Business
Raise a Glass to Peachtree Corners’ Upscale Wine and Spirits Store
Uncorking Corners Fine Wine and Spirits
Eight and a half years of tenacity and a tremendous effort on behalf of three established Peachtree Corners families resulted in the opening of Corners Fine Wine and Spirits (CFWS) at 5730 Peachtree Parkway – the only store of its kind in the city. It was the news of Peachtree Corners becoming an incorporated city in 2012 that sparked the initial idea since only cities can permit such retail spaces.
The vision was one of a refined store where people could enjoy tastings of an impressive selection of products and be guided in their choices by a friendly, knowledgeable staff and an in-house sommelier. With the celebration of their first-year anniversary just behind them, it’s clear to see that although it wasn’t easy, the store has more than met the criteria.
(Photos by Patrizia Winsper, Left to Right. General Manager of Corners Fine Wine and Spirits, Rob Ramos. Gerald and Virginia Davidson. Libby Curry holding a photo of her late husband, John. John D. Curry dedication plaque. Stu and Pat Cross)
Proprietors Gerald and Virginia Davidson, John and Libby Curry, Stu and Pat Cross — long-time residents of Peachtree Corners, friends and neighbors, each with unique aptitudes —were instrumental in the realization of Virginia’s initial dream. With previous knowhow from having owned a store in Dawsonville, and the credit of having had the idea, the Davidsons hold controlling interest.
They invited the Currys to join their venture knowing their background in construction and marketing would prove invaluable. The Currys, in turn, offered the Crosses part of their share in 2019, in exchange for robust financial backing and years of business experience…and so the CFWS founders were born.
Liquor Is Not a “Bad Word”
Whether you enjoy alcoholic beverages or not, the fact remains that buying liquor in Peachtree Corners generates revenue for the city. “There are so many negative connotations associated with liquor stores. People picture icky, cheesy places. That was never what we wanted,” Virginia said. She pointed out that plenty of residents do enjoy adult beverages, and those who purchase liquor locally are supporting our community rather than taking tax dollars elsewhere.
Yet before purchasing liquor in a Peachtree Corners package store even became an option, the assembled dream team had a long road ahead.
A Trek That Felt Like Eight Years in the Desert – Also Dave Phinney’s Zinfandel
Smudge on the Dotted Line
When attorney Gerald, former homebuilder John, and retired Coca-Cola executive Stu started out, they quickly realized they’d need every bit of their specialized skills, as well as their personal strengths and resources to get the job done. The first order of business was obtaining the signatures of 35% of the registered voters in the new city (approximately 7,500 people) on a petition requesting that the mayor and council call a referendum allowing citizens to vote on an ordinance to allow for the sale of distilled spirits by the package within the city of Peachtree Corners.
Gerald recalled, “We started naïvely thinking we could do it ourselves.” They offered voters Dunkin’ Donuts and coffee at polling stations around town during elections one year, collecting the signatures of registered voters going in and out. “It rained sideways — all day,” recalled Libby.
In 2013, Gerald formed a committee called Buy Peachtree Corners First. They sought support for their petition at the Peachtree Corners Festival encouraging residents to buy locally to keep revenue within our city.
Even with the help of high school students hired to gather signatures, they were about 4,500 short of their target. The decision to hire National Ballot Access resulted in a skilled army that yielded more signatures than needed.
Impossible Mission – the Real Kind, Not the Drink
With a list of collected names, addresses and signatures, verifying the registered voters in support of the liquor store involved matching each signature with those on people’s voter registration cards. How many of us sign our names exactly the way we did when we filled out our voter registration cards? How likely is a signature scrawled across a clipboard while standing in the elements to match a signature penned while sitting at a desk?
“We turned them in to the city, which did not have the personnel to count and cross-reference the signatures,” Gerald said. The county board of elections was charged with the task; temps were hired to help.
After a long wait, it was determined by the county board of elections that CFWS was 168 signatures short. Gerald arranged a meeting with the county attorneys in which National Ballot Access was able to prove there were surplus signatures.
Success
With an adequate number of signatures confirmed, the Corners team was eager to hold a referendum, offering to pay for it themselves. The city council preferred to wait a few months for the 2014 general election in November. It passed with 74% voting in favor of distilled spirits being sold in Peachtree Corners package stores.
A New Ordinance to Regulate the Operation of Liquor Stores in a New City
Hoping to expedite the process, Gerald blazed a trail by studying the ordinances of surrounding cities in Gwinnett County and drafted a proposal, parts of which were adopted.
“Our original suggestion was not allowing a liquor store in a shopping center. Make it a freestanding building on a major thoroughfare, with at least 100 feet of road frontage. A minimum of 5,000 square feet and a maximum of 10,000 square feet in size,” Gerald said. “As a citizen, I didn’t want shabby little liquor stores with neon signs in the front windows cropping up in the city.”
Liquor stores in Peachtree Corners must be zoned C2, with a special use permit. There is a plethora of strict requirements that must be satisfied. “I remember John with measuring tape in hand because you cannot have the shop within a certain distance of a school or a church. That’s a state law: 300 yards door to door,” Virginia said. Distance requirements certainly limit the places one can consider for such a store.
Location Selection — Not a Game of Spin the Bottle
“John was familiar with every square inch of the city after having scouted locations,” Libby chuckled. The first location they considered is now Stäge Kitchen & Bar, formerly Noble Fin. Following numerous meetings and lease revisions prepared by Gerald, the property holder revealed an expectation of rent prior to occupancy, suspending discussions.
Next, they studied the lot between the former Black Walnut restaurant and Chase Bank. “We filed for rezoning and a special use permit on that property. We negotiated at length but couldn’t make the deal work. The landowner wanted to dictate the store’s appearance,” Gerald said.
Though the third time may have been the charm, their current site was not acquired without a hiccup. Initially under contract with Tech Park Associates, as was RaceTrac across the street, a thorny rezoning and development process coupled with ecological issues caused Tech Park to reconsider.
From Stumbling Blocks to Stepping Stones
CFWS was happy to donate towards the walking trail from their property through Tech Park to the lake, as a condition of rezoning. “It’s a wonderful amenity for the city,” Gerald said.
With a mountain to be leveled on the RaceTrac side, a gaping hole to be filled and a creek on the CFWS side, it was challenging and costly to develop the land. “We had to go through all kinds of environmental stuff to pipe the creek. That was a setback,” Gerald explained.
When Tech Park Associates determined the project was too prohibitive, the unrelenting CFWS crew approached RaceTrac. “You have deep pockets, you can do this,” Gerald recalled telling them. RaceTrac agreed to purchase both corners and sell them their plot at a higher price once they had developed it. The CFWS building pad was delivered a year later as promised.
After a little tango with bureaucracy, they obtained a liquor license from the state Capitol.
Surviving the Storm
Construction of the store began in December of 2019. It rained incessantly causing delays and disruptions.
A crushing setback was suffered in April of 2020 when they lost John suddenly to lung cancer. He was the boots on the ground, sweat equity partner. Left with a stack of his handwritten notes, CFWS credits Ordner Construction Company with helping them overcome this major hurdle. COVID-19 didn’t allow for a funeral but it did further compound lulls in building.
The Perfect Cocktail of People
General Manager Rob Ramos has 26 years of experience in the liquor industry. John recruited him six years ago. “I keep the original card he gave me in my wallet as a token of my appreciation. He shared the CFWS dream with me and stayed in touch all that time,” Ramos said.
“The beer and wine buyers, Sean Whalen and Terrell Abney are in tune with the palettes of our regulars,” Virginia said. Because they’re so knowledgeable, they’re given autonomy in their selections, provided they stay within budgetary parameters.
Ramos facilitated the store layout, the selection of software packages and refrigeration equipment. He hired staff and placed orders so they could hit the ground running. It’s been over a year since they opened and CFWS has retained most of its original employees. “We’re blessed to have such good people,” Virginia said.
Opening During a Pandemic
CFWS opened on August 26, 2020, in the midst of the pandemic. It was not ideal, but it did not stop people from wanting to imbibe. “COVID was actually, sadly, a good thing for the liquor business. Especially when we could start delivering,” Virginia shared.
There were merchandise shortages however. “It became a huge problem to get tequila because Mexico had shut down. It’s still a challenge,” Virginia said.
Ribbon Cutting
A ceremony the following month included the unveiling of a bronze plaque honoring John Curry who, unfortunately, was not able to share in the jubilation of that moment. Located on the building façade, it commemorates his tireless commitment to getting this venture off the ground. Patrons can read the touching tribute to the friend, husband and associate CFWS lost too soon.
Cheers to a Good Year!
The owners feel their concept has materialized perfectly with the first year of operation under their belts. Gerald appreciates the value in the extension of Engineering Drive. “It’s a great asset for the community, allowing for better ingress and egress for those who live here,” he said.
His dedication to serving the neighborhood he lives in is palpable. “Our pricing is very reasonable, even of our high-end bourbons. We don’t want to gauge people. These are our neighbors; we want them to be happy,” Gerald said. “We’ll call regulars to tell them when hard to find things we know they like come in.”
Virginia continues to boycott any tacky décor and create an elevated shopping experience for clients. “At the end of a very long road, it all paid off. The quote on the wall that makes the most sense for our journey, is “If you build it, they will come.” That’s what kept us going,” she said.
Libby enjoys answering store reviews on Google and helping to plan and participate in events. “I know John would be very proud of the store,” she said.
Stu joined the team later but rolled up his sleeves in full support of the mission. “Peachtree Corners deserves a store that has three things: a great location so you can get to it, the most amazing selection of products within 20 miles, and a friendly, customer-focused staff,” he said.
“They worked like crazy to make this happen. It’s another example of why Peachtree Corners is a very special place to live.”
Here’s to wishing CFWS many wonderful years of health and prosperity!
With every new year, it’s not unusual for people to think about their health and ways to improve their physical well-being. More recently, however, mental health has been shown to be just as important.
To help its members start the year right, the Peachtree Corners Business Association hosted a panel discussion on January 30 at Hilton Atlanta Northeast. Titled “How Prioritizing Health and Wellness Can Influence Your 2025 Business Success,” it featured a diverse mix of community leaders and professionals.
Panel members and host
Facilitator Caroline Dotts, owner of Strengths On Site, a coaching and consulting company, is dedicated to helping individuals and teams discover their innate talents and unlock their true potential. She posed questions to the panel members that were geared towards the financial impact of health and wellness on business decisions and company success.
The panel included:
Alex Wright, Peachtree Corners City Council member
Michael Maiorano, tax partner at Hancock Askew & Co.
Toby Anderson, senior financial advisor at SGL Wealth Management Group
Dr. Jeff Donohue, medical director of Elite Personalized Medicine
Ashley Lock, physical therapist at Emory Healthcare
Jason Price, founder and COO of Atlas Behavioral Health and Zenith Mental Health
Good health isn’t just physical
The panel discussed the importance of prioritizing health and wellness for business success by emphasizing the interconnectedness of physical, mental and financial health, highlighting that a balanced approach is crucial for productivity, employee retention and overall success.
Dotts kicked things off by asking each panelist about their philosophy for mental health.
Maiorano explained that prioritizing health and wellness means taking care of oneself before helping others, using the analogy of putting on an airplane mask first.
“For me, health and fitness are like three legs of a stool, and if any one of those legs is out of out of whack, then success is going to be more difficult to achieve,” he said.
He emphasized the importance of spiritual, mental and physical health, stating that all three are critical for achieving success. He concluded by stressing that a healthy mindset is essential for focusing on and achieving important goals.
“I really believe that all of those are critically important to be in a healthy mindset, and therefore help you achieve success,” he said. “That part must be in line if you’re going to be making an effort and focusing on something that’s important and … trying to achieve a goal.”
Implementing positive actions
Price explained that prioritizing health and wellness involves implementing actions that support wellness, not just talking about it.
“I can say as an operating officer that we prioritize health and wellness, but if I don’t put some kind of implementation behind that, it’s all fantasy,” he said. “I work in substance use and mental health, so [with] my staff, if they are not healthy, how can I possibly expect them to help our clients get healthy and get wealthy?”
Lock said that success to her is keeping people out of her clinic.
“A big portion of my job is actually education,” she said. “The first time you see me, I spend 30 minutes just yapping about how you could have not ended up here and how I’m going to get you out fast.”
She added that knowledge is what’s lacking in this society.
“We focused on drive, drive, drive. But we forget to kind of look at ourselves and think about the hierarchy of needs,” she said. “We can’t address the higher parts of that need pyramid until we address ourselves.”
“If you’re not taking care of yourselves, it’s very hard to look outward, and it’s hard for you to want to do other things.” She continued. “If you’re in pain, if you’re not well, you’re not really focused on other things. You’re not being the best for yourself.”
Prioritizing health
Anderson said that health and finances are two of the most important aspects of anyone’s life, and prioritizing health is critical for financial planning.
“If I’m helping somebody plan for retirement, get into retirement, or if I’m helping a business owner launch their business, if I’m not bringing the best version of myself, I’m not doing right by them,” he said. “To prioritize my health is critical to making sure I’m in the right state of mind and have the right ability to guide my clients with extremely important decisions that are extremely personal to them.”
Wright emphasized that health is the foundation of everything else in life. He shared a personal anecdote about the importance of health, stating that without it, nothing else matters.
“This past weekend, I caught some kind of fungus and woke up on Saturday — I normally go work out with some friends of mine — but I just could not get up,” he said. “When something like that happens, everything else is irrelevant.”
He added that you could be 65 years old with $50 million, but if you’re decrepit, you really have nothing.
“I think we’re all kind of saying the same thing in that, if you don’t have your health, nothing else matters,” he concluded.
Getting to the root cause of health issue
Dr. Donohue explained that he practices functional medicine, and it focuses on finding the cause of health issues rather than just treating symptoms.
“Our goal is to make you the best version of you,” he said. “We all practice what you guys preach. … When you come see us, we’re going to work on your journey — what you want to get out of life.”
He emphasized the importance of stress management, diet and exercise in functional medicine.
“I always tell my patients exercising 30 minutes, five days a week, results in a 70% reduction in all causes of mortality. That is a big deal. It’s not blood pressure control and diabetes and cholesterol,” he said. “Make your patients move. That is our goal.”
How to help employees, residents with wellness
Dotts further asked about physical wellness strategies that businesses can implement to support employees.
Price explains that burnout is a significant issue in the substance use and mental health fields.
“It goes back to what the doctor was saying about stress and people aren’t taking care of themselves,” he said. “If I’m just exhausted and drained all the time, and I don’t want to go to the gym, then I’m more depressed because I didn’t go to the gym. And it can spiral out of control.”
Price also mentioned that many employees use their job as their self-care program, which is not sustainable in the long run.
Anderson went further to suggest that employers can and do offer benefits that help workers physically, mentally and financially, but the rank and file don’t always know about them.
“One of the biggest challenges any business owner or business has is keeping and retaining the right employees. And the more benefits you can give to your employees, the more likely they are to stay,” he said. “If they feel like you are investing in them, in their well-being, from a health standpoint, mental health standpoint, functional longevity standpoint, they’re more likely to stay.”
He said helping employees find ways to successfully manage their finances can have a significant return on investment for business owners when that stressor is removed from workers.
“I think the statistic is like 80% of employees do all of their financial planning and most of their health stuff at work,” he said. When I bring on board a new client, whether it’s a business owner, an employee, I love to look at their benefit package … so I can see if they’re in the right plan for their situation.”
Community wellness in Peachtree Corners
Wright went over community wellness initiatives in Peachtree Corners.
“In 2012 there was no gathering place. We were just a commuter city — a series of neighborhoods that kind of slide together. The Forum was our de facto downtown,” he said.
One of the things that the city was very intentional about was creating a place for folks to gather.
“According to some stats I looked up, they’re talking about an epidemic of loneliness in the country,” he said. “The report said one in three adults in the United States suffers from loneliness, and it said that the physical impact of loneliness was the equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes.”
With foreknowledge of this issue, city leaders created the Town Center as a place to gather.
“Humans want to commune with each other. It’s good for us,” he said. “I’m a member of the YMCA and when it closed for COVID I was in a class that immediately started meeting out on the Town Green because we sort of desperately needed that human connection.”
He added that the plan is to continue in that direction. The city has created venues for people to gather and connect, such as the Town Green and various parks. It has also invested in infrastructure, such as sidewalks and trails, to encourage physical activity.
But it doesn’t mean anything if it’s not utilized.
“There will be a calendar that will be launched soon to be a community calendar, basically anything going on in Peachtree Corners, including PCBA events,” he said. “It will be a one stop shop that’s all about getting people out, giving you opportunities to be around other people, and combating the physical issues of isolation.”
For more about the PCBA and upcoming events, visit peachtreecornersba.com.
Local small business owner has found a way to keep mosquitos at bay with natural remedies
Geoff Krstovic, a former firefighter, transitioned into the mosquito control business after a divorce, driven by the desire for flexible work.
“Nobody ever thinks they’re going to be into bugs and chemistry when they grow up,” he said. “It’s not like, ‘I want to be a firefighter. I want to be an astronaut.’ Nobody thinks that they want to go out there whacking bugs or says, ‘I want to be in pest control.’”
But as he progressed in his new career, Krstovic took an interest in how to get rid of pests without using harsh, man-made chemicals.
“The more certifications, the more promotions and everything that I got, [and] the more entomology classes I started taking, … I really started to realize what we were putting out into the environment,” he said.
“I spend 90% of my time outside, and I see so much wildlife. So, when I would see a deer eating a leaf or a rabbit run out of bushes that I just treated, it really made me start to think about the effects of what we were doing to them.”
Not to mention pollinators like bees and butterflies.
“When I [would finish a treatment], I’d look back at the yard and everything that I’d seen flying around was just gone,” he said.
As a parent and a pet owner, he knew there had to be a better way to get rid of pests but still safeguard ourselves and the animals around us.
With a growing concern for the environmental impact, he developed a natural mosquito treatment system. The company he was working for wasn’t interested in his new product, so he started his own business.
Road to pest control
Krstovic graduated from Georgia State with a major in English. He joked that many of his contemporaries in the field have similar backgrounds.
“There’s an ongoing joke in the pest community where it’s like … what do you go to college [for] to be a pest [control] owner? Well, you major in liberal arts, English or writers’ composition,” he said.
“A lot of the other owners I met had the same degrees. A big part of it is that creativity aspect, and in pest control, you’re allowed to think outside the box, and you’re allowed to adjust and adapt to what you’re seeing and use different methods.”
That desire to do things differently led him to find a way to help keep people safe from West Nile, Zika virus and Eastern equine encephalitis while they enjoyed time outdoors.
With a lot of research and a little help from relatives with backgrounds in chemistry and engineering, he came up with a formulation based on using essential oils.
The dangers of mosquitos
“After you meet your first client that tells you about their experience just walking to a mailbox and they get West Nile, it changes your perspective 100%,” Krstovic said, “because you’re not just out there killing bugs, you’re out there protecting people and their families.”
Mosquitos are often called the most dangerous animal on earth, with the diseases they spread killing over a million people annually according to statistics from the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control.
While the more serious mosquito diseases don’t pose the greatest risk to most communities, there are common ailments that can show up in people and pets, including bites that get infected and heartworm in dogs.
Reaching out to the community
Though people were a little skeptical about Krstovic’s natural pest control methods at first, Erin Rhatigan decided to give it a try.
“Geoff cold-called our house in 2021 and revealed that he actually grew up in the house next door,” she said. “He really wanted to return to his roots and offer his services.”
Rhatigan has three young children, and with her home being situated on the Chattahoochee River, the outdoor areas are beautiful, but also plagued by a lot of mosquitos.
“We’re very focused on spending time outside, and our kids are very, very active, so they’re outside a lot,” she said.
But Rhatigan and her kids are also very sensitive to mosquito bites, and the spraying services she tried year after year weren’t satisfactory.
“I had gone through every franchise. I had used the large companies every season. I was switching because it seemed like it would be effective at the beginning, and then it would lose effectiveness,” she said.
She was also concerned about the toxicity of the chemicals being used.
“I felt like using toxic chemicals on our property was not only bad for our family, but because we are on the river, we’re kind of a steward to the environment as well, … so when he mentioned that the product that he uses to control the mosquitoes was eco-friendly, I was happy to try it,” she shared.
Local solution gets a local investor
The treatment was so effective that Rhatigan isn’t just a customer, she and her husband decided to invest in the business.
“It was better than anything I had used for the previous 10 years,” she said. “The amazing thing is that when he sprays the property, you have this effervescence of the essential oils in the air.”
She recommended Geo Mosquito to everyone who’d listen to her, and eventually Krstovic took over maintaining the facilities at Rhatigan’s community pool.
“[What he was doing] kind of piqued my husband’s and my interest because we were looking for a small business to invest in locally,” she said. “I’m now home with the kids, but I have a long career in sales, and my husband is in sales as well.”
Within a year, the couple became active investors.
“We love the origin story of this relationship because it’s reflective of how friendly and supportive the local business community is in Peachtree Corners,” she said.
Caring about the work
Krstovic attributes his success to caring about the work, attention to detail and understanding client needs. He doesn’t just spray the yard and leave; he has a system of mapping out problem areas and educating clients about prevention.
“We’re looking at anything that could hold a water source and eliminating that, asking our clients what time of the day they’re getting eaten up, what part of their body and what part of their yard,” he said.
“That helps us figure out the species of mosquito that’s attacking them, so we know where to target, because different species have different nesting sites.”
Growing the business
Geo Mosquito has begun working with Vox-pop-uli to upgrade their logo, website and promotional materials.
“Geoff is a typical entrepreneur — protective of what he’s doing,” Rhatigan said. “So going through the steps of changing the logo, coming up with a new tagline, starting to do some marketing, is both exciting and a little scary.”
But the team at Vox-pop-uli has been a tremendous resource — helping them go at their own pace.
“This first year of investment was about seeing what the market interest is and expanding brand awareness,” said Rhatigan. “Vox-pop-uli offers so many services, it’s daunting for an emerging company to manage so many different contractors: creative, graphic design, printing, mailing. But they have a great, responsive organization that has been very helpful.”
Next steps
With a proprietary formulation for the mosquito abatement, Geo Mosquito wants to bottle the solution and sell it nationally.
Additionally, in 2025, the company plans to expand into ecofriendly pest control services for inside the home. They are also interested in working with local municipalities, churches and schools to expand their mosquito control services.
The Local Thread: This business profile series is proudly supported by Vox-pop-uli, championing local stories and the communities we serve.
This article is also available in the print and digital edition of the Jan/Feb issue of Southwest Gwinnett magazine.
Photos courtesy of Geo Mosquito.
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