I’ll confess up front: I couldn’t draw you a map of downtown Ocala’s exact boundaries if my press credentials depended on it. But it’s always been a special place to me – so a little reflection on what it was, what it is, and what it shall be. 

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I go back a few generations here, and I remember a place with a touch of magic – all that glitz and glass of well-lit store windows that awed us kids on the family walk-through after a movie or a meal, wide-eyed to see what new wonders were coming next. A sophisticated center of commerce in the early post-Civil War Days, we’re told, resplendent with its own opera house, swanky hotel and pharmacy. It survived the swings of prosperity and decline, like all downtowns. 

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My hat’s off to folks like the Gause family, who kept the lights on at Gause Jewelers through all those years when there was every reason to lock the doors. And now here we are with yet another reinterpretation of downtown. I was none too happy to hear some of my favorite places had been sold or shut down.

For 20 years, my heart has lived at the Marion Theatre. Through superhuman efforts by our Save The Marion committee, we helped guide the community through a difficult transition, and the old girl is still standing and thriving. 

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I’ve enjoyed places like Stella’s, that boutique health-food spot – sold and moved, though word is it’ll reopen near WEC. I lament the sale of our superb French restaurant and the loss of its pioneer owner. And I still can’t get over Cindi Nicholson at Mark’s Prime Steakhouse, getting shuffled aside after the sale of the restaurant, only to re-emerge as owner-operator of the brand-new, impressive Remington’s Prime Steakhouse. Now that’s a comeback story. 

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Here’s the good news: We are not selling off downtown Ocala to foreign investors, or even out-of-state entrepreneurs. Better still, the Ivy House – right at the heart of what I call the Marion Theatre Plaza – has been purchased by a friend, Randy Keuntjes, whose vision and resources helped shape Eaton’s Beach Sandbar & Grill. 

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Then there’s La Cuisine, the award-winning French restaurant at 48 SW First Ave., sold by Elodie Guinard and Patrice Perron after 17 years. It abruptly closed in June instead of finishing its planned final weeks. “We had a nice 17-year run,” said Elodie, who has yet to reveal her plans. The good news, I’m told, is that the new owner plans to keep it a French restaurant. Bon appétit. 

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Two former pillars of Save The Marion – Tom Ingram of Cogent Bank and Angie Lewis of Angie Lewis State Farm – clued me in on the future. Said Ingram: “Downtown is night and day from what it once was – thriving local businesses, restaurants, gathering spaces, energy that simply didn’t exist years ago. That didn’t happen by accident. It came from business owners taking risks, investors putting money into the market, and city leadership making strategic decisions.” Angie added: “Downtown is the heartbeat of our community – and yes, it’s changing. We’ve lost some beloved mom-and-pop spots lately, and that stings. But I’m choosing optimism.”

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The Marion is thriving, two new hotels will bring fresh foot traffic, a much-needed parking garage is finally coming, and new restaurants are opening. Change is hard. But it can also be really, really good. I know their work, their intent, their passion. What they say is good enough for me. And trust them, along with people like Gerald Ergle and Kent Guinn. Bring on the new downtown Ocala. I am ready to see what it shall be.