Good Will Hinton Interviews Mary Jane Mahan, author of "Love At The Pub"

Genius of the Heart Will, thanks for our interview. One particular comment on it gave me the blessed opportunity to reflect on the power of the heart. I know many people have wondered how this book came into being. Just like the success of the Brick Store Pub, it was done in partnership with the community. Love at the Pub was born mostly through interviews and surveys with over 225 residents, Decatur pioneers, city planners, local business owners, elected officials, BSP colleagues, couples, children, former Decatur Business Association presidents, banking professionals, architects, economic professors, public health leaders, international craft beer industry members, restauranteurs, lawyers, investment specialists, artists, musicians, ministers, engineers, the mayor, the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker on the significance and magnetism of the Brick Store Pub that has lasted over tweleve years. One of the most important aspects of the book is the story of the Decatur pioneers who paved the way so the Brick Store could in part become what it is today. Also of interest to any community planner is the "third place" theory of Dr. Ray Oldenburg who wrote Love at the Pub's foreword. Without third places, our society would be bleak indeed. Genius comes in many forms--although in my humble waitressing opinion, nothing is a match for the brillance of the heart as evidenced by the three Pub owners who have created a culture of staff loyality that every CEO in the nation would kill for. There are many more books to be written about the phenomena of Brick Store Pub and the Decatur community and I look forward to all of them!