Are these letters for sale? Maybe. Hell, everything has a price, right? Credit: Cathy Salustri

Are these letters for sale? Maybe. Hell, everything has a price, right? Credit: Cathy Salustri
It's a pickers' tradition: The first full weekend of the month, hardcore and pick-curious folks will gladly wait in line to see what vintage delights Brocante has in store at their warehouse. 

Maybe part of the allure is that the only time you can get inside is that one weekend, or maybe it's the seemingly haphazard (but actually pretty damn cleverly curated) way the treasures are scattered throughout the space. 

Either way, Brocante attracts a certain breed of person every month (this writer is one of them, even if her husband politely suggests that perhaps they don't really need a microfilm reader), and for those of you who can't wait, you can get into Friday night's preview. You can't actually buy anything Friday night, but you can grab some light eats, listen to live music and get a sneak peek of what's in store in the 15,000-plus square foot warehouse of goodies. 

These are awesome on so many levels. Credit: Cathy Salustri
Oh, yeah — they have free coffee from Brew D Licious Saturday and Sunday until 11 a.m. and food trucks both days from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday's food truck is Fit Stop and Sunday's is King Crabs.

Happy picking!

Brocante, 2200 2nd Ave. S., St. Petersburg | July 6: 6-9 p.m.; July 7: 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; and July 8: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. | July 6, $15; July 7-8, free | Get tickets to Friday night's preview here | More info and sneak peeks here


This article appears in Jul 5-12, 2018.

Cathy's portfolio includes pieces for Visit Florida, USA Today and regional and local press. In 2016, UPF published Backroads of Paradise, her travel narrative about retracing the WPA-era Florida driving...