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Whaley's Customers Say Farewell To 'Old Friend'

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By RICH SHOPES

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 11, 2008

TAMPA - Sixty-five years ago, Barbara Gooding and Bob Day rode their bikes to Whaley's Market to pick through the apples, peaches and penny candy.

Sunday, they stopped by for sandwiches, only to learn the family-run grocery store - an institution after nearly 75 years in South Tampa - was closing.

The owners and landlord could not agree on a new lease. One of the family owners, Todd Whaley, is planning to open a new, smaller Whaley's Market in West Tampa, Seminole Heights or Temple Terrace.

"It's like saying goodbye to an old friend. It's sad," said Day, 77, who grew up on Howard Avenue, a few blocks away.

Day said he often walked or biked to Whaley's, which began as an open-air market. At first he came for the fruit, later for the Jose Martí sandwiches. The sandwiches, named for the Cuban writer and patriot, became a Whaley's signature, along with various cheese spreads and twice-baked potatoes.

Gooding, who married Day nine years ago, said she remembers biking to the store with her older sister, Evelyn, to pick up fresh peaches, apples and candy.

"It was all open. That was before they had air-conditioning," said Day, 76, who now lives in Fort Myers. "It's been here so long. It was so friendly and homey. You felt welcome when you came in."

Whaley's, 533 S. Howard Ave., was scheduled to close at 1 p.m. Any leftover food was to go to employees or a homeless shelter.

By noon, most of the shelves were empty. There was a two-for-one sale Sunday and, last week, when news of the closing broke, hundreds of customers turned up to shop and say goodbye.

"It's been an overwhelming response," deli manager Maryann Mireider said. "We have customers say that it's like going to a friend's funeral."

She attributes the loyalty people feel toward the store to friendly customer service and the specialty foods created on-site by the employees, such as California chicken salad, cranberry-blue cheese spread, and bacon-cheddar, twice-baked potatoes.

Ron Holland, 46, of Tampa said Whaley's has been a family tradition dating back to his grandfather, when he stopped by for the fruit and vegetables.

"You get to develop a relationship with the people here," he said. "I'm going to miss that."

Employees knew many customers by name, bookkeeper Laurie Whaley Pearson said.

"The worst part is seeing the customers," Pearson said. "It's been very sad. We all grew up working here or had friends that worked here."

Whaley's is also where local farmers came to sell their produce. At a time when supermarkets are buying vegetables from as far away as California, Mexico and Chile, Whaley's emphasized locally grown foods.

"When the tomato scare happened, my dad could say exactly where, to the exact field, our tomatoes came from," Pearson said. "Not many stores can say that."

Reporter Rich Shopes can be reached at (813) 259-7633 or rshopes@tampatrib.com.

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