Marketplace Express

In the Cafe Hey post on Inkwatu on 2008/08/30, I mentioned that “I lived for a short while in New Orleans and have always visited there whenever I can. There may be a few Starbucks in New Orleans, but almost no one goes. Instead, they go to locally owned CC’s, or a PJ’s (which is my preference of the two), a locally owned brand of coffee that’s been around for 30 years, thanks to locals who support their own. But PG’s isn’t the only local coffee scene in New Orleans; there’s any number from the well-known tourist destination, Cafe Du Monde, through the Neutral Ground Coffee House, on to my favorite haunt many a morning, Rue de la Course. If you’re interested in more information on New Orleans coffee houses, there’s an excellent blog just on coffee in New Orleans that’s a real delight: New Orleans Coffee Culture.”

interior shots of Marketplace Express

The aforementioned Cafe Hey, on the Tampa side of the bay, is just such a little shop. In downtown St. Pete is another shop that’s equally independently owned and operated but completely different in style. Whereas Cafe Hey has an edgy, underground feel to it, the Marketplace Express is very upscale. Located at 284 Beach Dr. NE., St Petersburg, FL 33701 (727-894-3330), the Marketplace Express is right in the heart of million dollar condos and marinas. Small wonder that it has every imported gourmet snack to go with coffee or tea that you’d ever want. There are imported Asian tea sets for sale and the most complete selection of Republic of Tea teas I’ve ever seen.

Unlike Cafe Hey and the New Orleans independent coffee houses, the Marketplace Express isn’t about bulk teas or locally roasted coffees–there are other places for that. The Marketplace Express is about location. You can sit outside at cafe tables and watch yachts gently rocking, gaze at huge banyan trees, feel the bay’s cool breeze, people-watch as sightseers enter the Museum of Fine Arts across the street and as cyclists and skaters head out on the St. Pete Pier (also see Inkwatu: St. Petersburg Pier).

Marketplace Express has wraps and sandwiches, pastries, and things to nibble, so it’s a good place to get a very light lunch when seeing the sights. Inside, accompanied by the soft classical music in the background, you can write postcards at high tables telling your friends back home how you want to move to St. Pete. You can buy the tasteful cards to write on at Marketplace Express too. (Not the corny ones with people in bathing suits on the beach being chased by alligators–there are other places for those.) The Marketplace Express isn’t just for visitors, though; locals like to go there to take a break from the grind, and be a tourist again in their own city.