Polka Dotz to remain in downtown Winter Garden

Polka Dotz has found a new home in downtown Winter Garden.

Heidi Hardman, the owner of the boutique, found out in January that portions of the building in which her small business resides at 12 W. Plant St. was sold and she would not be given the option to renew her lease, which ends in June. 

Polka Dotz will move to 31S. Main St. where Robyn Michelle Salon was previously. 

"It feels good," Hardman said of the move. "I'm hoping people will come around and support us although we are on the side street. Our goal is to make Main Street the main street. We're trying to revitalize Main Street. ... It feels like home."'

Hardman said she will move her business to Main Street in early July after her lease in the Bond Building ends in June and after she gives herself and her staff some time off to reward them for their hard work and dedication to the store. 

Hardman contemplated whether she wanted to keep Polka Dotz in downtown Winter Garden after LLCs associated with Windermere's James Larweth purchased not only portions of the Bond Building in which Polka Dotz currently resides but also the Edgewater Hotel, the Khouzam Building, the building that houses The Real Estate Collection Offices and the building where Black Bean Deli was trying to open. All the properties are on Plant Street. 

But the support of the community was a driving factor for why Hardman decided to stay in downtown Winter Garden, she said. 

"I just really had to take a step back and think about it," Hardman said. "This is our town, and I want to stay, but it took me a while to get there. I don't want somebody else making my decisions for me."

Moving onto Main Street will be a fresh start for Hardman, she said. 

"It's a different layout, a little smaller but sometimes you need a reset," Hardman said. "It just feels new. I like a new challenge and something to look forward to. We are excited to be staying (in downtown Winter Garden)."