A family history of successful marketing
Before moving to Englewood, the Hesses operated a landscape company and regional garden center in Illinois and battled big-box stores by what Terri Hesse referred to as guerrilla marketing and hosting events.
They moved to the area in 2014, bought their real estate office on the northwest corner of McCall Road and Dearborn Street in 2021 – while Sarasota County was improving Dearborn Street – and the former Kelly’s Tavern structure at 232 W. Dearborn Street in 2023 and bulldozed the defunct bar to clear space for the open-air marketplace.
By then, Scott Hesse said, they were already operating a small Thursday farmers market with six vendors.
Ryan Hesse – Scott and Terri’s eldest son – noted that they tried a Saturday this past March but that halted because there was some debate as to whether the twice-weekly permit allowed for any two days in a calendar week or two consecutive days.
Ryan Hesse said the design for the market space is patterned after Boxi Park at Lake Nona – an open air food court using shipping container spaces for food vendors in the Orlando area – that he patronized while courting his wife, Kalehli Hesse.
“It reminded me of how it was before the pandemic,” he said. “I saw families and I saw people out having a good time, like I’ve seen families at community events, fairs.
There are a few differences, though.
The entire market property would be gated, with tiki hut-style roofs over food trucks in each corner. parking.”
“On Siesta Key, every lot now is paid parking and they’re making a ton,” he added.
Dearborn.