ORLANDO, Fla. — Curry Ford is a well-traveled road in Orlando. Lined with locally owned businesses, it’s a part of town with history.
- Curry Ford West District poised to be new Orlando district
- Will stretch down Curry Ford Road from Warwick to Foxboro
- City to vote Monday to approve Curry Ford West as a new district
"Some of the oldest businesses in Orlando are in this neighborhood," said Tracy Cehovin, owner of Roque Pub.
Roque Pub’s is located in the Crystal Lake Plaza along Curry Ford. They have been in business for almost six years now, and they were one of the first businesses that helped get this area approved to be Orlando’s tenth main street district.
It’s an area soon to be called: The Curry Ford West District.
“I think that the dynamic here is amazing. Because we have so many families, it’s a really close-knit community, which is a little different for us than it is for other main streets," said Cehovin. “I really thought our neighborhood needed something like that.”
The Curry Ford West District will stretch down Curry Ford Road from Warwick to Foxboro -- a stretch just shy of two miles.
“The nicest thing about it, is for the businesses in this district, they no longer have to be worried about being alone in business -- they now have a partner," said Pauline Eaton, Orlando Main Street District Administrator.
For Orlando, this concept of simply naming certain parts of town has truly helped boost the local economy.
“It has gotten to be four or five or six projects a week, within these ten districts, that we see a developer coming in, or a business owner coming in, ‘I am buying this building, I am buying this building,’" said Eaton.
For Cehovin, more diversity in business within the area is a good thing.
“It’s not just about, you know, having community events -- it is about increasing the economic vitality of the neighborhood, really giving it a facelift. Making it a walkable community where people want to come to eat, drink, shop and live," said Cehovin.
On Monday, the city will vote to officially approve Curry Ford west as the tenth main street district.