Official photo
By Mayor Bryan Nelson
As 5th Street, between Park Avenue and Central Avenue, shows very positive growth in restaurant openings with Propagate, Hall’s on 5th, Just Like Momma’s and 3 Odd Guys, I would like to give you the background on how we got to this very exciting hotspot.
Our first restaurant to open was 3 Odd Guys, which took multiple meetings with staff to convince them that downtown Apopka was the right place to be. Soon thereafter, we added Propagate to downtown with the unique porch, which covers our stormwater pond for the Community Center.
At that point, we were able to get legislation passed to make it easier for both restaurants to be able to sell spirits as well as beer and wine for customers who frequented both restaurants in the Community Redevelopment District. The savings were over $250,000 for each business and continues to generate more business for downtown.
Just Like Momma’s was the next to sign a lease, adding another food choice for folks visiting downtown.
Because 5th Street is in the CRA, all the commercial businesses are able to secure grants from the city to make improvements to their buildings — both inside and out — giving them more visibility and generating more revenue while reducing out-of-pocket capital costs.
Then the latest deal was the purchase of Hall’s Feed Store, the second oldest business in Apopka, which has become a one-of-a-kind food hall with top-notch vendors selling food and drinks inside the upgraded Hall’s footprint.
The quality of the food is highlighted in the results of the Chief’s Best of Apopka awards, which is peppered with honors for these downtown eateries.
For the last year and a half, the 5th Street Merchants in partnership with the CRA have been hosting a Friday Night Market with 40-plus vendors selling their wares right on 5th Street. The landlord at the southwest corner of Park and Main has also made major improvements to a building that is over 60 years old, giving options to office and retail businesses to open or expand.
We are proud of the partnership between the property owners, the Apopka CRA and the city of Apopka and the impact they have made on improving downtown with multiple murals representing our rich heritage. We are even expanding small businesses opening in the CRA with True Coffee only a block away on Station Street.
What a difference a couple of years make when we work together for the common good.
