Ocala Small Business News Roundup for November 2026

Ocala brings a new veterinary campus on SW 52nd Street, a liquor store permit decision in the southeast, and two holiday events that put local vendors in front of customers this November. Here is what Marion County business owners should know.

VOCAL's new veterinary clinic and quarantine building

Voices of Change Animal League has filed plans with Marion County to build two new structures at its southwest Ocala campus, adding nearly 8,700 square feet of new construction.

According to Ocala-News.com, the conceptual plan, called the "VOCAL Expansion," is scheduled for review by the Marion County Development Review Committee on Monday, Nov. 2.

The plan breaks down into two pieces:

• A 6,187-square-foot Veterinary Clinic and Resource Center
• A 2,507-square-foot Veterinary Quarantine and Isolation Building for sick or incoming rescue animals

The project sits on the 22.5-acre parcel at 6393 SW 52nd Street, where VOCAL has operated since 2016. The site was a greyhound facility under a 1985 county special exception before that. In December 2024, property owner R.L.R. Investments, LLC deeded the land to the nonprofit, and the deed requires it to stay dedicated to animal welfare, including at least 3,000 spay and neuter surgeries a year. The group already runs a 2,500-square-foot clinic there, built in 2019, and its Project FEED pet food bank feeds more than 3,000 local animals monthly.

A liquor store permit in the southeast, and one denied in the city

Two liquor decisions in Marion County show how much one vote can change a business plan.

A new package liquor store is seeking permission to operate in Unit 2512 of the Baseline Commons Plaza at 2512 SE 58th Avenue, in unincorporated Marion County. Virwa Inc., on behalf of property owner Kalasa II LLC, has applied for a Special Use Permit, and the request sits on the Marion County Planning and Zoning Commission's consent agenda, according to Ocala-News.com.

The details that matter for the neighborhood:

• The storefront is 1,861 square feet, roughly 243 feet from Good News Church
• Staff recommends hours of 10 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday, with no Sunday sales
• The permit would be tied to Virwa Inc. and Unit 2512, and would expire in five years
• Notices went to 22 surrounding property owners, and the adjacent church tenant submitted a letter with no objection

The plaza already has history here. Commissioners approved a package liquor permit for Suite 2494 in November 2013, and landlord Kavitha Reddy filed an affidavit stating that earlier operations there permanently ceased earlier this year.

In the city, the outcome went the other way. Ocala City Council denied a location permit for Spot on Liquors at 125 NW 27th Avenue, citing adjacency to a licensed daycare and concern about liquor store saturation in that neighborhood.

The Thanksgiving Play runs through Nov. 15

Ocala Civic Theatre's production of "The Thanksgiving Play" opened Oct. 29 and runs for 15 performances through Nov. 15.

The Lakota playwright Larissa FastHorse wrote the comedy, which the Ocala Gazette reports follows a troupe of theatre artists assigned to devise a pageant for Native American Heritage Month. It made its Broadway debut in 2023. The Civic premiere is directed by Tuscarora artist Vickie Ramirez.

Performance details for the run:

• Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m.
• Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• Sundays at 2 p.m.
• Rated PG-13

The theatre is at 4337 E. Silver Springs Blvd. Executive and Artistic Director Greg Thompson said the production was made possible in part by grants from Marion Cultural Alliance and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Holiday Bazaar returns to Grace Episcopal

The 79th annual Grace Episcopal Church Holiday Bazaar runs Nov. 13 and 14, and the Ocala Gazette's preview of it is a good read for anyone who sells crafts, baked goods, or gift items in Ocala.

The church is at 503 SE Broadway St. On the table this year are handmade felt sequin stockings, wreaths, stained glass blocks, crochet work, decoupage gifts, wooden ornaments, and a new "Blind Date with a Book" project run with students from Ocala Middle School's Book Bowl Team. The bazaar's "Glitter Girls Guild" is back, and it is the group behind the stockings.

Friday evening is "Ladies Night," $5 for entry with a charcuterie plate and a glass of wine. Saturday entry is free. The raffle carries more than 20 items, including art classes from Julie Shealy Art and a $100 gift card to First Avenue Bistro. Proceeds benefit Lotus Marion and Wear Gloves, Inc.

Marion Cultural Alliance turns 25

Before the season gets busy, the Marion Cultural Alliance marked 25 years at its Applaud the Arts Gala on Oct. 29 at Protea Farm, south of Ocala.

The Ocala Gazette reported that the nonprofit grew out of the Horse Fever public art project launched in 2000 by co-chairs Laurie Zink and Paula King, and that MCA now runs the Brick City Center for the Arts downtown and has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants over its history.

Grant recipients announced at the gala included the Ocala Symphony Orchestra, performing "Disney's Aladdin Live in Concert," and Marion Theatre, launching an affordable film series for its 85th anniversary with $5 tickets. The Public Education Foundation of Marion County received support for the Ocala Film Derby, a student filmmaking program with $20,000 in scholarships. A raffle for the anniversary sculpture Tribute25 closes Dec. 4 at The Brick.

None of this happens on a large budget. Most of it is volunteer-run, grant-funded, and dependent on people finding the organizations online. When a customer searches for a name like VOCAL, Grace Episcopal Church, Ocala Civic Theatre, or the Marion Cultural Alliance at 8 p.m. on a Tuesday and finds no site, or no current hours, that is the visit they never make. We covered the sale of the Ocala Drive-In Theatre earlier this year, another local business whose future turns on what locals can find online. Acelefayne builds small-business websites from $250, and we would be glad to quote your project.