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Welcome

Hello! Thanks for taking the time to check out our site. My name is Ashley. My husband, Tony, and I co-founded Green Bench Monthly – St. Pete’s community magazine. We discovered our passion for storytelling and community news after college where we both worked for the same group of publications in West Central Florida. In 2014, we got married and made the trek to St. Pete. We chose the Sunshine City because of its parks, architecture, beautiful neighborhoods, and thriving local business scene. Once we moved here, we quickly learned it’s the people that make St. Pete so special.

Our first issue hit mailboxes in September of 2016. Our pages feature familiar faces, local businesses, non-profit organizations, St. Pete history, food, art, news, events, and more. Each story is written, photographed, and edited by locals. Thanks to our readers’ support, GBM is also an effective, results-driven advertising option for local businesses.

We’ve learned a lot about St. Pete since our inaugural issue. Our namesake, the iconic green benches that once lined Central Ave — like the pier, Vinoy, and so many other places during the Jim Crow era — were used to oppress and deny access to the black community. Which is why not all St. Pete residents have viewed them as a “symbol of welcomeness and hospitality”. It’s the side of American realities that many of our history books leave out, rewrite, or gloss over.We carry the “Green Bench” name to shine a light on St. Pete’s past and celebrate those who work tirelessly towards a more inclusive St. Pete.

All are welcome on this bench.

We hope reading GBM will inspire our readers to get to know their neighbors, shop at local businesses, support the arts, volunteer, attend community events, explore nature, and fall even more in love with St. Pete—just like we did.

Ashley & Tony Sica
Co-Owners and Publishers