"GBG Market is all about community, our community"

Anticipation is building around the opening of GBG (Goods, Beverages, Groceries) Market in the heart of Kirkwood! We are excited to share that owner Bob Rhein shared with us about his story, his passions/vision for the market, and some clues to what you might find on the shelves!  Enjoy reading below!

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“We have been dreaming about this grocery for a long time, years in fact....”

We have been dreaming about this grocery for a long time, years in fact.   A neighborhood store, with shelves of great wine and beer, brands you know and some we can't wait for you to try, where our friends and neighbors can come in on the way home from work or on your way to a concert in park to get basic supplies like chips and queso but also taleggio and brie, organic vegetables and gluten free ice cream.  A place that would be a welcome sight in Kirkwood.

But let's back up a little.  We are Bob Rhein and Ginny Staples.  We have lived in Kirkwood for a few years now, but have much deeper roots in Atlanta.  Ginny went to HIGH SCHOOL here and Bob moved here out of college to work at a bar during the 96 Olympics.  Bob stayed in the bar and restaurant industry, opening new places, managing the floor, always focused on great customer experiences. Ginny is a project manager extraordinaire, working for payroll companies to solve problems, train people to do new things that scare them, and always with a sense of humor and possibility. For the last 7 years Bob has been the owner and operator of the Square Pub in Decatur. It was there that we met, and later hosted our wedding reception when we eloped.   We are the proud parents of three dogs and a cat. 

“GBG is all about community, our community. ”

GBG is all about community, our community.  GBG stands for Goods, Beverages, and Groceries but it also happens to be the initials of the three owners: Bob, Ginny and our friend Greg.  We will sell many goods made from our family and friends' recipes - wait until you taste the lemon bars - and have a coffee bar for your morning commute.  Our plan is to meet your basic grocery needs with paper goods, milk, juice and marinara.  But we also want to make your life easier with a selection of prepared foods like salads, sandwiches, kids' meals, pre-cooked enchiladas and lasagna, alongside fresh baked goods, a selection of chilled IPAs, and a special candy selection for the kids.  And did we mention the kombucha on tap? 

We are thrilled to be opening in August,  Keep an eye out for the window sign at 2033 Hosea L Williams Drive, next to Indigo Yoga, to change from "Coming Soon" to NOW OPEN!

-Bob Rhein

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"Four pillars necessary to produce a thriving community" by: Callie Murray

J.Rich Atlanta believes in elevating influential voices in our community. Today, we hear from Callie Murray, the "Community Manager" of Plywood People; a local non-profit that leads a community of start ups doing good. Enjoy!

For a little over a year now, I have worked as the Community Manager for Plywood People, a non-profit leading a community of start-ups doing good through programming, events and connections. Each day, I witness a thriving community of thought leaders, working together to learn and grow and ultimately achieve more of the missions that drive them. I am consistently encouraged by the growth - in both the people and the organizations - that results.

Last year, I also took on a new role in the hopes of growing personal community, and I became the PTA President at my children’s elementary school. Spoiler alert: This move has not produced the results I was hoping for.

I’ve been wrestling through the idea of community all year, and I’ve landed on four major pillars that I believe are necessary to produce one that is thriving and growing.

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Four pillars to produce a thriving community 

1. Belonging. Does each person feel like a member? Thanks to good ole PTA, I have learned that a title or a due doesn’t quite complete the transaction; there also must be that feeling of belonging. Do you have a voice? Do people know your name?

2. Shared mission/vision. Are you working together for a common goal? Perhaps it is a personal goal (ie at Plywood, each person is trying to grow their own organization), but it is a personal goal held by all. Do you share the same motivation?

3. Increased capacity. A thriving community pools resources - intellectual, financial, and social capital - to increase the overall capacity of what could be accomplished. As Plywood Advisor Jack Alexander explains, an individual has potential, limited and finite. However, a group of people can network together to form capacity, broad and limitless.

4. Low barriers. I think I could also phrase this, “It’s easy.” Is there an easy place - physical or online - to connect? Is there an expected tempo for connecting? Is it apparent how you become “in” the community? With the PTA, I started the year sending emails, to crickets. I then learned that our school’s population, vastly low income, didn’t have access to personal computers, and I learned to text. Emails were a barrier to community; texts made it easy.

“an individual has potential, limited and finite. However, a group of people can network together to form capacity, broad and limitless.”

— Jack Alexander

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If you are looking for a community around your work and mission, I invite you to look into Plywood People and to contact me (callie@plywoodpeople.com) for more information. As we say here, we believe that better is possible, and we know that community is vital to making that true.

Callie Murray

"We don't want to be anyone else, we want to be us" | An interview with Mayor Frank Auman

Tucker, GA

A few miles Northeast of Decatur is a small, newly formed city that you may have never heard of. The neighborhoods weave through the city like a tangled maze, easy to get lost in and forget how close you are to downtown. A walk down Main Street feels like another place and time altogether. Neighbors who’ve been there for decades enjoying festivals and new restaurants with the wave of thirty something's who have recently found this blossoming city sitting on the edge of the perimeter. Immediately there is a sense of something happening here that you’ve been looking for all along. A sense of excitement and growth combined with a community who cares about each other and has a pride in where they live. This place is Tucker!

In the past two years, Tucker has experienced a lot of exciting growth and development. Although the town was founded in the 1892, it was recently incorporated as Dekalb County's newest city in 2016. The city held its first election in March 2016, electing its first city council members and Mayor!

A few weeks ago Dave Sanders, J.Rich ATL lead agent of Tucker, had the honor of interviewing Tucker's first Mayor, Frank Auman!

In this interview, Dave asks Frank Auman about his family, background, how Tucker became a city, what makes Tucker unique, and what is in store as the city continues to grow! We hope you enjoy this interview and get excited as we are about what is next for the city of Tucker!

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Q&A with Mayor Frank Auman

How did Tucker become a city?  

Tucker was established as a City just a couple of years ago. This was the result of local citizens speaking up when they did not agree with the direction and how the boundary lines were being drawn.

[I] Got involved with a group of active citizens and wanted to determine what to do in terms of what was best for Tucker. The conclusion was that the best move forward was to advocate establishing Tucker as a City. This result would not happen without a lot of work. From there [I] took multiple trips a week to the capital to fight on behalf of Tucker becoming a city.

A month before the referendum passed, we started to realize we needed to put people in a position to guide the city. It was time to start thinking through who would be willing to help lead the City and become Mayor. Turns out, that person ended up being me!

What's next for you as mayor now that you have been elected for a 4 year term?

In the beginning, it was a 100 miles an hour every day because of the hectic nature of becoming a city. So I’m looking forward to settling in and being able to bring to fruition some of the things we’ve been working so hard on.

The first term was shorter because it was a special election; typically they are every odd-numbered year. That is why I served a two-year term prior to this 4-year term election. Two years from the end of 90 days, we were required to have everything they put in the charter into place. This was everything from parks, to code enforcement, zoning, planning etc. So i'm looking forward to my first full term after working so hard to get those things into place.

Nobody cares more about what happens right here in the city, than those who live in the city. Tucker is being discovered as a place to "live, work, play and pray". Tucker is that kind of place and is intentional about being that kind of place.

What do you see happening in downtown Tucker?

We don't want to be anybody else. We want to be us. It is going to become organically mixed use. We want to keep the stuff we love and nurture those things and improve the stuff that can be better.

“We don’t want to be anybody else. We want to be us.”

A walkable community with businesses of all sorts, entertainment with green space, restaurants, open up sidewalks up and down 1st avenue and other side streets. Develop space to have several sections that branch off of the main street. Places to live and new restaurants that branch off of the main drag.

It's coming! You just can't force it or engineer the timing.

What are you most excited about?

I am most excited about the opportunity to be a part of the decision making that goes into the zoning and development that will help mold the direction of the City. City council reps 11k people and there are two representatives in those districts. If you want to be heard, the access is there for your voice to be heard.  

What would you like to see more of?

Universal high-speed Internet, fiber, citywide in every public space. It is important to attract business and make it easier to conduct business.

Also, setting up the infrastructure to have a smart city and autonomous vehicles. The small city has the ability to decide if that's an investment worth making. 

What makes Tucker so great?

Tucker has a community that other people don't. Most areas have an average about 15% volunteer rate, in contrast, Tucker has more like 75% of its citizens that are willing to volunteer.

Volunteers have launched several initiatives and businesses like the livable centers initiative, rotary clubs, optimist clubs, the business association, civic associations, all friends of the parks organization and more. It was organic and it just happened due to the hard work of our citizens and volunteers. We stand on the shoulders of these people.

“So while we’re starting new, the foundation is anything but new. And that’s community.”

So while we're starting new, the foundation is anything but new. And that's community. The theme of the comprehensive plan and Tucker being a connected community is wanting to nurture that community and let it be woven into the fabric.

People yearn for a sense of community and they don't realize it sometimes until they've found it. People that have been here a year or two say they have never seen anything like it and they love the way the neighborhood knows and looks out for each other.

We want them to find something here where they get the feeling that they don't ever want to leave it.

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Frank Auman is originally from Tampa, Florida. His dad was a civilian with the Department of Army, which moved his family to DC, then to Hawaii, and then to Atlanta when Frank was in the 6th grade. He graduated from South West Dekalb and went on to graduate from the University of Georgia. While at Georgia he met and eventually married his wife, Gaye, who is a native to Tucker.

Auman maintains a lapel pin business that he has operated for the last ten years. His collection of stories and pins alike is something that draws you in right away. He has rare pins from all over the world, most of which coincide with the Olympics that he’s traveled to.

Frank and Gaye Auman have been married for 29 years and have three daughters and two son in laws. All of their children have attended the University of Georgia; the last one, Grace, will start this fall. Gay’s family line are all native to Atlanta, making their daughters 8th generation natives!