Civic Engagement Thrives at Uptown Business

By Wylie Saviello

Active and engaged community members like Breanne Rupp and Erika Forrest-Martin shared how to organize and coordinate mutual aid, including resources about constitutional rights. But this wasn’t at a city commission meeting; it was at a local business more often known for live music and crafting events.

One Thursday night a month, Spinster Abbott’s turns into a community forum where civic discussion thrives.

Spinster Abbott’s is a bodega, taproom, bar and lodging establishment in uptown St. Augustine. The business sells a variety of food, coffee, beer and wine, and is a staple to the uptown community. In addition to hosting live music events and other community gatherings, Spinster Abbott’s is the home of “Taproom Tap Ins.”

“Taproom Tap Ins is a monthly lecture series where we have different folks from around the state engaged in different things, mostly policy issues, that impact our local environment, that have social implications and policy decisions,” said Liz Snyder, co-owner of Spinster Abbott’s. 

Spinster Abbott’s hosts speakers for each “civic happy hour” that amplify information and communication about important issues in the state. Taproom Tap Ins informs attendees of what’s going on in the community and provides options for getting involved in making a difference. 

These events encourage the community to get involved and raise awareness about local issues, explaining how to contact their legislators and attend city commission meetings and other events where their voice can be heard.

“We’re not here to tell you how to think or what you should think about a particular issue or what position you should take. But if you want to be an agent for change, then here are the steps that you can take,” Synder said. “And if you need encouragement, we’re also providing that because it can be daunting for people who have not engaged on that side of policymaking.”

Snyder is in a unique position to host such events, having served as Alaska’s District 27 state representative from 2021 to 2022. She studied public health and was teaching at the University of Alaska at Anchorage before she ran for office.

“A motivating factor [to run for office] was being dissatisfied with how certain decisions are being made and the outcomes that we need to address,” Snyder said. “Working in public health, you’re just naturally, as part of your job, tuned into certain aspects of policy and how that impacts the communities that you serve.”

Snyder grew up in Gainesville but lived in Alaska for 13 years with her husband, Sam, and two sons. She returned to Florida when the Spinster Abbott’s property was for sale in 2022 and opened the business in 2023 after almost a year of renovation. Snyder’s homecoming is evident in the undeniable ‘old Florida’ vibes of Spinster Abbott’s and the locally focused issues that the Taproom Tap Ins emphasize. 

Snyder’s political background has certainly influenced her approach to Spinster Abbott’s, having built the business with a community-oriented lens. From an outsider perspective, her career change may seem drastic, but Synder finds that many of her skill sets from public health work and state politics have carried through. 

“Researching about things you don’t know much about yet and knowing how to navigate that, working with people, project management, budget management and dealing with friction and navigating through that… It’s a universal skill set,” Snyder said. 

Spinster Abbott’s is a clear example of the importance of fostering community. The business has brought people together for music shows, trivia nights, clothing swaps and Taproom Tap Ins that often focus on environmental issues. 

Recent Taproom Tap Ins addressed community care and mutual aid, Ocklawaha River restoration efforts and what to expect in state legislature sessions regarding land development policy, like the Blue Ribbon Projects.

“We are able to present what can be sticky, complicated, sometimes traumatic issues, frankly, in an environment that’s warm and friendly and you have a cold beer in your hand,” Snyder said. 

Snyder’s plans for the development of Taproom Tap Ins are action-oriented. Motivated by her past political experiences, she hopes to host more Taproom Tap Ins that concretely state issues or bills and give the community a rundown of the topic and what people can do to make their voice heard. Additionally, her goal is to keep these events focused on hyperlocal and statewide issues to best serve the community and provide them with the tools to be agents for change. 

“I think civic engagement is imperative. Everywhere you go, the issues will change, the impacted communities will change, the mechanisms for change will change, but the importance of it, I think, is universal,” Snyder said.