While the uber-popular Wagon Wheel Flea Market closed in 2020, many of its previous vendors and customers have found a new home at Derby Lane.
The former greyhound track, which is still home to a poker room and gaming facility, began hosting the Farmers and Flea Bazaar in November 2025. Organizer Shawn Yang said the expansive property at 10490 Gandy Blvd. in St. Petersburg has allowed local vendors to “continue their journey.”
Yang, also once a mainstay at Wagon Wheel, launched the Pinellas Farmers and Flea Market in March 2021, at 13600 Icot Blvd. in Largo. He had to leave four years later as Pinellas County began preparing the property for a new government campus.
“We welcome everybody – customer or vendor,” Yang said of his new market. “We are excited, and hopefully we will continue to grow to our full capacity.”
Wagon Wheel, which came to include the former Mustang Drive-In Flea Market, operated for 54 years at 7801 Park Blvd. in Pinellas Park. One of the oldest and busiest markets in Florida closed in March 2020, during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
The vacant Pinellas Park property is still owned by the family of Wagon Wheel founder Hardy Huntley, who died in 2013.
Many former vendors joined Yang at the Icot site a year after Wagon Wheel closed.
However, the county purchased the 21-acre property in November 2023 for $33.3 million. Yang was forced to shutter his previous market from early October through mid-December 2024 when officials used the site to collect residential hurricane debris.
The county offered Yang multiple extensions until his time at the site expired in March 2025. He said it “felt great” to find a new location.
Rally Development acquired Derby Lane in April. The firm subsequently retained The St. Petersburg Group (SPG) to steer stakeholder strategies, navigate regulatory requirements and foster community partnerships as the property evolves.
One of SPG’s first steps was to rehome Yang’s market. Co-founder Joe Hamilton, publisher of the St. Pete Catalyst, previously said he has “fond memories of visiting the Wagon Wheel as far back as the ‘80s.”
“Reactivating such a unique piece of St. Petersburg’s history has been gratifying.”
New beginnings
Yang noted that Derby Lane is centrally located and “just across the bridge” from Tampa. The site hosts his Farmers and Flea Bazaar every weekend.
Roughly 150 vendors, including farmers and food trucks, participate in the free events. While Yang does not charge for parking or admission, he estimates that the bazaar attracts “anywhere between 500 and 1,000” people each day.
“I think as the word gets out, we will, hopefully, fill to our capacity,” he said. “Right now, according to our system, we are only at about 75% of our capacity.”
The market operates from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., “rain or shine.” Yang said visitors can expect to find a variety of fresh vegetables, ethnic and American food, antiques, jewelry, household products, and new and used clothing and merchandise. “You name it.”
Yang noted that some of his vendors have peddled their wares for decades. “They want to continue their legacy, their friendship and their culture that has been in Pinellas County for the last 50 years,” he said.
“We were able to find a home for these people to continue their journey, as an outdoor market in Pinellas County.”
Yang explained that the bazaar stimulates the local economy by providing an outlet for “mom and pop” businesses. He said farm-fresh produce is typically cheaper than what is found at a grocery store, which provided a community benefit when the federal government suspended food assistance benefits during the recent shutdown.
“You’re actually making a difference in an individual’s life – helping that individual make ends meet,” Yang said of offering discounted goods. He is happy waking up at 3 a.m. every weekend to prepare for the market “because I feel good at the end of the day.”
Yang said everyone is a winner at the bazaar, held in the Win! Derby Poker Room’s parking lots. Vendors, who travel from as far away as Orlando and Miami, often patronize local hotels and other businesses.
Customers can save money by purchasing second-hand goods. “We serve the community,” Yang added. “So, anybody in the community or surrounding Tampa Bay area is welcome.”
