Great Florida gifts ideas

In my efforts to keep it local this year, here are some of my recommendations for gifts from the Sunshine State:

Davidson of Dundee - this Polk County business offers a wide array of citrus themed products from Tangelo marmalade to Honeybell Orange candy. Available at citrus stands statewide, I purchased several items at Conway's Red Hill Groves, which has been in business since 1962. We've been enjoying a bag of super-sweet Tangelos we bought there last week. Good ol' fashioned Florida fun!

Tropic Bee Honey - also available at most citrus stands, this Edgewater Florida business has been around since 1940.

The History Emporium at the Orange County Regional History Center- has great Florida items including Florida-themed books, vintage citrus labels and plastic lawn flamingoes. Recently featured in Southern Living, the flamingoes have been flying off the shelves after a mention in the magazine. They also have the very sweet Florida citrus wines, which are great for making Sangria. And they have my favorite, Moon Soup from Polk County's Chalet Suzanne Restaurant which was established in 1931.

Big World Studios

Big World Studio features hand-crafted jewelry that is intricate, beautiful and reasonably-priced. My friend Wendy lovingly creates these little masterpieces in her home studio. Likewise for my friend Sonja who makes these beautiful pieces.

Sonja Bone

Florida Art Pottery Studio - at Renningers Antique Market in Mt. Dora features pottery by Martin Cushman. Martin is often there, working at the pottery wheel, throwing pots. In addition to his Florida themed pottery he also has an amazing collection of Florida-themed art.

Martin Cushman

Dawn Schreiner - promotes her work with a Facebook page where she does a doodle of the day, often of members of her Facebook group. I've commissioned her to do several small pieces, which are all on recycled materials (usually the back of cereal boxes.) Her work can be found at Seven Sisters Coffee House, which features fair trade organic coffee. And located right behind Seven Sisters is Wild Woman Chocolate, making hand-crafted organic chocolates like nothing else you have ever tasted. They take their chocolate serious there, and if you do too, this is the place for you!

Yours truly by Dawn Schreiner

Seven Sisters Coffee

Wild Woman Chocolate

These are just a few ideas from Central Florida. I urge you to think what you can do to support individuals in your own community this year.

This stuff matters

I recently had the opportunity to review items that will be put up for auction from Church Street Station. The downtown Orlando complex formerly highlighted antiques collected by its founder, Bob Snow. Over the years he amassed an amazing collection of antique automobiles, architectural elements, furniture, paintings, sculpture, etc. He also hired a talented woodworking crew to create hand-crafted quality wood pieces that helped to integrate the antiques into the attraction in a seamless manner.

Bob Snow sold Church Street Station to Baltimore Gas and Electric who tried for years to make it a profitable operation. When they tired of trying to re-coup their large investment they unloaded it and a series of bad owners insued, each one seemingly worse than the last. Finally recording industry mogul Lou Perlman, who ultimately ended up in prison, cannibalized much of what was left of Church Street. And what he did with Church Street Station's furnishings was a crime as well.

The newest building on the complex was a 3 story shopping mall called The Exchange built in 1988. Beneath this beautiful Victorian structure was a basement used for storage and the uniform department when the attraction was in its prime. Mr. Perlman, who embezzled millions from his clients, piled all the furnishings, antiques and contemporary pieces, 6 feet high in the basement. Many incredible items were damage beyond repair.

The Exchange Shopping Emporium in the late 1980s

The person in charge of cleaning up Perlman's mess and preparing salvageable material for auction, is an acquaintance of mine who knew me from my almost 9 years of working at Church Street Station. Thinking that I might find sentimental value in some of the ephemera that would be thrown away, she allowed me to peruse room after room of what is left. Hundreds of chairs, tables, lamps, and paintings await auction. Seeing the potential to collect material to document this sliver of Orlando's history, I brought the curator from the History Center with me as well. I salvaged some collateral and ephemera, but more importantly we were able to find some interesting artifacts for the History Center.

So I guess this leads me to question whether I am trying to hold on to the past by collecting old postcards, photos and menus from this an attraction that will more than likely never re-open again? As an avid collector of ephemera from old Florida attractions, I say while I may be sentimental, there is a tangible value in preserving reminders of this significant era in Orlando's past. Over its 30 year run thousands of people visited the attraction and made priceless memories there. Couples got married in its beautiful showrooms. The banquet rooms were sites for political rallies and several presidents visited. Legendary entertainers played on its stages, from the Allman Brothers to Tammy Wynette. For a time Church Street Station was the heart of the city. And mementos of that provide a unique window into an incredible time to have lived in Central Florida.

UPDATE: Many of the places I wrote about in this 2009 post are again at risk. The City of Orlando's proposed moratorium on historic preservation in the Downtown Historic District once again puts the historic buildings on Church Street at risk for demolition. Visit this webpage for details: https://savechurchstreet.org/.

Postcard with "Old Duke" locomotive and "Al Aboard" the train conductor. The locomotive has reportedly been sold.

This stuffed Grizzly Bear once greeted guests at the entrance to the Cheyenne Saloon but was badly damaged beyond repair before the Cheyenne briefly re-opened recently.

Crackers Oyster Bar and the Wine Cellar in the background. Cellars are extremely rare in Central Florida due to the high water table.

Bill White performed his Louis Armstrong tribute in Rosie O' Grady's Goodtime Emporium nightly.

This elaborate stained glass window was purchased by the Orlando Magic for the new arena.

Phineas Phoggs Ballloon Works was a discoteque where Michael Jackson would visit incognito after his trips to Disney and where Charles Barkley hurled a patron through a plate glass window.

The century old train depot is one of Orlando's most historic structures.

This sign once hung outside of Lili Marlene's Aviator's Pub and Restuarant which for many years was one of the highest grossing restaurants in the entire United States.

Top of a custom made trade show booth for the attraction, which now has a new home in the Orange County Regional History Center.

This Place Matters, Part 2

UPDATE: Many of the places I wrote about in this 2009 post are again at risk. The City of Orlando's proposed moratorium on historic preservation in the Downtown Historic District once again puts the historic buildings on Church Street at risk for demolition. Visit this webpage for details: https://savechurchstreet.org/.

"Church Street Station represents the past, and Orlando cannot afford to live in it. St. Augustine and Savannah can but not our city." So concludes Mike Boslet, editor of Orlando Magazine. He continues: "So what can be done to Church Street Station? Simple: Encourage a developer to tear it down and build a modern, glass-encased, commercial low-rise on the site."

Stepping into the biggest preservation controversy Orlando has known, the abrupt distruction of the Jaymont block, Mr. Boslet says: "It’s not like the city hasn’t aided the demolition of an outdated piece of property before. The city expedited approval of Kuhn’s request to bulldoze the old Jaymont block in 2003. Mayor Buddy Dyer made that happen. Today a beautiful, albeit financially troubled, three-tower, commercial-residential condo development called The Plaza stands on Orange Avenue between Church and Pine streets. The old department store it replaced sat there for 60 years, the last two decades derelict. Does anyone really miss it?"

My answer is yes, I miss it. While the drug store that anchored the block (I forget if it was Woolworths or McCorys) had moved out, it was not derelict for 2 decades as he claimed. The Historic Preservationist for the city was working to preserve the building, but was blindsided by Orlando's mayor and the wrecking ball started swinging within minutes of the city council vote. In its place is a hollow condominium with few residents and bad art.

The premise of tearing down Church Street Station and the whole attitude of the editorial is prevalent in Central Florida. I often hear people complain about the lack of culture or history here, yet eagerly anticipate the arrival of any new chain store or franchise restaurant. I wrote the editor and urged others to do the same because the block occupied by Church Street Station, not only was home to one of Orlando's most successful attractions, it also has some of our oldest buildings.

The story goes that when Bob Snow, owner of Rosie O'Grady's in Pensacola, heard Disney was coming to Orlando, he came to Orlando looking for a site to build a "Rosies" here. He had little luck but on the way to the airport the cab driver drove him down Church Street and he found exactly what he was looking for. On the corner was the building formerly housing Slemons Department Store, built in 1926. Other vintage buildings included the Bumby Hardware Store, built by one of Orlando's pioneering families in 1884 and one of the oldest surviving commercial structures in town. Just across the railroad tracks is the historic train depot, which is on the the Historic Register.

55 West Church Street, home to nobody

I think it's unlikely that the attraction that was Church Street Station can ever exist again. But the buildings that housed "the home of Good Times" have more character and life left in them than any "glass glass-encased, commercial low-rise." Looming just beyond the Train Depot is a high rise condo known as 55 West. It is brand new and completely empty.

129 W. Church St. originally Slemons Dept. Store, later Rosie O' Grady's, now vacant.

More here: https://studiohourglass.blogspot.com/2026/06/from-dry-goods-to-good-times-downtown.html

The heart of Church Street Station

"Built 1884, the Bumby Hardware is one of Orlando's earliest surviving commercial buildings."

Old Railroad Depot, Built 1889. "...reflects the Late Victorian railroad architecture popular among New Englanders who funded the railway enterprise. The smooth undulating roof lines, eyebrow dormers, circular tower and bulbous column of the 2nd floor relate to the style developed by architect HH Richardson of Boston..."

My anger at this point of view expressed in the editorial, led me to the National Trust for Historic Preservation's website where I found and participated in the "This Place Matters" campaign. Here are some of the places that matter most to me.

Lake Eola Fountain, built 1957

The Rogers Building, built 1884 . Originally was the English Club for English settlers in the Conway area. Currently an art gallery. On the Historic Register.

The Orange County Regional History Center, built 1927. Originally the the Orange County Courthouse, designed by architect Murry S. King, Florida's first licensed architect. On the Historic Register.

Orlando Public Library built 1966. The Brutalist style building is often criticized by residents for its stark appearance. Expansion in the 1980s was handled by Nils Schweizer, protege of Frank Lloyd Wright.

Sperry Fountain, built 1914-16 (Update: moved to Greenwood Cemetery and replaced with copy cast from the original)

Summer Reflections

Just a quick note to say get your issue of Reflections from Central Florida at the Orange County Regional History Center. It's free and this issue features stories on some of the area's great architects from the 20th century including James Gamble Rogers II, Donovan Dean, Nils Schweizer and the team of Isabel Roberts and Ida Ryan. 

Share a Little Sunshine!

The times, they are a changin' as Bob Dylan once said, as the State of Florida's Visit Florida has launched a new viral campaign to encourage residents to invite their friends and family to the Sunshine State. The Share a Little Sunshine campaign is based on a series of videos imploring Floridians to help the state's economy by rolling out the red carpet to potential tourists. The video designed to get Floridians to participate borrows the idea of hand-written signs from the immortal Bob Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues to make the case of how tourism helps the state. On the website are three additional videos that can be sent to folks outside the state. It'll be interesting to see if this campaign takes off. I guess images of beautiful women in citrus groves or a the beach, just won't get it done any more!

Images courtesy of the Orange County Regional History Center

Vintage Florida Happenings

Tim Hollis, author of Selling the Sunshine State, is doing a talk at the Orange County Regional History Center on May 16th. Tim has written several great books including Dixie before Disney: 100 Years of Roadside Fun, Florida's Miracle Strip: From Redneck Riviera to Emerald Coast and Glass Bottom Boats & Mermaid Tails: Florida's Tourist Springs. In preparation of his next book on restaurants and motels, I found these vintage postcards in my archives.

Horseplay must be allowed at this motel pool, as the poor bathing capped beauty gets pummeled by the man with the farmer's tan.

It's not every day you see a boat on an acoustic tile ceiling with strange detached feet dangling above your dinner plate. Note the labeled fish decorating the room.

My favorite tiki restaurant, the Mai Kai in Ft. Lauderdale, was reportedly damaged during a hurricane but is now fixed up and better than ever. Check out their newly designed website.

And speaking of Ft. Lauderdale, my Vintage Roadside friends in Oregon seem to know about all the great fun stuff happening in the Sunshine State from the opposite corner of the country. First, they told me about the Floridiana Festival in Gulfport and now they've let me know about the Mermaid shows at the Wreck Bar in Ft. Lauderdale. Located in the Sheraton Yankee Clipper Hotel, the Wreck Bar is about to undergo renovation and the future of the pool observation ports are in doubt, which would effectively end the Mermaid shows. So if you want to catch the end of an era, high tail it to Ft.Lauderdale May 15, 22 or 29th.

Reflections

I have been fortunate enough to be a part of the Orange County Regional History Center's journal, Reflections from Central Florida, since its inception. Starting out as a single color publication called It's About Time, the 20 page magazine is now beautifully printed in full-color. The most recent issue highlights a few of Central Florida's most interesting artists of the twentieth century, including the often blogged about Joy Postle. The University of Central Florida allowed us access to their archives and we found some wonderful images of Ms. Postle and her manager husband going back to the 1920s.

Also featured in this issue are Mulford Foster, an artist and botanist, known as the father of the bromeliad, who helped promote the cultivation of these beautiful plants. And André Smith, creator of the amazing Maitland Art Center rounds out the colorful trio of talent that helped lay the foundation for today's arts community. So if you are able to get to downtown Orlando, pick up an issue today, they are free in the lobby of the History Center.

Follow-up

My friend Hilary reminded me of another great Art Deco building in Central Florida. This funeral home sits on Lake Ivanhoe, just north of downtown Orlando.

Panther & Crane

Last night I attended the performance of Ibex puppetry's Panther and Crane and it's not your ordinary puppet show. When I was a kid, puppet shows meant felt-decorated socks on hands performed in little booths. This performance was closer to Cirque du Soleil than Kukla, Fran and Ollie.


Much of the performance is dancing and stylized movement. And there is no booth to hide behind, so you see the puppeteers ala Avenue Q. And this particular show offered no verbal narrative, so it required careful attention to follow the story. The performance is described in the program like this: "Panther & Crane is an expressionistic journey through Florida's ecosystem. We use dynamic puppets, colored light, projections and movement to create a world of mythic imagery and dreamlike metaphor. Our subjects are migrating cranes, alligators in the glade, the human pulse and wildly fluctuating weather. The elements dance together and ultimately collide with Florida's accelerating urban sprawl."

It is pretty amazing to see how they pull it all together. There is a screen for catching the performers shadows and showing animation. The participants not only have to be talented puppeters but dancers too. It is all about creating beautiful, colorful movement to the soundtrack of the Everglades.

The story is about a young Whooping Crane whose mother is electrified on power lines. Human encroachment into the serene environment of the swamp is abrupt and invasive, symbolized by a remote control Hummer and brightly lit construction vehicles (Tonka trucks) held by robot-like puppeters. The only positive human presence are the scientists in white jump suits who step in to help the baby crane find its way by mimicking an adult bird. The other animal characters in the story include a Mangy Panther, an Ancient Alligator and a Catfish.


The park in front of the History Center in downtown Orlando known as Heritage Square served as the perfect setting for this visual feast. Ibex, Heather Henson's local puppet troupe, placed a gigantic inflatable alligator in front of the History Center, complimenting the building banners advertsing the exhibition of her father's work. The permanent alligator statues already in the park fit right into the story, and emergency vehicles with sirens blarring rushed by as if right on cue.


While I wasn't always sure what was going on symbolically, it was an amazing symphony of music, movement and color. The performers jump seamlessly from modern dance to manipulating giant kites on poles to animating fascinating puppets. And I really loved the environmentalist theme of the story. It reminds me of a 21st century version of Joy Postle's "Glamour Birds" performance piece utilizing all the resources available in this technological age. I had really wanted to catch a glimpse of some Whooping Cranes in the wild this winter and fell short, only seeing a couple in capitivity at Homosassa Springs. Perhaps this will hold me over until next Winter!

Joy Postle image from Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida