Wine Warehouse is giving back

Business is booming at the Wine Warehouse in Atlantic Beach. Owner Mark Graeser knows he is fortunate to have such a solid customer base. He and his wife, Juliann, have decided to give back.
“We are interconnected to the restaurant business and felt a small sense of guilt when my business has seen an uptick at the expense of my friends in the restaurant business,” Graeser said. “We decided we have enough of a profile to get the word out. People can see the cabinet and come check it out.”
The Kindness Kabinet sits out in front of the store at 665 Atlantic Blvd. Named with community input, the wooden shelves are stocked with donations from canned goods and other non-perishables to toilet paper and diapers. All the items are free to anyone who needs them. Donations can be dropped off at the drive-thru during business hours or just left on the shelf.
“Leave what you can and take what you need,” said Graeser. “It was a little slow initially. There’s been more dropped off than picked up.”
Though the response has been slow, he’s happy to look out the drive-thru window and see people pulling into the parking lot to drop off donations or riding up on their bikes to collect a few needed items. And every morning, the stock needs to be replenished so he knows it’s working.
“It’s uplifting. We’re all in this together. They’ll look in and wave and I’ll wave back,” Graeser said. “There’s no judgment. It’s nobody’s fault. It’s just hitting harder than it should. I’d rather be part of the solution than part of the problem.”
The couple modeled the concept after the Free Little Libraries but opted to use the storefront rather than a neighborhood location because of the increased visibility from Atlantic Boulevard. Juliann appealed to social media to find the cabinet and they called on the community to help name the project.
Today, the Kindness Kabinet sits under an awning to keep it out of the rain and make sure it’s accessible after hours. So far, everyone has been “judicious” in what they take though that comes at no surprise to the Glaesers who are grateful for the generosity of those going out of their way to make sure others have what they need.
“Trust is the basis of good in mankind,” said Juliann. “I know it can be violated but I’m not willing to believe one bad apple spoils the whole bunch.”