ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — More than 350 local businesses and vendors are participating in Shopapalooza 2024 in St. Pete on Saturday.

8 On Your Side spoke to attendees who said this event is needed more now than ever after the hurricanes.

From sweet treats to spicy sauces and everything in between, Shopapalooza has it all.

“We all really look forward to Shopapalooza every single year, there are like 30,000 some people that come by,” said Ren Rose, the vendor for Calamansi Co. 

A lot of local businesses are trying to get back on their feet after the storms.

“For my business, we had to cancel three shows. That is a tremendous hit on our company, so we need people to come out in droves, support local, come out to all these great mom-and-pop shops,” said Michele Northrup, a vendor for Saucy Queen.

“It’s always been so important but now more than ever,” Rose said. “I mean all of us really depend on the economy of everyone just buying the local food, buying local products that we make. For a whole month, none of us were actually able to produce or sell anything.”

Small Business Saturday is a nationwide event, but St. Pete has turned it into a weekend that is full of community support.

“People around the nation know what we’ve been through, so it’s going to be fun to see people come here and patronize businesses that have themselves, lost their brick-and-mortar businesses,” said Pat Largo, Emcee for the event. “Again, we’re going to see people shopping here with some money they could probably be putting toward their own homes that they’ve had damage to.”

Non-profits like St. Pete Youth Farm, which addresses nutrition insecurities, also benefit.

“The fact that we at the farm are able to benefit, and all of St. Pete can benefit because the donations from this is what led to us starting our Community Compost. So, that’s free to the community thanks to the vendors here who give back,” said Carla Bristol.

Community members said this is an event they have marked on their calendars each year.

“It’s a great time to spend time together with our family, you can get things as low as $5 or up to $80. The people are so gifted,” said patron Yvette Fowler.

“All the way from the top of Florida to the South of Florida— north and south, there’s many businesses that need that support and like I say, you don’t even have to buy anything, just come out and enjoy,” Fowler added.

The event will continue through Sunday, operating from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information on the event, click here.