A tiny little benefit shop that has been operating out of the bottom of the Winter Park City Hall for decades has been pushed out of its longtime home.
The Winter Park Benefit Shop was given a ground-floor lease in Winter Park City Hall back in 1972, along with a promise that they could stay there in perpetuity. However, a more recent lease put in front of the group sometime around 2006 revoked that promise, and now they’re having to be rehomed somewhere else in Winter Park, to make room for city staff.
The Winter Park Benefit Shop was actually established as a non-profit organization in 1935 under the name United Relief Society, and used to be operated alongside a welfare association and a health clinic at 215 S. Park Avenue. Then they moved to the Winter Park Welcome Center in the 40s, before ultimately moving into City Hall in the former Winter Park Jail space, where they didn’t have to pay rent or utilities, and could focus on raising funds. We wrote about their 80th Anniversary HERE back in 2015.
The shop operated for roughly 10 hours a week on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday, and has been run by a dwindling group of volunteer women who donate proceeds from the sale of donated vintage goods to local charities.
Organizations that have received donations from the shop include:
- Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Florida
- Christian Service Center Winter Park
- Freedom Ride, Inc.
- Harbor House of Central Florida
- Second Harvest Food Bank
- Winter Park Day Nursery
The group, faced with the task of relocating, has requested that the City give them a new space in exchange for not raising too much of a fuss for being kicked out, along with a lease of at least 35 years, and would have the city cover any major costs associated with maintenance and insurance, according to Beth Kassab of Winter Park Voice. Though some commissioners are pushing for a much shorter lease in case they want to do something else with the property, as the City had already planned to knock it down to expand parking for the park and the library and event center.
According to a May 14, 2025 City Commission Agenda, the demo of the building and surrounding property will still happen, but in a “phased approach” that will allow the building to remain, while still expanding parking options.
“Most recently, the Benefit Shop’s lease expired on August 20, 2024, and the City determined it needed additional office space in City Hall to conduct City business. The City Manager extended the lease through December 2024 to allow the WPBSA an opportunity to find an alternative location. After many unsuccessful attempts to relocate, Lake Island Hall at 450 Harper Street was proposed. This building was slated for demolition related to providing additional parking on the MLK Park, Library and Event Center campus. A revised design of the parking lot and phased approach to increasing parking allowed for the building to remain. The City has made minimal improvements to the building and assisted the WPBSA with moving furniture and inventory.”
On Wednesday, May 28, Winter Park’s City Commission will vote on a new three-year lease agreement for the benefit center at Lake Island Hall, at 450 Harper Street [GMap], a small building in Martin Luther King, Jr. Park.