The news was broken to the staff of Johnny B’s about a week ago. The business, which has been a fixture in the Dahlonega community for years, would be closing at the end of February.
In the aftermath, the community mobilized and created a Facebook group titled “Johnny B’s Preservation Society,” started an online petition with nearly 4,000 signatures, and claim a University of North Georgia (UNG) alum recently handed Governor Brian Kemp a letter about what the establishment means to the community.
“My dad ran a karaoke show there in the 90s when it was the Main Street Grill,” one of the leaders of the Facebook group Jesse White said. “My brother and sister-in-law first met there and they just had their son two weeks ago, and it’s really sad that he’ll never be able to see the place … where his mom and dad met. It’s a staple.”
White noted that the bar has roughly 30 employees who will be at risk of losing their jobs with little notice…