Shoppes of Parramore now open with barber shop, women's boutiques

In March of 2013, the City of Orlando gave a building owner $40,000 in facade grants from its Community Redevelopment Agency. Two years and three months later, the Shoppes at Parramore are now open. Commissioner Regina Hill helped cut the ribbon.

"It's a great day to be in Parramore."

FOX 35 first aired the story of 430 S. Parramore receiving that grant, and when owner Jeff Weibel finally opened the doors, he remembered us fondly.

"I was contacted by a reporter who said, 'Is it worth it or a waste of taxpayer money?' I think today, we see that its worth it."

The Shoppes consist of a church, barbershop, and women's clothing boutique run by Rasheedah Muhammad. She tells us there is worry about the amount of foot traffic on Parramore Avenue, but she thinks it will work.

"Why Parramore? And my response has always been, why not?" she said.  "There's places where we can be where it is already developed where it is already great, but I'd rather be somewhere where we see the potential growth, the future growth. It's about forward thinking."

Mayor Buddy Dyer says expect more change.

"We see spurts of economic activity all over Parramore."

He touted the $1.4 billion worth of projects in the pipeline for the neighborhood, including the new soccer stadium, and a K-8 school.