Welcome to issue Number Five!
We are very pleased to be receiving some decent responses to what we are putting out there. Thanks so much for joining us on our journey. Fives issues does not really make a landmark, but it still is pretty cool. It would have been really easy to fold this whole operation up a few times over the last few months . . . but honestly, we are enjoying putting this out and look forward to many more!
New feature, weather!
In our never-ending attempt to expand our appeal, we thought it would be nice to add a weather update. Sure, being a monthly publication should severely limit our ability to accurately guess the weather a month out at a time, but we feel pretty good about our chances of getting close. Here we go: It was hot yesterday, it is hot today, and it will be hot for the rest of the month, all with a chance of afternoon thundershowers. And if you catch wind of a hurricane coming? Duct tape, canned goods, batteries, fill the bath tub, be best friends with someone who has a generator, etc . . . you know the drill.
Upcoming dining news:
As you might already know, The Current is very heavily interested in the state of our Downtown, and restaurants are a great barometer of what is going on. We are fortunate to have some pretty good news this month.
The Colonial Room is on the move. Turns out that the building they have been in since the 1800’s has a new owner. Word on the street is that the new owner has designs on opening a Greek Restaurant in that spot. Luckily, the Colonial Room has found a safe landing spot 3 doors to the west. That should help the new Greek concept get off to a better start… Had Colonial Room not been able to find a suitable new location, the new building owners may have come across as a bit heavy-handed in their first foray into town. Looking forward to another 100 years!
A new Jamaican concept is going in on Sanford Ave (in the old Angels Soul Food spot)! That’s about all we know on this one so far.
The Smiling Bison is coming to Magnolia Square! This is great for a few reasons… We feel that their type of concept is exactly what is needed to help elevate our dining scene. They have a great mix of approachable menu items as well as some pretty adventurous options. They offer a great dining experience while keeping the stuffiness to a minimum as well. They are a bunch of hard-working and hands-on people, which is necessary if you are going to offer something new in this town. They have built up their brand in Orlando to rave reviews and are now bringing it to our little burg. Please check out their current menu at their Orlando location at thesmilingbison.com!
Buster’s Bistro is moving from 412 S. Sanford Ave to their new location at the corner of S. Sanford and 3rd Street. They did such a great job with their old location and we look forward to seeing what they do with their new one. Bigger digs, full kitchen, air conditioning, outdoor patio, two petanque courts facing Sanford Ave, and same great staff, will surely take their concept to the next level.
Lastly, social media has been abuzz this week with the grand opening of Buffalo Wild Wings over by the mall. The euphoria was palpable as we finally have a concept to satisfy the chicken wing-light beer crowd. While that was sarcasm, we are sure that they are nice people over there, but please, do not forget about the nice people in Downtown Sanford that have been offering similar menu items for years.
Thanks for reading The Current-Orlando North!
Did you hear about the new re-branding of Seminole County by Paradise Advertising (in St. Petersburg)? We are betting you have…
Well, as of this issue going to the printer, the County vote has been shelved for a second time as they bounce this around a little longer. The reaction has been pretty evenly split at the county commission. But on the streets, the reaction has been mostly unfavorable toward the marketing idea.
Our initial reaction was similar to that of most people. People who live in Seminole County are here for a reason, and if they wanted to live in Orlando they could very well do so. We have no desire to be just like every other exit on Interstate 4 and we are proud of our natural assets that give us a better lifestyle. Some took offense, thinking the re-branding was going to replace our county name and motto (it is not). It’s almost as if we have a little inferiority-complex-chip on-our-shoulder-knee-jerk-reaction kinda thing happening…
But, we think that the most terrifying revelation to come out of this whole thing is that Seminole County has been in contract with Paradise Advertising for 12 years. In the early years, we paid $419,500 annually and we are now paying them $569,500 per year. And THIS is the biggest thing to come from it?
We understand the motive; people plan their vacations months in advance while looking at a computer screen. Obviously, more of our businesses showing up in their search engine results will ultimately lead to some more dollars being spent in our area. Many shrewd businesses have already taken it upon themselves to include the word “Orlando” in their online representations to achieve a similar result.
But since we have already paid all of this money, we might as well go with it? Let the county throw a lot of money at getting a whole bunch of one-time visitors… and the rest of us will keep working hard on attracting a bunch of repeat visitors, future residents, and new businesses.
Downtown Sanford is on the verge of becoming something very, very special. So, we say let the County do its thing, we will certainly enjoy the extra traffic. But the people who live in Sanford have ZERO desire for our town to be confused with our southerly neighbor. We aspire to be our own city that compels people to visit it for its own merits. We are in a very exciting period of time where we are steering our town to what it is eventually going to be. Downtown Sanford has the potential to be a new centerpiece not only for Seminole County, but even Orange and Volusia Counties. The people who can see that potential are pretty passionate about that vision, and sometimes their knees will jerk a little.
As long as the new branding is limited to Seminole’s online presence only and we see a favorable response, I am sure everyone will change their tune. But, if we find out that Wet & Wild is buying up property on the lakefront, we are going to freak out!!! (On second thought, would we?)
But next time, how about you let us here at The Current help out? We could come up with a few slogans and let our readers pitch in as well… and we’d do it for a tenth of the cost and in a tenth of the time!
Mike Smith-The Current