Robert Thomas is the owner of District Market Green Grocer. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. Although he has lived in many places throughout his life, he made Houston his home in 2010. In his early years in Houston, he opened up a restaurant named The House of Gumbo. He later sought an interest in the night club industry and had a successful night venue since 2016 until the pandemic. Due to the industry being non-essential, Mr. Thomas was forced to shut down. At this time, is when he started reconsidering his purpose in life. The term “non-essential” did not sit well with Mr. Thomas and he started regaining a new vision for his future. Prior to the pandemic, he was always conscious about living a positive life by being aware of his health, body, and mental state. His way of living catapulted him into creating a business to help his community be aware as well. District Market Green Grocer was born, where Mr. Thomas’ motto is For the Community, By the Community. On Black Friday, November 26, 2021 the doors opened. The store gained notoriety when it began to be featured in several news outlets such as the Houston Chronicle, Fox 26 News, Channel 2 News, BET, Inside Edition, Official Black Wall Street and CBS Mornings just to name a few. The highlight of Mr. Thomas’ new beginnings was when he was invited to the Ellen Show.