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Archive for the ‘Economy’ Category




I enjoyed this just for the absurdity of it. Apparently the force that drives markets is sort of like the “invisible hand” Adam Smith imagined. (Enron references anyone? 1, 2, 3) Thanks to Wonkette for spotting this, also. No word on when this group will be ringing the opening bell.

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Hats off to Cash Money Records founders Ronald “Slim” Williams and Bryan “Birdman” Williams, who along with Lil Wayne and other Cash Money artists will give away more than 1,400 Thanksgiving turkeys and fixings to needy New Orleanians from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24, at Taylor Park (2600 S. Roman St.). It’s the 13th annual turkey giveaway organized by the Williams brothers with help from other New Orleans celebrities, politicians and hip-hop stars.

The Williams brothers also have established philanthropic organizations in memory of their parents, Johnny and Gladys Williams, including Cash Money for Kids program, which provides free tickets to a New Orleans Hornets home game to students with high academic performances.

Cash Money Records roster of stars includes Lil Wayne, Juvenile, the Hot Boys and Jay Sean.

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New Orleans orthopedic surgeon Dr. Robert Treuting is teaming up with Our Hearts to Your Soles and Soles4Soulsl to give free foot screenings and shoes to homeless men on Monday, Nov. 23, at Ozanam Inn on Camp Street.

Our Heart to Your Soles is a national campaign to help homeless people with foot problems by providing free shoes, boots, socks and medical screenings. The fourth annual event will be held in 40 cities nationwide, with Red Wing Shoes and Hanger Orthopedic Group donating footwear for the program. About 125 pairs of shoes are available for Monday’s event in New Orleans.

Soles4Souls founder Wayne Elsey says having a pair of comfortable shoes can make a person more confident and is a major step in building self-esteem and finding employment.

For more information about the program or to donate products, visit www.giveshoes.org.

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“There’s a new generation of flea markets sprouting up in the Crescent City,” says New Orleans scribe and gadabout Cree McCree. You can take her word for it: McCree wrote the book on the bizarre roadside bazaars (literally, Flea Market America), and she’s a cog in two separate area attractions debuting this weekend.

Broad Flea, formerly the Broad St. Bazaar, reappears in its newly re-branded form from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. And from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Elysian Fleas launches with special focuses on Halloween (costumes) and Oktoberfest (oompah musicians and beer cloudier than the skies). Organizer of the latter, McCree is also a vendor and board member with the former. She posits the new local markets as both wallet-friendly alternatives to traditional shopping channels and ideal outlets for the selling or swapping of sustainable goods. “Amazon sales of my book have gone up as the economy has gone down, which isn’t surprising,” says McCree, who writes about the flea market economy and green recycled fashions at the Discovery Channel’s Planet Green under the title Flea Queen. “People are looking to make money by recycling used merch and also to save money by bargain-hunting at the flea.”

Costume vendors scheduled to appear at Elysian Fleas include High Bohemia, Howlpop, Avant Garbe and New Orleans Masks. Among the more enticing noshes advertised is the inspired pairing of sweet-and-spicy pecans with a cocktail made from hand-pressed Elysée sugarcane juice and Old New Orleans Rum. Broad Flea will occur the second Saturday of each month at the corner of Broad and Bienville streets. After its debut, Elysian Fleas will be held every third Saturday through December at the corner of Elysian Fields Avenue and Chartres Street. Head here for more information about the latter.

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Antoine’s Restaurant (pictured with staff during its 150th anniversary in 1990) has a reputation for deep-running French Creole tradition and a resistance to change that has made its menu practically a museum exhibit. But some business moves since Hurricane Katrina are giving that reputation a run for its money.

After the disaster, the restaurant added brunch service for first time. Last spring, Antoine’s transformed one of its many dining rooms into the Hermes Bar, the first bar in the restaurant’s 169-year history.

The next planned move is to open a coffee shop and casual café on Royal Street, right around the corner from the restaurant. It will be called Antoine’s Annex and serve coffee drinks, gelato, pastries and light lunches, such as sandwiches and salads, according to Charlie Daroca, chief operating officer of Antoine’s.

“We’re trying to do new things to hopefully make us less of a seasonal business,” says Daroca. “Hermes Bar has a local crowd now, especially on the weekends, and we hope this (Antoine’s Annex) will have an appeal not only to visitors but to shopkeepers and people who work here in the Quarter.”

He says Antoine’s Annex should open in late October at 513 Royal St., in a newly-renovated storefront that Antoine’s has long owned. It previously leased the space to a costume shop called Rumors, which has since moved to a new location down the block.

The new café’s name is a reference to the earlier addition to the restaurant’s footprint, originally called Antoine’s Annex. It was the same part of the restaurant’s interconnected complex of buildings that now houses the Hermes Bar, and the name is still visible in tile work by its St. Louis Street doorway.

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