MOUNT DORA, Fla. – If you’ve driven toward downtown Mount Dora lately, you may have noticed something that’s hard to miss. Donnelly Sreet is closed.
Nearly 19 inches of rain in a matter of hours on Oct. 26 proved too much for the street to handle.
Heavy rain washed away a key part of the roadway, leaving one of the more popular ways to get to this quaint area temporarily closed off.
But when it comes to getting to this popular holiday destination, business owners want you to know there is more than one road to this downtown destination.
We stopped by to see how businesses were doing after the storm, and they say things are starting to turn around.
[BELOW: Lake County declares state of emergency after cities hit with up to 19 inches of rain]
“The day after, obviously, it was pretty slow,” said Carolann Nexon with The Spice & Tea Exchange. “But since then, it’s kind of picked up, and it’s been normal.”
Nexon says she still gets in easily from Old 441 through Tavares. “There are lots of ways to get here,” she adds.
That’s exactly the message downtown businesses are hoping shoppers remember this holiday season.
Inside Matamo Designs, Gilianna Cordoba says the foot traffic has been steady.
“The first couple of days, there weren’t a lot of people, but now, it comes in waves. Once people see that other people are going in, more people come,” she said.
And for Jo Andrews, who works nearby, the myth that Mount Dora has “only one way in” just isn’t true.
“There was this cute little old couple that tried to get in through Donnelly Street, had to go all the way around, but they still made it! They didn’t give up,” she said.
All that perseverance is paying off just in time for Light Up Mount Dora, happening Nov. 22 at Donnely Park, Evans Park and Sunset Park.
Crews are already stringing up lights, and businesses say they’re ready for the crowds to return.
So whether you come in from Old 441, Highway 46, or another back road, remember - downtown Mount Dora is still open, decorated, and ready to welcome you for the holidays and beyond.