Mount Dora Marketplace to house multiple vendors

MOUNT DORA, Fla. (FOX 35 Orlando) - Two men have a vision to turn the Lake County community of Mount Dora into Central Florida’s next big weekend hot spot. They hope the corner of 4th and Donnelly Street will soon be booming.

“There are no other places around town that offer this opportunity,” said Mount Dora Marketplace co-owner Peter Burgess.

This space was once the home of restaurants, but is now getting ready to open as a multi-vendor market called the Mount Dora Marketplace.

“There are so many other towns and cities that are doing this type of concept and it's working really, really well,” said operations director Dawn Williams.

Inside is space for up to 12 vendors. A 28-tap bar and New York-style deli have already secured space. The owners plan to turn the upstairs into a comedy club. They are now sifting through dozens of applicants for the other spots. One thing they say is attracting them is low rent.

“The rents in Mount Dora are super high, because it's so popular, and this'll give entrepreneurs an opportunity to rent a small space and get their product out to the public,” said Burgess.

“We’re trying to cover what we were missing in downtown Mt. Dora,” said Wililams.

They say the location is a good one for this type of space.

“Where we are standing is the Times Square of Mount Dora.”

If this is Times Square, owners hope folks will be celebrating like New Year’s Even when they open this summer.