Plantation Jewelers, Ms. Bee's find new locations

Two downtown Winter Garden businesses finally can put the past behind them and move on after a heavy rainstorm caused the roof of their 58-year-old building to collapse in June 2019, causing significant damage to their inventory.

Belinda Wilson plans to have Ms. Bee’s Gourmet Popcorn & Candy Shoppe reopened before Christmas. Although it won’t be downtown, she is confident her customers will drive a few extra miles to buy their sweet and salty treats from her new store in Clermont.

Alex Ramos, owner of Plantation Jewelers, reopened his jewelry and clock shop just up the street in June. He is grateful for the larger space so he can offer more merchandise.

PLANTATION JEWELERS

115 W. Plant St., Winter Garden

Plantationjewelers.com

Ramos considered himself lucky at the time of the collapse because he was preparing to expand into the space next door to his shop. Although he lost his showcases, camera system and most of his equipment, he was able to salvage his merchandise, which includes his handmade jewelry. He was in the temporary storefront for a year before the current space opened up.

At 2,000 square feet, the new store gives Ramos room to add more showcases and a larger workshop with modernized equipment in the back.

Ramos makes most of the jewelry for sale in the store, and he specializes in custom wedding rings and repairs. He is able to create new custom rings using the stones from old rings, and he can take a customer’s ideas and create a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry.

“I like the older pieces that are more intricate, as opposed to having ultra-modern, straight lines,” Ramos said of contemporary jewelry. “Even though I can make that, I tend to go with … modern vintage.”

Besides jewelry, Plantation sells and repairs grandfather clocks. Ramos attends estate sales all over the state looking for old clocks he can restore and bring back to life.

A popular part of the store is Ramos’ uncle, Adel Rey, a longtime fixture at Plantation who still makes an appearance on most Friday afternoons to whip up some Cuban coffee and chat with Ramos and the customers. He helped out at the store before COVID-19 hit, but when Plantation was closed for seven weeks, Rey decided to stop working.

Plantation Jewelers originally shared space with another business when it opened in 2000. Two years later, he moved down the street, where he remained until last year.

MS. BEE’S GOURMET POPCORN & CANDY SHOPPE

13900 County Road 455, Suite 115, Clermont

(407) 554-2028

“We do have a new home, and I’m excited about it,” Wilson said. “We’re finally getting up and running. … As much as I tried to keep in the Winter Garden area, it just wasn’t happening.”

At times, it seemed easy to give up the dream of reopening Ms. Bee’s, Wilson said, but she heard from a number of customers and residents who encouraged her to once again sell her treats to the community.

“I just had to,” she said. “Ms. Bee’s is important to the community.”

She said she reached out to the city of Clermont, and the people she has talked to are exciting to see Ms. Bee’s open in their city. The new store is just seven miles away, she said.

“It’s crazy,” she said. “We’re just a little mom-and-pop shop.”

This small-town establishment serves more than 70 flavors of popcorn, as well as vintage candies and gum and Wilson’s homemade fudge. Wilson said she plans to sell an expanded variety of her fudge, as well as 75 flavors of saltwater taffy and other nostalgia candies.

“We use the best ingredients, and I haven’t wavered from my recipes,” she said. “I’m very proud of our popcorn and our recipes and we’ll continue to be good, if not better. This is a new beginning.”

The new space is smaller, she said, so she knows her inventory will be smaller, too; but she is making the most of the square footage she acquired in the Publix shopping center.

“Our store isn’t going to be like downtown Winter Garden because we’re not going to have the walk-in store like we had, but what we will have will be bigger and better,” Wilson said. “People love their sweets, and they love their popcorn.”

Customers also loved the carousel horse named Arabella that held court in the window of the Plant Street shop, so Wilson is trying to figure out a place to put her among her snacks and treats.

Wilson plans to be open by Christmas if renovations stay on schedule.

“We still have a few hurdles, but I have faith,” she said.

Wilson opened Ms. Bee’s in November of 2011.

“I didn’t really go in there with the mindset that this is a true business,” she said. “I just thought this would be something I could give the community. … We helped out downtown. We did fundraisers for schools and cancer.”

She said she will continue to give back to the community once Ms. Bee’s opens her doors again.

She currently is working on a new website and is looking for a delivery service.