MOUNT DORA, Fla. — Mount Dora streets and sidewalks were flooded Saturday, not water causing damage and washing out roads as they had a few weeks ago.
This time, it’s flooded with people ready to spend money.
It’s a welcome sight for business owners trying to rebound from the historic flooding that led to a 50 percent decrease in business for some.
“I was here that Monday and I must have had 15 calls from people asking how we were doing,” said Clara Schneider, the owner of Em’z on Fifth. “Are you underwater?”
Schneider said long-time customers and tourists stayed away for about two weeks because they thought the entire city, including the downtown business district, was closed.
“Yea, they there everything was done,” she said. “They thought all of Mount Dora was closed and we were out of business. We had to get online real fast and make videos saying we are opening to get people back in here.”
The city is still recovering from the damage. Christoper Carson runs Mount Dora’s special events. They have several events coming up aimed at getting people downtown to shop and enjoy the charm of their town.
“Small business is everything,” he said. “Mount Dora is a small business community. We all stand behind our businesses, and we need our businesses .”
The next event is the Mount Dora Christmas Walk on Dec. 5th. Then, The 32nd Annual Christmas Parade is on December 6th.
“It’s great, it’s great to see our community come out and support,” he said. “And we welcome others from all over.”
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