BRANCHES Introduction
Climate and opportunity played a role in attracting people to Central Florida in the early 1900s. Some Jews who arrived in this new Garden of Eden were eager to farm and try their hand at citrus. Others had been peddlers or had stores elsewhere and came to open shops in a growing community.
Initially most Jewish merchants opened stores on Church Street, eventually moving to the higher rent district of Orange Avenue. Between 1900 and 1960 the impact of Jews in commerce and retail in Orlando was evident. Streets downtown were lined with a wide array of retail businesses owned by Jews. Two stores, La Belle Furs and Southeast Steel are still located downtown and operated by heirs of their founders. The heyday of downtown merchants ended with the rise of malls and large chain stores.
The king crop was citrus. Dr. Philip P. Phillips amassed 5,000 acres in Orange and Osceola Counties. Heller Bros., who began their citrus business in Winter Haven in 1934 is one of the few large growers still around. Today, only a few Jewish families remain in agribusiness. An entire way of life has nearly disappeared.