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New Store, New Location, But It's Still Whaley's Market

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By NEIL JOHNSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 14, 2008

TAMPA - Whaley's Market, a thread in the fabric of South Tampa for 74 years, wasn't gone long.

The iconic store closed in August, but Todd Whaley has opened a new, though more compact, version on Kennedy Boulevard. The sign is set to go up Wednesday, though Whaley has been on the job for almost a week.

Whaley, whose family started with an open-air market and expanded into a 10,000-square-foot grocery store, formed a partnership with Paul Ruel, owner of Paul's Meats and Seafood, to open the new Whaley's.

Whaley has taken over the old Paul's Meats at 3917 W. Kennedy Blvd., just west of Dale Mabry Highway. Ruel will continue running his Outdoor Kitchen Store next to the market.

Even without a sign to mark the new location, former customers found their way to Whaley's today.

"I'm so happy that they finally got the store back open," said a jubilant Vilda Barton, who said she stopped by the old Whaley's every morning.

"I've got to tell my friends," she said after encouraging Whaley to stock her favorite fresh greens.

John Carbonneau, who came to the old store on South Howard Avenue for 35 years, was in to get some meat.

"I was there the day it closed. I couldn't believe it when I heard it was open again," he said.

The new store is much smaller than the market in South Tampa. At 2,000 square feet, it's the same size as the original open-air market C.L. Whaley started in 1934.

The new store won't be able to accommodate everything the closed store carried, but Whaley said it will feature some of the old store's favorite items, such as chicken salad, steaks and prepared meals.

The former deli manager started last week. The former meat manager should start this week.

"We'll have to figure out how to make it work in a small space," Whaley said.

If it works out, other smaller versions of Whaley's may open around Tampa.

"The future of Whaley's are satellite stores this size," he said.

The new location is about two or three miles from the store that closed when the family couldn't work out lease arrangements at the plaza on Howard.

That should be close enough to draw some of the market's former customers.

"They won't have to go north of Kennedy," Whaley said.

He started missing the business almost as soon as it closed.

"You always miss the people you'd see in there every day," he said.

Ruel thought of luring Whaley to the market he opened about 13 months ago as soon as he heard of the store's closing.

"With his expertise and passion, and someone like Todd with his name recognition, it was a slam dunk," Ruel said.

Reporter Neil Johnson can be reached at (813) 259-7731 or njohnson@tampatrib.com.

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