New Allapattah Market opened without permits, then closed — temporarily?

It was an open-and-shut case: the new Allapattah Market has closed, although likely only temporarily, because it did not have the proper permits to operate.

That was the word Thursday from Cesar Morales of the Wood Tavern Group, which had just marked the grand opening of the open-air market last weekend. The market, which was to feature food and crafts vendors, got some media pop because it’s the first new spot designed to draw young “creative” outsiders to Allapattah, a bustling, working-class enclave that many think is Miami’s next hot neighborhood.

But Morales acknowledged in an apologetic post on Instagram and Facebook that he had failed to obtain permits to open, and his architect and attorney now are telling him it could take several months to secure those. Vendors who had paid for spots at the market will get a full refund, Morales said.

“This is 100% percent my fault,” he said in the post, adding: “Paying rent and other monthly expenses for over a year on a business that wasn’t open yet added up. It was my idea to get these permits while the business was open and everything would have been fine. It doesn’t work that way. Very amateur of me.”

The market, set in the courtyard-like space at the center of a set of warehouses, features a bohío-like tiki hut and vendors’ stalls.

The market is an outgrowth of Wynwood’s popular Wood Tavern, which holds a monthly crafts market. Investors and entrepreneurs have been increasingly drawn to Allapattah, which sits acrosss Interstate 95 from the hot Wynwood district, by residential and commercial properties that are selling for a comparative bargain, though prices have been shooting up.

Last year, 1111 Lincoln Road developer Robert Wennett paid $16 million for the famous Allapattah produce market, although he has not announced what he plans to do with the nearly 10-acre property. The Rubell family, meanwhile, has announced the move of its landmark art collection to Allapattah from Wynwood, where their private museum helped launch that neighborhood’s transformation.

The market setback won’t affect plans for what’s likely the first-ever guided cycling tour of Allapattah, which planned a stop at the site on Sunday. Dade Heritage Trust, the historic-preservation group sponsoring the ride, said riders may still stop by the site of the market.

The Valentine’s-themed “Allapattah is for Lovers” tour will visit Dominican bodegas — the barrio is Miami’s unofficial little Santo Domingo — as well as historic churches, graffiti murals and one new-economy outpost, the offices and studio of McKenzie Construction and Craft, a boutique design-build firm ensconced in a converted 1938 warehouse.

Another stop is Allapattah landmark Berkeley Florist Supply, which has been there since 1947 and says it’s Florida’s oldest.

This story was originally published February 9, 2017 at 5:47 PM with the headline "New Allapattah Market opened without permits, then closed — temporarily?."