YBOR CITY, Fla. — An Ybor City business owner says he is excited about the progress he’s seeing on the outskirts of the community.

“It’s a win, win for everybody,” said barber George Vazquez.

Vazquez opened his barber shop Brooklyn Cuts with a friend four years ago.

It’s located a few blocks from the main Seventh Avenue strip, on the 600 block of 19th Street.

When Vazquez first moved to the neighborhood, he described it as a ghost town.

“It was a lot more homeless people, a lot more abandoned houses, a lot more broken down houses,” he said.

But Vazquez says he saw a lot of potential, and now more residential and commercial properties are being built at a dizzying pace.

“The way it’s growing, it’s beautiful to see,” Vazquez said. “From where it’s going to where it’s been, it’s beautiful to see.”

Vazquez said all that progress has been good for his business, as new residents and business owners come by for haircuts. He said visitors who have stopped at the Port on their cruises have also come by for haircuts.

“It’s not just local, it’s tourism,” Vazquez said. “I bank on tourism daily to be able to feed new business.”

Vazquez said he believes his decision to come to Ybor City likely helped to spark interest from other business owners.

The city plans to conduct a study this summer to take a closer look at the state of Ybor City. The last study was completed in 2021 and found that workers and residents were less satisfied with Ybor than years prior. According to the study, they wanted to see a more walkable and vibrant community.