Salve for the Summer Slump

Each July, StayLocal celebrates Independents Month, a time to highlight locally owned #indiebusinesses for their entrepreneurship, individuality, and character.

We kicked things off with a collaboration with Dirty Coast and Petite Rouge Cafe, when we presented a locally themed trivia night based on the card game, City Shuffle, which challenges your knowledge of our city. Groups played a few hands of cards then sent their star player to the Winners’ Circle, to compete for prizes in a live, lightning “biz trivia” round.

We continued celebrating INDEPENDENTS with a roster of special events and deals like:

*Christmas in July throughout Algiers Point on Saturday, July 25 |for details visit Bargeboard Mercantile and Millshop

*My New Orleans’ Summer Scavenger Hunt on Oak Street | for details visit My New Orleans

or head to our map of local businesses celebrating summer with deals here.

Employer Workshop

As your team grows, the forms, policies, and responsibilities that come with hiring can be overwhelming. Together with LCI Workers' Comp we brought a resource to StayLocal member business owners: the one hour, morning workshop From Forms to Freedom: Navigating Wage and Hour Rules with Confidence.

The in-person seminar was a deep dive into Federal Wage & Hour Division regulations, including information on properly classifying employees as salaried exempt, legal pitfalls associated with classifying workers as “independent contractors”, and the latest on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s tax deductions for qualifying overtime and tips.

We were thrilled to welcome presenter Rachael Jeanfreau is a partner in the New Orleans office of Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, L.L.P. practicing in the areas of labor and employment law and employee relations.

Don't miss your chance to sit down with local experts at future workshops—become a StayLocal member today. To learn more about StayLocal membership, reach out to maryann@staylocal.org or see our member benefits page.

Open for Business During Construction

While the City of New Orleans has secured billions of dollars for infrastructure improvements along business corridors, we know construction interruptions can be disruptive. Our community understands the long-term benefits these improvements have for residents and businesses.

StayLocal has partnered with the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development and Dept. of Public Works to provide support to businesses for any short-term impact businesses may experience while roads are improved. Visit the Road Construction Ramp Up! Toolkit page of our website to access a helpful guide to tailor to your business’ needs from NVisions Communications and Consulting. Business owners can also find tips and resources and ways to sign up for alerts on construction projects.

Businesses experiencing interruption in the Lower French Quarter can apply for financial relief via the Business Stabilization Fund. relief fund. Applications are being accepted from June 29 - July 10, 2026.