof explained. “Funding something like this is beyond challenging. But, this is a mission-led event, not a profit-led event and it’s the most visible manifestation of Keep Saint Petersburg Local’s mission.” 

Live entertainment at the Williams Park bandstand is always part of the Localtopia experience.

Valentine’s Day will be a key part of the festivities. 

Guests can honor their favorite businesses on a Wall of Local Love created by Second Shift Printing. Additionally, attendees can write positive notes for strangers in the “Take a Petal, Leave a Petal” community experience led by floral company The Roaming Petal and The Ripple Effect project. 

A marriage proposal area is even planned. 

Some of the event’s entertainment is also Valentine’s themed – including stilt walkers and aerobatic shows performed by Underground Cirque at 12 and 1:30 p.m. 

Live music is scheduled as well. A whole new block has been added to the festival’s boundaries. 

“We have this unique community that has definitely tried to continue to survive and thrive and it needs our support,” Bof explained. “We need to show up for local businesses – not just on Localtopia day, but daily.” 

Money can circulate and be kept in the area, she said, by purchasing products from St. Petersburg-based companies. This can help keep these businesses open for the long term. 

“What we are putting on on Saturday is really our biggest love note to our city,” Bof added. “It’s not just about representing our vendors well. It’s about giving this community this day in light of the world we live in.” 

The event is co-sponsored by the City of St. Petersburg. For more information about Localtopia, visit this link.