Mount Dora Business and Real Estate

MOUNT DORA TRAIN REACHES END OF LINE TOMORROW

4/19/2019

For decades Mount Dora has seen passenger train operations start and stop for a variety of reasons. Inevitably, a new vintage passenger train always rolled in to fill the void. Train lovers are hoping that happens again after the train ceases its excursion rides to Mount Dora on April 22.

Government regulations require tracks that carry passenger trains be maintained to a higher standard than their freight counterparts. Officials at Central Florida Railroad (CFR) have determined it’s cost-prohibitive to maintain 100-year-old tracks to that high level, according to Pete Petree of Pinsly Railroad Company, the holding company of CFR.

The train operator, Royal Palm Railway, remains committed to the Tavares/Eustis excursion train. Last year the operator experienced strong growth in ridership as visitors rode the nostalgic train into Mount Dora from Tavares and used it as a shuttle into Mount Dora’s large festivals. Additionally, the operator’s Polar Express train and other themed rides have been very successful, according to Neil Bagaus, spokesperson for Royal Palm Railway. He estimates ridership during a 12-month period to be between 100,000 and 125,000.

After April 22, riders will still be able to catch the train at the downtown Tavares station and ride it into Eustis on Thursdays through Sundays starting at 10 a.m.

CFR will return the use of the Mount Dora/Tavares tracks to its main business of freight and storage. Meanwhile, government officials in Tavares and Mount Dora will study the feasibility of resurrecting a passenger train on that section of track or converting it to a trail.

Sign up for the free Mount Dora Buzz' monthly updates here. For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, visit the area's website and download the area's free mobile app.

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DOWNTOWN MOUNT DORA BUILDING QUICKLY GOES UNDER CONTRACT

4/17/2019

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ABOVE; 334 N. Donnelly Street went under contract today

Well, it didn’t take long. In fact, it only took four days for eager buyers to snatch up the perfectly located building and parking lot located at 334 N. Donnelly Street in downtown Mount Dora. The asking price was $2.5 million.

RELATED: Downtown Mount Dora Building Goes up for Sale

The buyers, Michael Ross and Peter Burgess, are not new to Mount Dora real estate. WIth the help of their hard-working agent, Dawn Williams, the couple has made several savvy real estate investments in the city over the years that include the two-story building next door, previously The Lost Parrot, and the building across the street that features successful tenants like Las Palmas Cuban Restaurant and Mount Dora Olive Oil Company.

The acquisition of 334 N. Donnelly Street along with the narrow private alley between it and the former Lost Parrot building allows Burgess and Ross to expand their recently announced Mount Dora Marketplace concept to almost 9,000 square feet, making it more comparable to Plant Street Market in Winter Garden. The anxiously awaited marketplace is scheduled to open by the end of this summer.

The forward-thinking threesome plan to connect the 4,500 square-foot marketplace at the corner of Donnelly and Fourth Avenue to the 4,400 square-foot building under contract by enclosing the alley to create a walk-through beer garden. So far, 12 carefully curated artisanal food vendors from 72 applicants have been selected for the two-story building. The smaller building at 334 N, Donnelly Street will feature some of the quality vendors that couldn’t be accommodated in the original space.

“We have the most amazing vendors ever!,” said Williams, who along with Ross and Burgess, painstakingly vetted the businesses according to their quality, variety, vision and existing following in order to build a well-balanced community inside the market.

Mount Dora Marketplace will be anchored by The Filling Station a craft beer bar. Other businesses already committed to space inside the market are Nosh deli, White Orchid plant and flower retailer, Ceviche Mix, and a juice and mimosa bar. There will also be plenty of decadent dessert vendors like Kathy’s Cupcakes, Yumm Popsicles, Nicole Macaron, Aunt Gingibread’s Bakery, plus a French crepery. The popular Benji’s Donuts of Plant Street Market in Winter Garden will open a large space upstairs.

Artisanal food vendors that differ from the existing vendors can can request an application my emailing mountdoramarketplace@gmail.com. Sign up for the free Mount Dora Buzz' monthly updates here. For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, visit the area's website and download the area's free mobile app.

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DOWNTOWN MOUNT DORA BUILDING GOES UP FOR SALE

4/15/2019

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It’s been a hub of retail activity for over 25 years, but that could soon change. The unassuming, one-story brick building at 334 Donnelly Street and its adjacent private parking lot, officially go on the market today for $2.5 million. In an area that struggles to meet its demand for parking, a private parking lot is a coveted asset.

Three generations of the same local family, the Pritts, have operated a retail store in that prime location for over 25 years. The first gift store, Country Cottage Crafts, enjoyed a two-decade run after relocating from Alexander Street. In recent years, it transitioned to Every Nook & Cranny and hosted Mount Dora Bikes, a bike share, in its parking lot. Malcolm Yawn Photography, known for wedding and portrait photography, was also in the building for several years before the business moved out last year.

Built in 1950, the 4,440 square-foot building and lot was last purchased in 1994 by its current owner and former shopkeeper, Wayne Pritt, for $300,000.   By comparison, the 4,500 square-foot building next door, previously home to Mr. Cerbiche and The Lost Parrot, quickly sold for $1.75 million just last year. That building does not have its own parking lot.

Although the property didn’t officially go on the market until today, there has already been significant interest in it, according to Pritt, who said he will be patient for the right buyer to come along. With the exception of Main Street Leasing, which has several long-term vacant buildings, most downtown Mount Dora landlords are experiencing enviable retail occupancy rates of 90 to 100 percent with waiting lists.

Retail properties typically have greater value to buyers when occupied, so they have the option to keep the existing tenants. However, Every Nook & Cranny is closing on May 3, which coincides with the end of downtown Mount Dora’s busy tourist season.

Pritt and his wife, Barbara, were active for years in the Mount Dora Village Merchants Association and were previously key organizers of the annual Mount Dora Craft Fair that fills downtown streets every October.

Sign up for the free Mount Dora Buzz' monthly updates  here.    For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, visit the area's website and download the area's free mobile app.

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Business Buzz

MOUNT DORA TRAIN REACHES END OF LINE TOMORROW

DOWNTOWN MOUNT DORA BUILDING QUICKLY GOES UNDER CONTRACT

DOWNTOWN MOUNT DORA BUILDING GOES UP FOR SALE

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