I’ve been writing for St. Pete Life Magazine for a few months now. My first story was about the Foeder for Thought event during Tampa Bay Beer Week. My latest is a feature on Marina Williams, owner of ARTpool Gallery. She’s such a fun spirit and her mom is just as awesome.

An excerpt from my story:

“Vintage shopping brings back fond memories for me. Getting something from a different era is exciting because I know for a fact no one else owns the same item (I have a skirt in my closet from high school that I never want to get rid for that exact reason). St. Petersburg is one city in the Tampa Bay area notorious for its vintage stores. Each vintage store is unique and no two are the same.

One of the most unique vintage stores in St. Pete is ARTpool Gallery, located off Central Ave. ARTpool Gallery is the brainchild of St. Pete native Marina Williams and her partner Evan. The original location of ARTpool Gallery opened in 2008 off 1^st Avenue North. They moved to the current location on Central Avenue in 2011 and haven’t looked back.  It’s funny to think of their evolution from 1 rack of clothing to now having 2 large buildings with a beautiful outdoor garden and an assortment of items on sale ranging from women to men’s clothing, various accessories, artwork, and records.

Fashion never fails to inspire Marina. To her, it sets the mood and tone when you wear fun things; it’s an attitude and a way of life. Her mom encouraged her to express herself through clothing and didn’t bat an eyelash at the eclectic outfits she’d create. She says her love of vintage fashion derives from her mom and one of her earliest fashion memories is hearing her mom come home from work.”

Read the rest of my story here: Vintage Florida meets Indie Culture