MAITLAND, Fla. – In the course of a year, one local restaurant closed its doors in one spot, opened months later in another. And now, they're hopeful for the future, with new funding on the horizon.

This week, the Outpost Kitchen, Bar, & Provisions learned that they would receive around $90,000 in a second round of Paycheck Protection Program funds, which will help to hire several kitchen staff and get the restaurant open for lunch.

Currently, they are only open for dinner and weekend brunch.

“Right now it feels like the appetizer, getting these little bites of hope for the future," said Julie Casey, who owns the Outpost alongside her husband.

We first visited the restaurant back in April, in its former location in College Park, on the very day that Casey got $40,000 in PPP funds for her business.

By June, the PPP funds dried up, spent mostly on payroll, forcing them to close sooner than they hoped. This was despite the landlord working to extend the lease as construction at their future Maitland location was met with delays, Casey said.

“It was a double-edged sword, to be honest, because on one hand, I was heartbroken," she said, continuing, "But just having that much unknown, it was almost a relief as well to close. We didn’t know what we were supposed to do next."

In fact, for the next seven months, Casey and her husband didn't work; they focused all their energy on construction in Maitland, spent time with their teenagers and blew through their savings.

By January, the site was complete, as dirt floors turned into shiny concrete and empty bathroom build outs transformed into Instagram-worthy backdrops for the soft open.

“My birthday, January 24th … my husband says it’s the best birthday present ever," Casey said, laughing. “I feel blessed now that we’ve reopened because of the people that are around me. That’s the thing that gets me out of bed in the morning. I can’t wait to see the smiling faces of my staff here.”

The new location along South Orlando Avenue is much larger than their previous spot, with high ceilings and many windows. Inside, the vibe is a mixture of prohibition era and farmhouse, dotted with unique touches everywhere.

For instance, a scenic painting depicting Maitland and its three main lakes towers over one of the dining spaces. But, for the last twenty years, it was elsewhere: in nearby Maitland City Hall. It's now on loan to the Outpost indefinitely.

The bar and funky chandeliers are built from wood from their College Park location and their memorable and fitting, black and white sign, "Our Happy Place," now hangs over the liquor shelf.

“'Our Happy Place' followed us from our other happy place," said Casey, who described the year of one of "more lows than highs."

But, an unlikely, yet welcome consequence of the pandemic was an online coalition of area restaurant owners, all facing similar situations.

According to Casey, they now collaborate, sharing everything from information about minimum wage increases, to advice about health and safety.

They even hand out extra tools to other restaurants which they no longer need.

“Prior to COVID, all us restauranteurs operated in a silo," she said, continuing, "We didn’t share best practices and COVID has completely changed that. It’s been the biggest benefit to come out."

Ahead of their official ribbon cutting ceremony on March 13, the Outpost Kitchen, Bar, & Provisions in Maitland is hiring kitchen staff right now.

To apply, visit the restaurant in-person, or online through Facebook or ZipRecruiter.