Milk District becomes part of Orlando's Main Streets program

Last month we told you local businesses in the Milk District were close to becoming part of Orlando's Main Streets Program, and now it's official. 

Orlando City Council approved funding for the addition of the Milk District into the program, which means it will now receive "financial assistance, technical support and training to foster growth and prosperity among the small businesses within the district," according to a city press release. The Milk District, which gets its name from the T.G. Lee Dairy plant on its border, includes businesses like the Plaza Live, Etoile Boutique, Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar, Pom Pom's Teahouse and Sandwicheria, the Milk Bar, Spacebar, Gringos Locos, Se7enbites Bake Shop, Market on South, Sportstown Billiards and Beefy King. 

"The addition of the Milk District to our Orlando Main Streets program will continue to build upon the successes we have seen in each of our neighborhood commercial corridors – creating jobs and opportunities for our residents," Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said in a statement. "We are excited to support this unique destination and the local character they bring to our city."

The Milk District joins the city's nine other districts: Audubon Park Garden District, Church Street District, College Park Partnership, Downtown South, Gateway Orlando, Ivanhoe Village, Mills 50, Orlando Tech Association and Thornton Park District. The vision of local business owners Tommy “Mot” Barger and Shaun Noonan, the Milk District is becoming a thriving community as it works through the pains of residential growth. 

"It has been a long journey with many hurdles to get to this point," Barger, owner of Spacebar, says in a statement. "Without the excitement of our new board members, becoming a Main Street District would have never become a reality. Being a Main Street District will give the Milk District a collective voice within the city."