For Anthony Alvarez, a successful business is about more than the food and wine he serves. It’s about creating community and a place where people feel safe.

“I don’t really feel that we’re a bar or a restaurant,” Alvarez, owner of The Vineyard Wine Market in Smyrna Market Village, said in a 2025 interview with the Smyrna Public Safety Foundation. “I feel like we’re a little bit more of a community center. It’s a gathering point.”

For Alvarez, whose business has operated in the Atlanta area since 2005, that commitment to Smyrna extends to his support of the Smyrna Public Safety Foundation. For the past five years, he’s played an instrumental role in staging one of the organization’s most popular events, Jazz Under the Gazebo.

The foundation will host its fifth annual Jazz Under the Gazebo on Saturday, Nov. 7.

The event grew out of a conversation Alvarez had with Smyrna Public Safety Foundation Executive Director Denise Czarnik about how he could support the organization. The two developed the idea for a fall event bringing people together for live music, wine and food in the heart of downtown Smyrna.

“The Smyrna Public Safety Foundation is only as strong as the local community, and with Anthony, we’re blessed to have a partner who cares so deeply for what makes Smyrna such a special community,” Czarnik said. “He’s always willing to step up and help, and you can tell it comes from the heart. He loves this community, and that shows in everything he does.”

The Vineyard Wine Market moved to Smyrna Market Village after previously operating in Buckhead and another part of Cobb County. Today, it’s known for its wine selection, offering more than 40 wines by the glass, 20 wines on tap and more than 500 bottled selections, along with a tapas menu and private events.

Alvarez believes his business’s greatest contribution is fostering a sense of community, noting that families often use The Vineyard as a meeting place during festivals. He sees it as a welcoming gathering spot that helps bring neighbors together and strengthens the community.

“It’s not about the alcohol. It’s not even really about the food,” Alvrez said. “It’s about having a close-knit community and a safe place for people to go.”