Winter Garden’s downtown, the envy of neighboring communities for its successful blend of charm and homegrown commerce, faces an uncertain future as nine commercial buildings, eight on West Plant’s red brick streets, have been sold for millions to a new owner.
Some shop owners in the buildings say they’ve been notified by the new owner/landlord that their leases will not be renewed.
“Despite every effort to communicate and explore possible solutions, we were not granted an extension or the opportunity to stay,” lamented a recent post on the Facebook page of Three Birds Café, which announced the popular lunch spot at 2 West Plant Street would close Feb. 26. “We were built on the belief that small, locally owned spaces are what gives Winter Garden its heart.”
The now-deleted social media post was later replaced by a different message, thanking patrons for their support.
A few customers staged a protest Friday outside the café but were shooed away by a Three Birds employee, who said the new landlord required demonstrators and media move 500 feet from the building, which is also home to Polka Dotz, a locally owned boutique.
Polka Dotz too has received a non-renewal notice.
Sheri Heitker, who described herself as a Winter Garden resident and architecture lover, said she hoped city leaders shared the community’s concern and would vigilantly protect the uniqueness and charm of the downtown, which boasts old, interesting buildings.
“I think we as a community have to stay on top of it,” Heitker said. “It’s sort of up to us.”
Orange County property records and state business records show several of the purchases are connected to James Larweth, the founder of Anton RX, a pharmaceutical rebate management company with offices on South Boyd Street in downtown Winter Garden.
He did not respond to a text message or a voicemail message.
Larweth, 56, has met a couple times with city officials, though he has not disclosed any specific plan for his new portfolio of downtown buildings in the west Orange city, located about 15 miles west of Orlando, said Jon Williams, Winter Garden city manager.
A representative from Three Birds Cafe, right, requests that Winter Garden resident Tess Nater and other demonstrators move further from their restaurant while protesting the restaurant’s loss of their lease, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. Local residents are expressing concern for the number of downtown small-business buildings that have been purchased by a commercial real estate entity recently. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Entities connected to Larweth have spent nearly $21 million on four properties downtown, property records indicate, including $10.3 million on the Edgewater Hotel, built in 1926. Larweth also bought Chef’s Table, the acclaimed restaurant occupying the hotel’s first floor.
“Always, from every conversation we’ve had, it’s been positive,” Williams said of Larweth. “He loves what we’re doing here.”
He said Larweth, for instance, “communicated to us that it was his goal to return the Edgewater Hotel to its grander days.”
But Williams acknowledged the ownership changes downtown have roiled the community.
“I think some folks feel like we may have changed our vision,” he said. “We have not. We’re looking to be a partner with him.”
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Some also worry the new ownership may want to redevelop Winter Garden’s downtown into something more upscale and less quaint.
The real estate market in Winter Garden is far different than it was two or three decades ago when the city was just beginning to blossom with a fun streetscape, weekend festivals and the rising appeal of the West Orange Trail which runs down the middle of Plant Street.
The ownership changes reflect that, said Ken Pozek, a Winter Garden resident and founder of the Pozek Group.
“There’s a reason why on a Saturday night you can barely drive down Plant Street — there’s so many people,” he said.
Property values in and around the downtown district have exploded.
“Many of these properties were purchased years ago for some blueberries and a couple of goats and now they’re worth a lot of money,” Pozek said. “As an owner, you’d probably want to cash in, right? And then what happens, a developer comes in and around and around we go.”
He said he understands the disappointment of losing Three Birds Cafe, local shops and the charming atmosphere they reinforced. “But look at how many new buildings have popped up in downtown or are under development. Winter Garden wants this or they wouldn’t have approved all of it.”
shudak@orlandosentinel.com
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