We all deal with things differently; and, the recent lockdown period for the Coronavirus was no different. While some got productive, others of us were reduced to a near vegetative state, accomplishing absolutely nothing outside emptying refrigerators and watching Netflix. Sadly, yours truly was part of the latter group.
This now painful acknowledgement only increases my appreciation and respect for Local Erica Mason. Eric wasn’t just thinking outside the box during this time, he was truly thinking outside the lockdown, contemplating a time when we would begin to emerge from our homes. And his thinking took into account both the hurdles involved and the individual Local opportunities we may have as we sought a return to normalcy, to aid the Local small businesses so detrimentally impacted by the shut down.
Voila! Eric didn’t just come up with the idea for the City of Winter Park to shutdown Park Avenue so that restaurants might bring tables & chairs into the street for increased social distancing while dining, he also began a Change.org petition to rally others to the possibility.
I caught up with Eric the first night of the Mother’s Day Weekend Park Avenue event to say thanks, get a pic and find out a bit more about this resourceful thinker!
Let's meet our neighbor!
Name: Eric Mason
Where are you from originally & how did you come to Winter Park: Originally from Burnley in Lancashire, UK. My wife and I traveled the USA with work for a few years and moved to Winter Park when we opened our business.
Where do you work / what do you do: Emma and I own Physiotherapy Works, LLC. And I am a Physical Therapist.
Where do you live: Downtown Winter Park
What was the catalyst for your idea about closing off Park Avenue: As a small business owner myself it was clear that the restaurants would struggle to survive with anything below 50% capacity. As any business owner you also have concern for the staff members that make up your team, their financial security is dependent on your success.
How did the Covid 19 thing effect you: Drastically, it reduced our patient load to less than 25% capacity. You have concern for both your staff and patients health and wellbeing. We were able to secure the PPP loan, which has enabled us to keep our staff employed and our doors open. On a personal level Emma is vulnerable because she has a chronic lung condition.
What was the worst part of it: The uncertainty. How is this virus going to affect our community, family and friends. How is this going to affect our ability to keep our business open, how long can we secure our employees jobs.
Any interesting reflections on it now: It makes you appreciate all the things we previously took for granted.
What’s your favorite Local restaurant & why: Barnies, it is our Sunday morning guilty pleasure. Great coffee, great breakfast and friendly staff. We have also rediscovered Pannullos.
What’s your favorite part of living in Winter Park: Being able to walk to the restaurants and shops, we feel very lucky to live in such a beautiful area.
What’s Your Favorite Area of Winter Park?: Park Avenue and Dinky Dock.
What was your favorite part of having The Avenue shut down for Mother’s Day weekend?: Seeing all the families enjoying more space to move around. Seeing the restaurants being responsibly busy, and seeing people using the park for picnics. It was so nice to see so few people on their cell phones, there was so much more interaction with each other, and families playing with their kids was lovely.
What did you do during the weekend to celebrate?: Friday evening we sat in the park with take out from Bosphorus. Saturday evening we ate at Cafe De France. Sunday brunch at Barnies (of course)
Was it everything you hoped?: I was grateful that the City of Winter Park were willing to give it a go. I was glad to see that people were being socially responsible. It felt like a safe step restoring normality in the community.
How did you maintain your sanity and actually come up with a POSITIVE idea during the shutdown?: I am not sure that I kept my sanity, but as an entrepreneur my brain is always whirring and I decided to act on my idea this time. I was pleasantly surprised that the change.org petition developed such great traction and pleased that the City of Winter Park even considered the idea.