Would it be too much to say that food halls have become a new religion among Central Florida’s property developer set?
Exhibits A through Z are on display in DeLand where a historic church is in the process of being converted into a food hall. The circa 1927 building just outside of Stetson University was the long-time home of Trinity United Methodist Church. The church sold the building and land to locals Chris and Jessica Levings for $950,000 earlier this week.
The Levings plan to convert the building into a multi-use space. The second and third stories will be converted into apartments while the gathering places (sanctuary, chapel and fellowship hall) will be converted into three separate events venues. The Levings hope to include a market, a food hall and an artist’s studio inside the church’s 63,000+ square feet.
The Levings told the Orlando Business Journal that they were inspired by food hall flips in recent years like the East End Market and Winter Garden’s Plant Street Market. They said that the surrounding community bought in to the project at neighborhood meetings.
The Levings hope to have the building renovated and reopened by fall of next year.