Po
Boy Views
By
Phil
LaMancusa
How’s
Bayou Business
Or
The
Road
As
they say on the block: “if you don’t
know, you betta ask somebody!”
So,
you wanna know? Come down my street; come visit, come set a spell. Come with me
down Bayou Road, the oldest road in
New Orleans. Venture into the enclave of a real Chickaen Geau-Geau New Orleans fiyo by the bayou melting pot gumbo
salt and peppa with some chicka ma cranny crow thrown in turkey neck of a
street. A corner of our city getting
along quite nicely without you for three hundred years; stretching, growing,
contracting and stretching out again, behind your back, in plain sight. Welcome
to one of the mostly overlooked secrets of New Orleans.
At the confluence of Broad Street, Grand Route St. John,
Gentilly Blvd, Seventh Ward, Esplanade Ridge and Mid City; Bayou Road is generally
part of everything but, uniquely and independently a world apart. From when the
indigenous peoples showed Bienville how to get from Mobile, Alabama to the
trading markets of what is now the French Quarter to when we (now) stroll up in
the spring to The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, opening day at the
racetrack, back down again for Mardi Gras madness or caroling at St. Louis
Cathedral at holiday time this magical street leads us from where we want to go
to where we want to be. Many times, travelers, blasé and half blind to the
folks that have chosen to remain and dig in small business roots here, promise
themselves to ‘check it out later’.
Well, it’s ‘later’ now.
Starting with McHardy’s Fried Chicken, Pirogue’s Bar and
Bistro, The Broadview Crawfish House and Journey Allen’s Sip and Paint Instruction
Classes; follow the red brick road to Miss Emma’s Nail Studio, Bayou Road
Justice Center, Domino Sound Records, The Dufresne House, Saint Rose of Lima
Church (the new home of Southern Rep), Kitchen Witch Cookbook shop, The
Community Book center, The Half Shell and Coco Hut Restaurants, Material Life
Gift Ship, The Cupcake Fairies, Whiskey and Sticks and EGOS Men’s Spa across
from King and Queen Emporium and Pagoda Coffee and Eats; you can’t swing a
stick without hitting a hot spot
Club Caribbean hosts nightly live music performances
while food pop-ups flourish with alacrity; Artistry For Her and Keyes To Beauty
salons are there to get you in style and keep you in the mood to celebrate
life. There’s even a $6.99 all you can eat Cajun buffet if you’re so inclined
and Joan Mitchell’s enclave of artists to round us out.
These are who I call my Neighbors and call them out by
name; Albert at Pirogue’s is gonna have the game on tonight; there was just a
birth in Ms Emma’s family and yes, the Justice Center has a notary. Sister
Bonnie at Dufresne is hosting a group of volunteers for Habitat and Sergio has
discovered a feral chicken in the yard. Matt at Domino Sound has a vinyl sale
coming up; is it Taco Tuesday already? Ask Debbie.
Vera and Jennifer are having a book signing at Community
Book Center with fried chicken from Mr. Kermit at McHardy’s; Mark at Half Shell
has icy cold oysters and fried catfish waiting for me and at Coco Hut there’s
that vegetarian Jerk dish as well as meaty ones; mild, medium or hot. Ms
Jenny’s getting things organized for Southern Rep’s maiden voyage at their new
digs; Whiskey and sticks for the discerning imbiber; cupcakes from the fairies for the kids, café
au lait at Pagoda and fresh fruit cups from Manny. Get it all on Bayou road.
They’re sprucing up our appearances, sharpening up our
minds, filling our bellies and our souls and saving seats for performances in a
grand century old church; yes, while you weren’t looking… they’ve been cooking!
Domino Sound has 10,000 LPs, while
kitchen Witch has the same number of cookbooks and we’re wishing Southern Rep
that many shows with lights, action and “places
everybody!” Ten Thousand instructions for our kids will be imparted, that
many meals will be served and consumed here in our future and I’m looking for that
many lights to brighten The Road this holiday season; and as we know, in New
Orleans, it’s always holiday season!
A
book by Ron Fisher, Mid City Errands talks about Bayou Road in the 1950s; the
landmarks and businesses have all changed but the vibe remains the same. You
would think that, what with a stretch of two blocks of shoulder
to shoulder, in a virtual mélange of independently owned businesses (as diverse
and varied as they are), smart money would garner odds against their concert;
not true, a few years back the gang of them formed Bayou Road Business and
Merchants Association and with the aid of Jeff Schwartz at Broad Community
Connection and the guidance of Beverly McKenna and her group at Le Musee de
f.p.c. (Free people of color) acting as cohesive mentorship, they are indeed,
in harmony. The shops and folks on The Road have mapped out a pathway to
success without the aid of big business or box stores and have been patiently
building a solid foundation, including periphery businesses and organizations
supplying support and shine. Jewels in a necklace of local flavor.
With
Southern Rep’s opening performance on October third this year, the street will
come alive for the 2018-2019 season and for many seasons to come. Heck, you could write a whole theater performance
about us!
All
of us on The Road do what we do in style and in stride; we keep regular hours,
close on regular days and pretty much are as normal as our identities allow and
foster. We’re a sleepy little shop small neighborhood bunch who support and
cheer for each other’s successes. The best thing about opening a small business
in a community is…. the community. Y’all come on down; and, while you’re here,
ask for the map. Yep, we got a map.
