What happens to a farm stand after its owner says he has had enough? Last December, Barry Lawrance answered part of that question for Tampa Bay Beacons. He had worked at Bearss Groves since he was 13. He survived Stage 4 colon cancer. Then he watched Hurricanes Helene and Milton put the field underwater in 2024. After all that, he said he wanted "to do something different and get back to more farming, which is my real passion."
Ten months later, both halves of that plan are running. The stand at 14316 Lake Magdalene Blvd now serves espresso from a vintage camper under the oaks and hosts a market every Saturday. The farming moved to a strawberry field in Lutz. For people in Avila, those two places now cover two very different weekend mornings, and each one exists because of the other.
The brief he wrote out loud
When the market closed late last year, Lawrance was clear about what he wanted next. He didn't want to rush. "The previous tenant came at a time of uncertainty, so it was rushed," he told the Beacons. "But this time we're not in a hurry. We want to do it right."
He also named a model. He pointed to Starkey Market, which has a small bar and tables in a barn connected to a general store with local vendors, plus regular events and live music. Then he put it in one sentence:
"We're open to a new idea, like Starkey Market, with a small market and drinks and things for kids to do."
That sentence is the best guide to what Bearss Groves is now. Here is how the stand got from storm damage to that point:
- 2024: Helene and Milton bring flooding and fallen trees. A cooler fails and produce is lost.
- January 31, 2025: The market reopens after months closed and about a month of repairs. It's run by The Farm at Bearss Groves, led by CEO Marta Zarobkiewicz and two partners.
- December 2025: Lawrance and the operators part ways, and the stand closes temporarily while he looks for a new tenant.
- March 2026: Trey and Hailey Scott of Good Fruit Coffee Roasters announce they are the new tenants.
- April 2026: The Scotts tell local reporters they hope to open in the fall.
Drinks, a small market, something for kids
What the Scotts built lines up with Lawrance's sentence piece by piece.
Drinks. Good Fruit's camper serves espresso, cortados, lattes, cold brew, matcha and chai at the window, plus drinks made for kids. One customer review on its site recommends the signature Magdalene Maple.
A small market. On "Slow Saturdays at the Grove," rotating local vendors and makers set up from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. You'll find fresh produce, honey from Beekmann's Bees and live music under the oaks. Parking is free, and leashed dogs are welcome.
Things for kids. The Little Fruit Play Corner has giant Connect Four, books and lawn games, kid-size hot cocoa and steamers, and shaded picnic tables with room for strollers.
The posted schedule is simple:
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday to Friday | 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Saturday, with market | 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Sunday | Closed |
Good Fruit's site warns that hours can change for holidays and weather, and it points visitors to its Instagram for updates.
The bakery case comes from the same kitchen plan the Scotts described in April. The site lists sea-salt biscuits, glazed and cheddar scones, and sea-salt chocolate chip cookies. They go in the oven before sunrise and often sell out by mid-morning. In April, Hailey was still baking at home, making jalapeño cheddar scones, brown butter chocolate chip cookies, croissants and sourdough. She said she was looking forward to the property's commercial kitchen and a full bread oven.
Why it came together this way
The match with Lawrance's wish list wasn't a coincidence, and it didn't take a marketing firm. The Scotts started their mobile coffee truck in November 2025, parked just up the road from Bearss Groves. The truck sold coffee at the stand before it closed. They also took it to Carrollwood Village Park for "Slow Saturdays," a weekly tradition there. The market at the grove now goes by the same name.
Trey Scott grew up in Carrollwood and works as a physician assistant at Tampa General Hospital. He cut back to part time to build the coffee trailer. The couple has four kids and lives in the neighborhood behind the grove. Trey told the Times he had met Lawrance as a child without realizing it, back when Lawrance was selling Christmas trees. The two kept talking about a farm stand with a coffee shop and bakery long before the space opened up.
The neighbors helped too. The Scotts asked for help on social media, and dozens of people showed up on Fridays to work on repairs and upgrades. "People in that neighborhood we've never met were offering us tools, equipment, time," Trey said.
The Times notes one thing on the property that has stayed put through every operator: a live oak said to be about 400 years old.
What is still on the way
Some of the plan is still being built. Good Fruit's site lists two projects as coming soon:
- Sourdough Saturdays. Preorders will be announced later, and pricing isn't set yet.
- The Good Fruit Collective & Market. This will be a retail space for local makers, market goods and small-batch finds next to the coffee window. The site says, "We're building it now."
Two things people may remember from the old stand aren't listed. The April coverage described farm animals as part of the Scotts' hopes, not something already there. Christmas tree sales aren't on Good Fruit's current list either. The old Bearss Groves farm website still says "The Farm is Closed." Good Fruit's pages are the current source for what's happening on the property.
The farming moved to Warren Road
This is the other half of Lawrance's plan. The produce side of Bearss Groves didn't disappear. It went with him. His new farm is Weck Farms, a family-owned U-pick strawberry farm in Lutz at 213 Warren Rd. You get a bucket when you arrive and pay by the pound.
"The reality is not having to drive far to pick your own fruit," Lawrance told the Beacons. "People don't have to drive to Plant City for strawberries."
The timing works well for a fall plan. A February 2026 Beacons article said strawberry season there usually starts in late November. The 2025 to 2026 season ran through late March, and broccoli, melons and sunflowers followed. As of early October, the farm hasn't posted an opening date or a per-pound price for this season. Listings also disagree on hours. One verified in September 2026 shows Sunday only, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Another from April shows both Saturday and Sunday. Check Weck Farms' own site before you go.
From Avila to the grove
On Google Maps, Bearss Groves is about 2.6 miles from the Avila Golf & Country Club address, a seven-minute drive via Avila Boulevard and Lake Magdalene Boulevard. Google flags part of that route as restricted or private roads. The public route goes out by N. Florida Avenue and W. Bearss Avenue and takes about nine minutes over 4.1 miles.
That puts coffee and the Saturday market about nine minutes away by the public route. The U-pick strawberry season at Weck Farms on Warren Road in Lutz usually starts in late November.
At 1 Step Ahead Realty Group, we keep up with the family-run places that are part of daily life in Avila and north Tampa, from the oaks on Lake Magdalene Blvd to the fields in Lutz. If you live nearby and want to talk with someone local about your home or your next move, Get Started Today.
