Business & Tech
Viewfinder: The Swap Shop
Fun Lan Swap Shop on East Hillsborough Avenue has something for everybody.
From leather sandals Hecho en Mexico to tasty beef tongue tacos and gardening tools, the Fun-Lan Swap Shop Flea Market located at 2302 E. Hillsborough Ave. offers something for everybody’s liking.
The swap shop is open Thursday through Sunday during the day. It was originally located in the former Skyway Drive-In Theatre in North Tampa and was moved to the Fun-Lan Drive-In in 1981.
Get there early in the morning to find a treasure to take home or to choose among the best tomatoes to buy for your home-made Bloody Marys.
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“It’s all gone now,” said a Mexican vendor pointing proudly to the empty produce boxes on a recent Sunday afternoon.
Parking is $3. The lot hosting the swap shop turns into a four-screen drive-in movie theater at night.
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The Fun-Lan Drive-In Theatre opened in 1950, when admission was 48 cents, hot dogs sold for 20 cents, and a bag of popcorn or a small drink were each 10 cents a piece.
At that time, the Fun-Lan featured a playground for children and Bobo the Clown, who entertained youngsters and elders with his magical tricks. In 1963, trapeze feats preceded movie showings on weekend nights.
Originally a single-screen theater, three additional movie screens were added to the drive-in between the 1980s and the late 2000s.