St. Johns Magazine January 2021

ST. JOHNS magazine Happy Holidays! December 2020

Connecting the Growing Communities of Northern St. Johns

January 2021

Rivertown Fine Wine & Spirits

Cover by Nature’s Child Photography

www.stjohnsmag.com

Photo by Nature's Child Photography

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ST. JOHNS

Publisher & Creative Director Debbie Gaylord debbie@stjohnsmag.com 1 904-687-8538 Photographer Mindy Kerr, Nature's Child Photography St. Johns Magazine is dedicated to covering the topics readers care about - from hometown stories and community spotlighs to food, health & business.

St. Johns Magazine is designed to engage readers and inspire them to enjoy the good life in Northern St. Johns!

All rights reserved ©2012-2021 ©St. Johns Magazine LLC. St. Johns Magazine is published monthly and distributed by US postal Service to select homes in Northern St. Johns.

It is free of charge to consumers receiving it in the mail. It is also availalble at many drop points in Northern St. Johns. All material is compiled from sources believed to be reliable and published without responsibility for errors and ommissions.

@St JohnsMagazine facebook/St.JohnsMagazine 4

Designed with Love

ST. JOHNS magazine Connecting the Growing Communities of Northern St. Johns since 2012 Dear Reader, This year has been a tumultuous one. For some reason I am reminded of when I had my triplets and our family’s world was turned upside down trying to care for three infants plus a three year old. When we hit the one year mark, we felt like triumphant survivors but at the same time we knew nothing would ever be the same in our lives again.

I feel similarly about 2020. Everything is deeply changed. For many of us, fear and anxiety became part of our world view as we wondered about an unknown future. So much of our interactions shifted to online, as learning, meetings and shopping became virtual. We missed our families and friends, casual parties, going to concerts, and traveling the world, as we longed for the days when we could just go out without social distancing, without masks as it has not been quite as fun with those accoutrements.

And yet, some of the changes have been good ones. We have spent more time in our homes with our families, beautifying, cooking, organizing, enhancing and binge watching Netflix. We have gotten back into nature and have a new appreciation of its abundance, the trees, oceans, mountains, rivers are a refuge that is always there for the taking. In short, we have taken stock of our many blessings. I have been amazed at how we have adapted and made the best of a terrible situation, and for that I have optimism.

My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones this year, and I am grateful to the healthcare workers and teachers and students who have faced the biggest challenges.

As we say goodbye to this strange, sometimes awful, sometimes wonderful and definitely unprecedented year, I would like to wish everyone in our community a Happy and Healthy New Year, and a new beginning. Let us hope that the new decade is bright. We may never be the same yet we survived.

As always please enjoy this issue of St. Johns Magazine, featuring a very uplifting interview with Frank and Bonnie, Owners of Rivertown Fine Wine & Spirits, and please let all our sponsors know you saw them here!

Blessings, Debbie Gaylord Publisher, St. Johns Magazine January 2021!

Cover Photo

by Mindy Kerr Nature'sChild Photography

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Rivertown Fine Wine & Spirits

SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS STORY & How to Roll with the Punches

W

hen you meet the owners of Rivertown Fine Wine and

be worn, and provided them if customers did not have one. Early on, we

kindnesses, common sense and humility shine through.

to accomplish social distancing. We have been blessed with the fact that

Spirits, Frank and Bonnie Dvoravic, their easy-going

When you walk in the store, everyone is greeted like an old friend and it

is surely a comfort in these crazy times. Perhaps Rivertown is the closest thing to an old fashioned Mom and Pop store we have in our rapidly growing and changing community.

Rivertown has served northern St. Johns for fifteen years and

during that time they have learned what it means to be a successful

small business. Frank and Bonnie say their success rests on four main cornerstones; flexibility in offering customers what they want, giving back to the community through charity events, understanding how

to be competitive, and high-quality customer service with their own

unique charm. St. Johns Magazine asked them about how they have met the challenges of recent times, and what others may learn from their experience.

Reflecting on the past year How has Rivertown adapted and continued to be successful in the age of Covid?

Fortunately because of the type of business we have, we were able to

easily adapt to restrictions and guidelines for COVID. We required masks

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Photos by Mindy Kerr, Nature’s Child Photography offered curbside service and limited the number of customers in the store we can continue to do business and feel very bad for the restaurants and

bars that have been closed and forced employees out of work. We thank our customers for their continued support and we will continue to try to help those people less fortunate.

How has Rivertown been flexible in terms of what you offer to the changing needs and taste of the community in recent years?

We constantly review our assortment of inventory and delete slow moving items. This allows us to utilize that space for new, popular and high demand products. In the past seven or eight years, bourbon has been the focus of many customers. We carry over 100 different Bourbons, and seek out rare, hard to find bourbons, many of which go into our Annual Bourbon Auction in February. We also do single barrel picks that are provided to us and we are the exclusive retailer for those products. For example our last barrel picked, Elijah Craig 8 year-old, produced 250 bottles, bottled exclusively for RFWS. Another service we provide, that has been very successful is our ability to fulfill customers’ special order requests.

How and why has Rivertown made giving back a priority? What are the benefits?

We feel very blessed to have the customer base that we’ve had for almost 15 years now. May 22, 2021 we will be celebrating our 15 year anniversary. We feel it is important to give back to our community since they have given to us, and it has bonded our community. We are lucky enough to be able to financially support individual charities with donations when requests are made to our store. In addition our charity, PANCAN (Pancreatic Cancer Action Network), has been our focus charity for seven years now.

Bonnie is a 13 year survivor and we know how lucky we are.

We have raised over $80,000 since 2016 and most recently in the first nine months of 2020 we raised $23,400 of that amount. We do this through our barrel picks where we add a small amount to the charity on each bottle and also selling hard to find Bourbons throughout the year with a small amount to the charity. In addition, our customers are constantly donating money into our charity jar on our counter.

How do you stay competitive?

We keep our prices as low as possible on all items in the store.

We do this by buying in quantity. We have a warehouse with over 1400 cases in it and purchase most of our brands in 25 to 100 cases of each brand. This allows us to stay competitive with the other retailers in the marketplace. It has not been easy but with the quality service we provide, the cleanliness of our store and the large assortment, customers come back to us for items that the large chain stores don’t carry. We have a very good relationship with Publix next-door to us and if customers come in looking for wines that we don’t carry we can call their wine department manager and see if they do. They also will send customers to us for wine that they don’t carry. This helps all the customers in our community find what they’re looking for and builds our relationships with other businesses and our customers, and repeat business.

Your customer service is something that sets you apart - What is your philosophy regarding Customer Service?

I have been involved in the retail industry most of my life. I grew up working in my fathers grocery store, Joe’s Superette, in Pittsburgh, PA. After graduating college in early 1973, I worked for Maas Bros department stores for 7 years. Then I got involved as a alcoholic beverage sales person in Sarasota and that got me started in this business. Over the years I have witnessed many retailers close their doors because they didn’t understand what good customer service was. One of my favorite retailers to visit, is Orangedale Auto.... Terry, Nick , Pete and the guys are always there to service my classic cars and daily drivers. They

stand behind everything they do and they provide the best service in their business. We strive for that in our store. We guarantee satisfaction on every product sold in our store no questions asked.

Our customers Appreciate that and the service we provide on a daily basis. Our staff is trained to always make every customer happy before they leave with their purchase.

Success does not come easily but we have strived to be the best small independent liquor/ wine shop and are very PROUD of what we’ve accomplished. 15 years and more to come!

Rivertown Fine Wine & Spirits is located at 2849 County Road | 210 W #107 | St. Johns 32259 | 904-230-1577 www.stjohnsmag.com

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Coming in February 2021 6th Annual Rare Bourbon Sealed Bid Auction FEATURING ITEMS BELOW & MORE! • Parker’s Heritage Rye • Jack Daniels Special Release Hermitage Barrel • Old Forester 150 Anniversary Batch Proof

Celebrating 15 years as Northern St. Johns’ Local Spirits Store

• Jack Daniels “Eric Church” • St. Augustine Distillery “The Saint” • Michters “10 Yr Old” • Whistle Pig “18 Year Old” • Angel’s Envy Cellar Collection “Tawny Barrel Port Finish”

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• 4 Roses 2019 Limited Edition

OVER BOURBONS IN STOCK SPECIAL ORDERS WELCOME! TASTINGS AVAILABLE IN STORE

Barrel Strength • 1792 Full Proof “2019 Whiskey of the Year” • High West “Yippee Ki Yay” • Whistle Pig “15 Year” • Elijah Craig “Toasted Barrel” • Mitchter’s “Toasted Barrel” • Larceny Barrel Proof

Store Pick Now Here!

• EH Taylor Small Batch • Old Ezra “7 Year old”

8 Year Old Elijah Craig Single Barrel Bourbon

• Pappy “10 Year Old” • Pappy “12 Year Old” • Stagg JR Barrel Proof • Booker’s “13 Year Old Cream of Kentucky” • Crown Royal Peach • George T Stagg “10 Year

We Thank Our Friends & Loyal Customers for Supporting Pan Can with Your Donations of over 23,000 in 2020 & over $80,000 since 2016!

Bonnie & Frank Owners of Rivertown Fine Wine & Spirits

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon”

Open 365 days a year!

• Eagle Rare • Old Fitzgerald 11 Yr Old • Old Fitzgerald 13 Yr Old • Old Fitzgerald 15 Yr Old

2849 County Road | 210 W #107 | St. Johns 32259 | 904-230-1577 HOURS: Mon- Sat, 10am-9pm | Sun 11-6 *except for Jags Home Game Days open at 10am 8

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Get moving Maintain a healthy weight.

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If you notice a lump or other change in your breasts, talk to your doctor.

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Your Health

Hello

by Diana Brummer, MSW, LCSW & Owner of Good Mental Health

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020 has proven to be a year unlike any other. We’ve dealt with a global pandemic, a contested presidential election, social unrest, school closures, job losses, mask mandates, government-issued quarantines, social distancing, and the pervasive upset to the routines that lend stability and comfort to our daily lives.

It is no surprise that our collective mantra for this New Year is to leave 2020 in a cloud of dust, growing smaller and smaller in our rearview mirrors.

But as with any hardship, 2020 also brought with it opportunities and lessons. It introduced a heightened awareness and allowed for greater insights as only a crisis could if we choose to see them.

2020 shined a light on our need for compassion, community, and mostly each other. It shifted our focus to the fragility of life, the preciousness of time with those we care about, and the ache we didn’t know we would feel from wanting to be together when can’t be; all things we may have taken for granted in 2019, and all priorities I hope we maintain in 2021 and beyond.

This new year already appears to be off to a promising start. We have vaccines in distribution, an election decided, and hope on the horizon for a return to normalcy. But as the days turn into weeks and the weeks into months, our work must continue. The wisdom we gained by going through the hardships of this last year will only disappear if we allow it to. It is up to us to embrace these lessons and change for the better, as individuals, as a community, and as a society.

NowAs it becomes safe to do so, I encourage you to210: continue with a second location on CR to value what we longed for and lost during this past year: the unencumbered smile and embrace of our family and friends, a job that allows us to contribute to the world and also provides for our physical our needs, the ability to sit side by side without barriers, at work, school, church, and anywhere else our hearts desire.

I encourage you to find value in what we gained this past

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year: a taste of a slower pace of life, working from home when possible, treasuring the time spent with the people who mean the most to us in the world; taking care of our physical health as well as our emotional and spiritual health, becoming woke to the knowledge that life is finite and therefore precious. In the best of times, as well as in the worst of times, it is up to us to make our one precious life count.

Good Mental Health, LLC is a counseling and coaching practice located in St. Johns, Florida, offering individual and family counseling to adolescents and adults. With sessions available face-to-face and online, we hope to provide the tools and skills necessary to heal past wounds, grow healthy relationships, and build strong families. For more information, to read more about us, or contact us please visit GoodMentalHealthllc.com.

Diana Brummer, MSW, LCSW 20+ Years Experience in Mental & Behavioral Health for Children, Teens, Adults & Families

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A HANDBAG FULL OF HOPE! ONE IDEA, ONE VISION AND AN IMPENETRABLE COMMITMENT IMPACTING CHILDREN, TEENS AND WOMEN!

by Judith Fox Goldstein

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he walked on the stage and immediately we could feel the air change in the theatre! Something important was about to happen when Cathlene Miner began to speak and the silence in the room was deafening. We shifted in our seats – all attention focused on Cathlene.

“Did you know that on average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused!”

“Did you know, that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner?”

“Did you know, that on a typical day, there are more than 20,000 calls made to Domestic Violence Centers for help?”

“Did you know that Domestic Violence is in our Community? – Yes, right here and that there’s something YOU CAN DO to change the statistics!

Talk about hero’s, well Cathlene had a vision and she knew she was going to make a difference in this field and never again watch a woman (like her grandmother) suffer at the hands of an abuser. So, together with her husband, Dr. Brendan Miner, she started Hopefull Handbags, Non-Profit right here in St. Augustine in 2017.

Now a local, national and global organization, Hopefull Handbags serves as a “BRIDGE” organization connecting victims and survivors to the resources & tools to begin their recovery from Domestic Violence.

Why Handbags… well, these are once-loved beautiful handbags that volunteers fill with necessities and distribute to victims and survivors to give them hope and to “OPEN THE CONVERSATION “so women feel safe enough to share their stories, connect with the resources they need and reach out for help.

HH now operates in (8 states), the Caribbean, Barbados, Australia, Canada and Uganda., Africa. The need is here NOW! HH’s provides resource connections to education, job training skills, self-perception & self-defense workshops, training, temporary housing in hotels, shelters and “Bridge Housing” which offers survivors a “next-step’ housing opportunity scaled to their economic needs.

Women need SHELTER first! There’s no other step that can come first because they need to be safe!

As requests are also pouring in for assistance from the St. Johns area, Cathlene is looking for “DROP OFF SITES” for the handbags. HH has fulfillment centers that prep these bags and fill them

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with necessities and the women’s reaction to receiving these bags is surprise, delight. They see “one candle shining in the dark!”. It’s their opportunity to begin to move forward!

If you’re a business and you would like to be a DROP OFF CENTER or learn more about how you can help and volunteer, please contact Cathlene at https://www.hopefullhandbags.org/contact “Never Underestimate the Power of Hope!”

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A Message From The Vet

by Dr. Deckard, DVM, Pets R Family

Spotlight on Intestinal Parasites:

Giardia

I

f you have ever brought your pet into the veterinarian for diarrhea, chances are they were checked for Giardia, which is a specific type of intestinal parasite. Unlike other common parasites found in our pets, giardia is not a “worm,” but a single-celled animal, and it can wreak havoc in our pet’s intestinal tracts.

Giardia is found all over the world and can infect many different species – including humans!

Luckily in the US human infection is rare, because different types of Giardia infect different types of animals. Cats and dogs do not usually transmit Giardia to each another, and humans do not usually get it from their pets, however people with compromised immune systems and very young children should take precautions when dealing with an infected pet.

The most common Giardia transmission we see in small animal veterinary medicine is from dog to dog.

Giardia cysts, which are the contagious stage of the organism, are microscopic and live in cool standing water and in moist soil. Dogs and cats can contract it from drinking from puddles or other sources of standing water, licking their fur after they have walked through or rolled in contaminated soil, eating soil or grass that is contaminated with it, or from directly ingesting fecal matter that contain Giardia. Once inside the

host, the cyst (or shell) is digested away, revealing the active organism called the trophozoite, which multiplies and attaches to the intestinal lining and interferes with the absorption of vitamins and nutrients. The trophs are known to swim freely in the intestinal tract to find the best places to latch on; they can also form a cyst for protection at any time inside the host’s body.

After infection, it takes about two weeks for Giardia to be found in the host’s stool.

The most common symptom of Giardia is watery diarrhea, but pets also will experience vomiting, weight loss, and dehydration if it is not diagnosed and treated. Sometimes, Giardia cysts will live for a while in the host’s intestinal tract and re-emerge as Trophozoites from time to time, often causing intermittent mild symptoms.

If an animal is an asymptomatic carrier, typically immune suppressive medications such as steroids can re-activate an old infection. In some infected animals, Giardia will not cause any symptoms at all, but they can still shed cysts and pass them into the environment.

Veterinarians frequently need to perform several different fecal tests to detect giardia. There are rare occasions where it can be readily seen under a microscope, like many of the other common parasites we see in pets.

Usually, however, we need to perform

a specific test for Giardia to diagnose it. Once it’s been diagnosed, it is treated with a broadspectrum de-wormer and an intestinal antibiotic.

Keeping giardia out of the environment is important to keep pets from getting reinfected. Bathe your infected pet regularly so that cysts don’t stick to their fur. They can easily re-infect simply by cleaning themselves! Pick up stool immediately, empty any sources of water collection that your pet can drink from, and if you have turf or other hard surfaces in your yard, you can use common household disinfectants such as bleach or ammonia to sanitize the surfaces. Giardia is spread readily in shelters, training facilities, and breeding facilities that don’t employ good sanitation protocols, especially if they have grass or dirt instead of dry turf. Direct sunlight, dry conditions, and freezing temperatures will also inactivate giardia cysts, so if your pet was infected, take care to try to keep your yard sunny and dry.

If your pet is having diarrhea, even intermittently, it’s important to have them seen by your veterinarian so the cause can be sorted out. Though there are many reasons for our pets to have stomach upset, it’s better to be safe than sorry to rule out a parasite such as Giardia as the cause!

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