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Whaley's Market To Close In South Tampa After 75 Years

Tribune File Photo

Whaley's Market in 1936.

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By NEIL JOHNSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 5, 2008

TAMPA - Whaley's Market, a South Tampa institution for nearly 75 years, will close Sunday.

The closing will end five generations of family members who ran the store since it opened in 1934 on South Howard Avenue as an open-air market with a sawdust floor.

The owners have been trying to negotiate a lease agreement for the past two years but have been unable to come to an agreement, and it's time to close, said Linda Whaley Bublitz, a member of the ownership family.

"It feels very strange. It's hard because a lot of people shop here every day," she said.

The family started notifying vendors and the roughly 25 employees earlier. Today, customers are learning the old-style market that also provided cooked meals will close.

Bublitz said the family plans to sell its property and may look to open elsewhere, possibly in West Tampa. Any new store would be smaller, with possibly a deli and produce department.

"It's time to downsize," she said.

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