J.T. Williams, with his wife, Tina, owns and operates Sugarboo’s Bar-B-Q, a restaurant that for 16 years has been located on Grandview Street in Mount Dora.
Williams said people come from all over to sample his cooking.
Williams said he believes that notoriety comes from social media marketing and rating websites he utilizes, word of mouth and write-ups in magazines and newspapers touting his barbecue as one of the best in Florida.
But within Mount Dora, Sugarboo’s is something of a hidden gem.
It’s the same scenario for Ivory’s Take-Out, a popular soul food restaurant next door to Sugarboo’s.
The owners of some other businesses in what’s considered the Grandview Business District, including a grocery store, laundromat, barbershop and pool hall, say with the city’s help, they could be more successful.
“I’ve always said that the city thinks of the east side (downtown Mount Dora) as a completely separate area from Grandview Street,” Williams said. “The northeast section is a part of Mount Dora, however, and it needs to be treated as such.”
Last week, representatives of Redevelopment Management Associates (RMA), a consulting firm hired by the city on behalf of the Grandview’s North East Community Redevelopment Agency board to look at the condition of the district, presented findings to the city officials of a market analysis started last April.
The board approved the analysis and agreed to revisit formulating a plan after the NECRA board had time to set priorities.
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