Pineland Bank ends Fernandina Beach Arts Market’s use of the parking lot, leaving vendors without a venue.
FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — Over the past ten years, the Fernandina Beach Arts Market has become a Saturday morning staple, attracting both residents and visitors to North 7th Street to explore a variety of handmade jewelry, paintings, and crafts displayed by numerous local artists.
After 12 years, the market’s future is suddenly uncertain.
Last week, organizers were taken aback when they received a notification from Pineland Bank indicating that the market could no longer make use of the bank’s parking lot, effective immediately.
This decision led to the cancellation of all forthcoming arts markets, including the bustling Memorial Day weekend event, leaving many vendors seeking clarity and solutions.
“It’s not just artists in your community, we’re your neighbors,” said Julz Ruppel owner of Amelia Island Julz.
“This is not a hobby for the people at our market,” Elizabeth Lee, the market’s founder and organizer, added. “This is their livelihood.”
Lee says the move is a major blow to a diverse group of vendors, from single moms and retirees on fixed incomes to full-time artists who rely on the market as their primary source of income.
“I’ve been doing it for eight years,” Ruppel said. “After year one, I was able to quit my real job and go full time with my art.”
Beth Power, owner of Bougie B’s Designs, is retired and says she just bought a house on the island.
“This market is over half of my income,” she said. “It’s a huge hit for me.”
Lee said the news came as a shock.
“We got an email on a Wednesday and they said you’re not going to have the market on Saturday,” she recalled. “After 12 years, we at least thought that they may give us some leeway, some time to figure out what we were going to do next. It was like seeing someone hurt your family member.”
The market, which began with just eight vendors, has grown to host as many as 30 artists at a time, with some 1,500 patrons visiting each Saturday. Vendors had already paid for their spaces and booked dates through the end of the year, counting on the market’s steady income to cover bills and support their families.
But the impact goes beyond lost income. For many, the market is a social lifeline. “When I first heard the news, I immediately started thinking about the elder community members and how this is how they get socialization,” Ruppel said. “Someone in our immediate community just had a quadruple heart bypass and he’s been working so hard to try to be healthy enough to come back and set up for the market. He’s really broken-hearted right now.”
Despite the heartbreak, the Fernandina Beach community is leaning on each other. Local businesses—including Fernandina Fossil Shop, Hola Cuban Cafe, Ash Street Cigar Bar and Paisley Grace Makery—have offered temporary spaces to help displaced vendors.
Lee and her team are now searching for a new permanent home for the market, hoping to keep the group together.
“Our market is not a parking lot. It’s much bigger than a parking lot,” she said. “We’ll find another place and we will grow it just like we have this one.”
She urged the community to continue supporting local artists, especially during the transition.
“When we do move, I hope that they all show up like they did that first day we had the market with eight people, and I hope they buy from these vendors because we’re probably going to be down potentially for a few markets before we could get anything up and going. Just buy from them, support them, and get to know them if you haven’t, because they’re wonderful.”
As of Wednesday morning, Pineland Bank and the city manager had not responded to requests for comment. Organizers say they will keep the public updated as they search for a new venue.
For now, Lee remains hopeful.
“No matter where it is, we’ve got their backs,” she said. “We’ve got these vendors’ backs. We’re going to find a place.”
