MOUNT DORA, Fla. — Historic Downtown Mount Dora is experiencing some changes. With the growth happening in the area, new small businesses are joining the community, as they welcome visitors and locals alike.

What You Need To Know

  • With limited space in Downtown Mount Dora, officials are using existing buildings and properties to help with expansions and growth

  • The famous, vacant Mardi Gras building seen in the Historic Downtown Mount Dora skyline hasn’t been occupied for nearly 20 years

  • Come October, Walk in the Woods and Walk in the Woods Outpost are merging and moving into the Mardi Gras building in Downtown Mount Dora

“Growth is crazy in Mount Dora. We can only grow so much, we’re limited to how many blocks we can have downtown. Most of our landlords and tenants are making the most of the square footage they have available to them,” said Rachel O’Ryan, President of Mount Dora Chamber of Commerce.

But with limited space, officials are using existing buildings and properties to help with expansions and growth. The famous, vacant Mardi Gras building seen in the Historic Downtown Mount Dora skyline hasn’t been occupied for nearly 20 years.

That’s all about to change.

One small business owner announced this week that their business will be one of the first to move in later this year.

Getting ready to open up shop, Dana Rocca owns Walk in the Woods alongside her husband, Steve, and stepdaughter, Kristie.

“One of the things that’s really important for us is to get people outside, to get them to enjoy nature. We wanted to take that a step further by bringing nature inside,” said Dana Rocca.

While Dana and her family have only owned Walk in the Woods for five years, the shop has been a staple in Downtown Mount Dora for the past 18. But the family-owned business is about to experience a major change.

“Coming out of COVID, we made it through that. Then, we went to opening up our new store in 2022. Now in 2023, we’re on the move again,” said Dana.

Come October, Walk in the Woods is moving into the Mardi Gras building in Downtown Mount Dora. The vieux carré-styled building has been vacant for nearly 20 years, undergoing massive renovations. That means both Walk in the Woods and Walk in the Woods Outpost will be under one roof. For co-owner Kristie, it couldn’t have come at a better time.

“We’ve had the two stores the past year. They have different brands in each, they complement each other so well. The cool thing is that by bringing the two stores together under one roof, it’s really a merger of the two and an opportunity to have a one-stop shop for all your travel and adventure needs,” said Kristie.

Kristie has been an integral part in curating Walk in the Woods Outpost. But she said being under one-roof is a game changer for their business and the community.

“The store will essentially be sort of the anchor for the town. It’s such a primary-predominately seen space. I think that in the end, it’s really going to shape the opportunity for other businesses to come in and do spectacular stores, restaurants, whatever the case may be,” said Kristie. “Everybody had their thoughts on what should go in there. That’s been something that’s been talked about for years. What should go there? We hope that the community really supports this and is excited to see us go in there.”

As the Roccas set on another day, in about six weeks, the two stores will soon be empty as they welcome a new chapter in the Mardi Gras building.

Walk in the Woods isn’t the only Mount Dora business making moves to the Mardi Gras building. Future leases for other businesses are expected as well.