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Cultural Districts to Get Tax Benefits

May 29, 2008

The statewide law offers both sizable tax credits for renovation of historic buildings and a sales tax exemption for “original, one-of-a-kind works of art” sold by businesses within areas designated as cultural districts.… continued ›

No Place Like Home

May 27, 2008

Before Katrina, the corner store here was a place where junior varsity boys loitered outside to cast hard looks at anyone who drove or walked past. Today, the same building sports active professional offices upstairs and the quintessential neighborhood cafe… continued ›

In One Town, Local Hardware Stores Outlast Home Depot

May 4, 2008

“We’ve seen big box stores defeated in over 200 communities in the last two years,” said Stacy Mitchell, author of “Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America’s Independent Businesses.” “Campaigns are proliferating and even if… continued ›

Is Urbanism the New American Dream?

December 11, 2007

Americans are voting with their feet to abandon strip malls and suburban sprawl, embracing instead a new type of community where they can live, work, shop, and play within easy walking distance.… continued ›

Give a Gift to Our Economy: Shop Locally Owned this Holiday Season

December 1, 2007

This holiday season, we can declare our independence and begin building a more prosperous economy by forgoing the chains and seeking out locally owned businesses.… continued ›

Bush Shares Gumbo with Brees, Nagin

August 31, 2007

“We’ve got social entrepreneurs in our midst, artists in our midst, all of whom have dedicated their lives to the renewal of New Orleans,” Bush said as he sat inches from Leah Chase, 84, the larger-than-life owner of and chef… continued ›

How to Eat (and Read) Close to Home

August 31, 2007

The goal of the magazines is to help create the kind of community where local is, if not king, at least an heir to the throne. It’s a place where small farmers can make a living practicing sustainable agriculture; where… continued ›

Jazzy Po-Boy on Making a Real New Orleans Po-Boy

August 14, 2007

Jazzy Po-Boys chef/owner Kevin Parker sings the praises of the perfect po-boy in this seven-minute YouTube video produced by DocNO Productions.… continued ›

Classroom on Oak Street

August 9, 2007

The environment that cradles Abeona is uniquely New Orleans, with the river’s levee on one side, with a soon-to-run streetcar line on the other, and a host of local shops in between bursting with creativity and quirkiness. Add to… continued ›

Plans for Rebuilding Big Easy Cause Unease

July 27, 2007

Advocates of the plan say the new riverfront will infuse the city with much-needed tax revenue and tourists. Critics say the project will gentrify nearby historic neighborhoods, such as Bywater, a 19th-century collection of shotgun homes and Creole cottages.… continued ›

Tiny Venice, Louisiana is Reeling 'em in Again

June 17, 2007

The marina opens up into 3 million acres of wetlands, cut by a network of waterways, that protrude from the southern tip of Louisiana like a giant peacock feather. This is Venice’s backyard, and this spectacular confluence of fresh and… continued ›

The Future May Just Be Local...

June 11, 2007

Far from being chauvinistic nationalist movements, (STILL) MADE HERE and (STILL) SOLD HERE will increasingly be about supporting one’s neighborhood, one’s city, one’s region, to regain a sense of place and belonging and to safeguard future access to the special… continued ›

Whose Vision for Mid-City?

May 18, 2007

The test for our mayor, recovery chief Ed Blakely and the City Council is whether the offer of large-scale economic retail development post-Katrina and the tax dollars it will generate is tempting enough to prompt them to abandon the entire… continued ›

Stanley Versus Goliath

May 15, 2007

The restaurant would feature a “great New Orleans brunch, po-boys, real New Orleans food. I could add pastries later in the back,” Boswell said. “God, I have an opportunity to open a great restaurant in a (historical) New Orleans institution… continued ›

Locals Aren't the Only Ones Discovering La Divina Gelateria

April 30, 2007

According to celebrity chef and well known Food Network personality Alton Brown, La Divina Gelateria’s Strawberry Balsamic Sorbet is among the best sorbets he’s ever had.… continued ›

Unreported Influx of Residents to New Orleans

April 27, 2007

Young families - educators, attorneys, physicians, and business people - arrived to replace those who left after the storm, or to begin new ventures made possible by the profound changes which followed Katrina. And we began to see more and… continued ›

Heritage Tourists Spend More and Stay Longer

April 27, 2007

“New Orleans is authentic. New Orleans is not manufactured. We respect it. We love it,” Sandy Shilstone, chief executive officer of the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corp., said.… continued ›

The ARTDOCS Rx Lottery Grant Program

April 17, 2007

ARTDOCS Rx Grants are available for full time working artists living in Orleans Parish. In an effort to support and sustain the local economy, all grant dollars must be spent with an Orleans Parish owned and operated business.… continued ›

Open Studio Artists' Spring Tour

April 14, 2007

Perfect for bicycling or walking, the OPEN STUDIOS event allows you to visit multiple artists on a lovely spring weekend.… continued ›

Crepe Crusaders

February 14, 2007

Mardi Gras is a time for eating on your feet, and it usually is not pretty. But at a certain Uptown corner near Tulane University, Mardi Gras is the high season for a different type of street food.… continued ›

Mandina's Reopens in Mid-City

February 9, 2007

“We’re thrilled to return to New Orleans,” said Cindy Mandina, daughter of owner Tommy Mandina. “Our Mid-City tradition continues on Canal Street. Mandina’s is finally back and we couldn’t be happier.”… continued ›

Developers Eye Part of Claiborne Avenue for Big Box Retail

February 7, 2007

If some developers have their way, parts of Claiborne Avenue could open up to big box retailers. Councilwoman Stacy Head is a proponent of the idea.… continued ›

Mr. Chill's Making Katrina Comeback

February 5, 2007

“This is a proud day for me and a proud moment in my career. It is a tremendous honor and privilege to have received support from so many individuals, organizations and community members,” Wilson said.… continued ›

Back in the Neighborhood

January 18, 2007

Over a po-boy lunch at Jazzy, Parker shared his vision of a neighborhood restaurant where the food quality never wavers. As his guests dug into po-boys on crisped Leidenheimer bread, including the house specialty roast beef, cooked for 10 hours,… continued ›

Cheese Whiz

January 5, 2007

Rich was in the process of working on a business plan to open a cheese shop in New Orleans when his father called him in London and said there was a hurricane headed toward the city.… continued ›

The City that Hair Forgot

November 9, 2006

I was dressed in my usual post-Katrina daytime attire, which is torn, paint-covered jeans and an array of sweatshirts from the Contemporary Homeless selection at Thrift City and my hair looked like lightning had just struck the side of my… continued ›

From Fish Sauce to Salsa

October 26, 2006

A study released in June by U.C. Berkeley and Tulane University found that about half the Latinos who moved to the region for work plan to stay, and there are indicators in Village de L’est that some are beginning to… continued ›

Calling all Marigny and Bywater Artists!

October 26, 2006

Calling all artists in the Marigny and Bywater neighborhoods, the lower French Quarter, and the Treme to participate in an Open Studio Weekend Saturday and Sunday, December 16 & 17, 2006 from noon to 5pm.… continued ›

Command Performance

October 2, 2006

Though chef Tory McPhail confessed he was “nervous about everything” on opening day, his “carefully scripted” preparations and pre-opening private seatings seem to have paid off, as he and his bustling staff seemed amazingly convivial and cool, despite the 350,000-BTU… continued ›

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