The walkable downtown in DeLand offers a chance for visitors and residents to stretch their legs .
“ My husband , the year we got married said to me , he wanted
to open a bar in DeLand ,” recalls Melisa , who had no idea where DeLand was . “ He said let me take you there . We came over and I fell in love . That was our first business .”
The couple own and operate several locations – including Café DaVinci , The Boulevard , and The Table , and co-own Neighbors Booze Bites food stand with friends and fellow business neighbors Robbie Carelli and Andy Sistrunk , co-owners of the local brewery Persimmon Hollow Brewing Co .
“ The idea there is we ’ re neighbors and we came together to create one business ,” explained Melisa . “ It started as a taco shop and it ’ s now smash burgers , chicken wings , more bite sized things , and you can take your food into Persimmon Hollow .”
The local brewers have realized their own success , branching out to include a location in Lake Eola , and they are slated for inclusion in Walt Disney World ’ s Flamingo Crossings Town Center development in the future .
Wayne Carter
Helping to support the efforts of the 89 small businesses downtown , the awardwinning MainStreet DeLand Association ’ s executive director Wayne Carter , and West Volusia Tourism Advertising Authority ’ s executive director Georgia Turner do their part to bring exposure to the downtown area by promoting unique merchant events like the weekly Artisan Alley Farmer ’ s Market .
Carter , an unabashed cheerleader for the area , says it ’ s the authenticity of the community that encourages organic growth in the business district , and storefronts don ’ t sit vacant for long in the hot real estate market .
“ You have the ( Main Street ) organization which helps to build partnerships in the community and brings people together for the common goal of having a revitalized downtown , and you do all of that for economic vitality ,” said Carter , noting that with more than 100 businesses in the downtown area , over $ 8 million of economic impact was generated in 2019 from events and promotions .
Turner , who works to maximize the visitor experience by showcasing the region ’ s assets and events to out of county visitors to help generate overnight stays , says she often hears how DeLand conjures up fond memories .
“ The Main Street program has continued to grow . So , when you think of the momentum , and the cool factor that happened somewhere along the way in the last ten years , when people walk into our visitor ’ s center , they always say ‘ This reminds me of my hometown , where I grew up ’, and it ’ s just got that feel that ’ s hard to describe other than being a traditional downtown ,” said Turner .
In a growing community like DeLand , Nick Conte , Director of Economic Development for the municipality knows the importance of retaining the area ’ s signature qualities , while managing expected development , as a team .
“ It really takes everybody to do economic development ,” notes Conte . “ It helps to know the area , and to know the resources you have to help a business .”
New Smyrna Beach : Two for One Good Vibes Only With over 100 shops lining the funky beach town ’ s Flagler Avenue Historic Business District , it ’ s an eclectic mix of genuinely local offerings . Popping in to browse or buy , after a brief chat with shop owners , you ’ ll soon find out why they love their location so much .
Robin Rowland , owner of Robin ’ s Nest art gallery found New Smyrna Beach while on vacation , thinking it would be a great place to purchase a condominium and live one day . After a massive snowstorm , she decided to take the leap , buy a house and set up shop . For her , Flagler Avenue is more than merchants on the block – they ’ re neighbors .
Georgia Turner
“ You have people that come to New Smyrna all the time , so it ’ s
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