Shop Locally

This is pretty nifty...on the heels of the increasingly popular 'Eat Lafayette' campaign, some local business owners have now formed their own group. "Shop Local Acadiana" has just kicked off their advertising campaign to encourage people to spend their money with locally owned businesses instead of national retail chains. They say that when we do, 3 times more of our money stays right here in our local economy for local businesses to hire, invest and contribute more.

Shop Local Acadiana also has a really nice website. On it, shoppers can sign up for 'Local Finds' email specials and text messages and see a directory of participating businesses. Each business also has it's own page on the site so you can learn more, see photos and get links to their websites or facebook pages. Merchants can easily learn the benefits of participating and find out how to join. The concept is pretty simple - business owners pool their money and together they can afford an impactful advertising and promotional campaign.

I say Bravo Gina Girouard Babineaux and Shannon Broussard Lynd. Check out their Facebook page here.

New Mini-Golf Coming to Lafayette

I drive by the old Global Golf location on Johnston Street almost every day and each time I do, I look at the empty lot with nothing left but some big pampas grass and think to myself how much I enjoyed miniature golf as a kid. The bigger and fancier the better. I remember going to giant miniature golf parks on vacation....not the wimpy little putt-putt courses, but big, pirate ship fancy miniature golf courses. Well, the mini-golf gods must have been listening to my opine because there's a new $20,000 miniature golf and batting cage recreation center going up on Duhon Road...not far from the old Global Golf. But in the meantime, if you need a mini-golf fix, visit Kart Ranch...they have one of the best courses around and lots of other fun stuff. Ok, there's no giant pirate ship, but they do have a lighthouse and it is still very nice. Plus, if you get hot, you can cool off in the bumper boats or start a Super Soaker war. Happy summer! jill :)

Open for Business

With all the new businesses opening up around town, Lafayette seems to really have earned the title of "One of the Top 20 Cities Surviving The Recession" Here's just a few....

Vanessa V is a new boutique that just opened in the Centerpiece Shopping Center on Johnston Street between Michael's Arts and Crafts and Bailey's Restaurant. They have a bunch of really cute stuff on their website, but for now, no ecommerce so you have to stop in.

Also opening soon - a new Rouses and CVS are coming to the old Graham Central Station shopping center at Bertrand and Congress. Graham and the Blockbuster video on the corner both closed recently making room for the new pharmacy and grocery stores. The groundbreaking is set for July. Speaking of closing though - if you haven't noticed, Hollywood Video on Ambassador is shutting it's doors and so is Whisnat's Jewelry on Ambassador by La Pizzeria.

There are a couple of new restaurants to try.... We mentioned the Elephant Steak House on Kaliste Saloom at Ambassador...well, that's a burlesque themed restaurant now and the old Evangeline Seafood and Steakhouse is reopening soon as "Maya Mexican Grill"

And finally - for your home: Lamp Designs recently opened up at 106 Rue Promenade in River Ranch.

So there's lots of new stores to check out and since there's a tax-free weekend coming up it seems like the perfect excuse to go shopping...although technically that's for hurricane supplies so I don't think you can justify a new handbag as a hurricane necessity, but maybe a new lamp..... :)

Meat Lovers Unite!

Lafayette can soon add one more steakhouse to the growing list of eateries as The Elephant Room is planning to open soon in the old Fazoli's location on Kaliste Saloom at Ambassador (across from Albertsons). There has been construction activity for the past couple of months there but we haven't been able to find out too much more about it other than they describe themselves as "The Unforgettable Steak Place" and have a Facebook page here. The project is headed by G & T Development, Eugene Todaro Sr. and Pecot and Company Architects.


ps - on a completely unrelated note....speaking of elephants....did you hear that PETA paid Myrtle Place school a visit this past week? Check out Danny Cuthbert's photo here...

Lots 'o Links

Hey Everyone! It's jill.....mark's running late today so I thought I'd share some of my new favorite local links.....

Sugar Magnolia Landscaping - Cindy Jordan is a licensed landscape horticulturist, Master Gardener and a La. Gardener Magazine columnist, writer, photographer, AND she's a giant Saints fan and a super cool chick so check out her new facebook page here.


Sam Rey - Can't leave out my new favorite one man band's page. He's got a couple of gigs coming up:
Friday, March 12th at the Blue Moon opening for Anders Osborne
Friday, March 19th at SXSW in Austin
and Saturday, April 3rd opening for Michael Juan Nunez.
So, come to a show and friend Sam Rey on FB here.

Riversbend Beads - Etsy Local....one of my favorite places to visit. This Etsy site features tons of awesome hand-crafted beaded jewelry....Check it out here.

2 Paul's BBQ - 1 word....YUM! Mark and I ate there recently and were blown away by how good it was. I had bbq brisket, potato salad, and baked beans and Mark had brisket, homemade onion rings and rice dressing. The sauce was amazing, so ask for extra! Give 'em a taste and check out their website here.

And finally, Alice.com - Technically, this isn't Acadiana, but I heard about it while listening to NPR on KRVS so I think that's close enough..... Alice.com is an awesome new website that lets you buy everything you need to run a house (a la Alice from the Brady Bunch) directly from the manufacturer, thus avoiding middleman mark-ups. PLUS - they offer free delivery....sit back, click away and enjoy NOT having to go to Wal-mart. :)

Purple Coneflower Photo by Cindy Jordan.

It's Nice To Be Noticed...I Guess

Two companies are joining forces to sell a new hangover remedy to our fellow Louisianians. After all, who suffers more from hangovers than us right? Well, true or not, that's the slightly offensive premise of Bond Laboratories Inc. and G&G Distributing Co. as evidenced in this quote from their press release:

"We are thrilled to expand into the home state of the new Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints. Like the Saints, Fusion Premium Beverages is continuing to add key 'players' to what we believe is also a championship team," stated Scott Slocum, President of Fusion Premium Beverages, an operating division of Bond Laboratories. "Louisiana's famous restaurants, music and night life, in addition to its significant collegiate presence, makes the state a very desirable market for our Resurrection(TM) anti-hangover drink to establish a distribution foothold. In fact, G&G has already begun actively developing retail accounts throughout the Louisiana territories it serves," concluded Mr. Slocum.

Maybe this is part of the economic impact of the Saints winning the Super Bowl, I dunno. But it's probably a safe bet that Resurrection(TM) works best with a Mimosa or Bloody Mary chaser.

Read the press release here, on MarketWatch.com

Local Entrepreneurs....

Here's some local folks that are getting it done....one guy is building mini-greenhouses, another is catering to our epicurean needs...and the other is just trying to Survive on national TV. Props to all of them for getting out, working hard, and starting a business they believe in.

First up: A Lafayette gardener has created MiniGreenhouseKits.com and their site is pretty impressive if you're a gardener. The concept is simple - offer an easy to build product for gardeners. They have a ton of containers and greenhouses to choose from so check out their website here.



Next: Parish Brewing Company. A Lafayette man that loves beer started his own "nano-brewery" but that company may not be so nano for long - they just signed a distribution deal with Schilling Distributors so look for Parish Beer in your favorite store soon. Thanks Marilynn for the heads up!



BTW - Does anyone watch Survivor?? James Clement, everyone's favorite Gravedigger from Lafayette, is back and we're rooting for him to win. Well, we're at least hoping he doesn't get kicked out with unused immunity idols in his pocket.
-jill :)

Hey Look At Us

The Milken Institute, a non-partisan think tank, recently released it's annual list of 'Best Places to Find a Job' and while Texas accounted for many of the top 5, Lafayette ended up the #9th best city in the nation to find a job (up from #14 from last years list). That is, unless you've recently looked for one, then you may have a different perspective, but here's the list anyway:

1. Austin-Round Rock, TX
2. Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, TX
3. Salt Lake City, UT
4. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
5. Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX
6. Durham, NC
7. Olympia, WA
8. Huntsville, AL
9. Lafayette, LA
10. Raleigh-Cary, NC

Slide show and more here on HuffingtonPost.com. Thanks Mothy for the submission.

Wild West Coming to Southside

Watch out Logan's, Texas Roadhouse and the old defunct steakhouse by the mall who's name escapes me....there's a new sheriff coming to town....LongHorn Steakhouse is starting construction on their new $1.135 million, 5500+ square foot restaurant. From their website it looks to be typical chain steakhouse fare: Steaks, Salads, and of course their version of the blooming onion, The Texas Tonion. According to the LongHorn website: (see how many times they say 'West')

When you come into LongHorn Steakhouse, you're paying a visit to the West. The authentic West. The West of loyalty, hospitality, and of course, real good food.

At LongHorn, we work to capture the flavor and the fun of the West in our restaurants. That's why we serve the highest quality food and serve it up with a big helping of Western hospitality. Our steaks are hand-cut, hand-seasoned and carefully prepared. Our burgers are thick and juicy, our salads freshly made. So no matter what you're in the mood for, we have the delicious, legendary Western fare to match your appetite and the genuine service to boot.

The new steakhouse will be located on Ambassador Caffery by the Academy Sports & Outdoors store.

Photo by cyberdees

Broussard Company Featured on Sundance Channel

The Sundance Channel must love South Louisiana....or we're just so green we keep making their show. Back in September they featured a Jennings company on their 'Big Ideas for a Small Planet" and now they've turned their attention to a Broussard company. FuzziBunz is a cloth diaper company started by Tereson Dupuy of Broussard in 1999 as an answer to her son's problem with diaper rash. Now FuzziBunz can be found in retailers across the world and has many celebrity fans including Matthew McConaughey and Tori Spelling. Big Ideas for a Small Planet is on the Sundance Channel tonight at 7pm.

More BBQ Coming Soon

Back in August we told you about The Shed BBQ that's coming soon to Scott.....well now a new BBQ joint is planning to open next month in Lafayette. Eddie's BBQ, currently with 2 locations in Alexandria, will open it's 3rd location on W. Pinhook in November. Owner Dan Ahrens says in his press release to The Advertiser that Eddie's BBQ specializes in St. Louis style pork ribs, Beef Brisket, Pork roast, Rotisserie Chicken, Spicy or Mild Sausage, Turkey Breast and Smoked Pit Ham as well as many homemade side orders and desserts.

Lafayette: 2nd Best Place To Launch A Business

CNNMoney.com ranked the top places to start a business and Lafayette, LA came in 2nd in the Mid-Sized Market category. They said:

...In recent years, Hurricane Katrina evacuees have expanded the local population -- and that population has grown steadily wealthier. Lafayette's average per-capita income rose more than 40% over the course of this decade. Since the 1940s, the area has been dominated by the oil and gas industry, but the population boom has led to more demand in service industries, diversifying the area’s economy and creating something new in town: traffic. Compared to other Southern metro areas, the cost of labor is cheap in Lafayette. The city is served by a regional airport, and Louisiana’s second largest university, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, brings to town a student population of more than 17,000.

The full story and complete rankings can be found here at money.cnn.com

Centennial, AT&T Deal Should Be Complete By December

The announced merger between Centennial Wireless, one of our areas largest cellular providers, and AT&T looks like it'll probably be complete by December, according to the Associated Press. The Justice Department and the Louisiana Attorney General have approved a measure in which Centennial Wireless would sell off a few markets to Verizon and the rest to AT&T and now the FCC is reviewing the plan. According to the deal, Centennial shareholders will receive $8.50 per share. Click here for more details.

Louisiana Job Forecast Seems Bright

The New York Times picked up this AP story on a study conducted by LSU Economics Professor, Dr. Loren Scott looking at the job forecast for Louisiana over the next year or two. The good news is that the state is expected to add almost 36,000 new jobs over the next two years and they are expecting Monroe to really grow (because of a couple of new food processing plants they are opening there). Around the state things look good too, Baton Rouge is expected to continue to grow and Lafayette, while considered more of a drag on the job rate, is still expected to add a couple of hundred construction jobs. The full story can be found here on nytimes.com.

Photo by gregor_y

Ticket-takers and Ushers Need Only Apply

2 related stories out today don't paint a very pretty picture for Louisiana's workforce and job prospects. First up, an article on boston.com by Melinda Deslattes from the Associated Press about Curt Eysink, the Director of Louisiana Workforce, saying that the state needs more people to get 2 year degrees instead of 4 year degrees. He says that there are skilled labor jobs out there that can't be filled because we don't have enough graduates with technical degrees. Eysink presented forecasting data that showed the top growth jobs projected for the state included ticket-takers, home health aides, retail salespeople and nurses. Others like Belle Wheelan, Director of Southern Universities and Colleges argue that the state needs to do more to attract more professional businesses instead of service industry, which typically have much lower pay. She says: "If I saw the strongest growth area was ushers, lobby attendants and ticket-takers, I'd leave Louisiana too." Ouch.

The other good news / bad news story comes from Sarah Chako of The Advocate. The good news is, from 2007 to 2008 Louisiana's poverty rate declined. However, the bad news is, it is still one of the worst in the nation with over 17% of Louisianians living in poverty. Us and our friend Mississippi. Read more here.

Photo by John and Keturah

Lafayette is Tops For Jobs

The Lafayette Parish Consolidated Government just issued a release that Forbes.com has rated Lafayette as the 8th best city in the nation for new jobs in the fourth quarter 2009. In Lafayette, from October to December, 16% of the companies interviewed plan to hire more employees, while 7% expect to reduce their payrolls— a 9% net employment outlook. Another 66% expect to maintain their current staff levels and 11% are not certain of their hiring plans. According to the report, job prospects appear best in Construction, Transportation and Utilities, Wholesale/Retail Trade, Leisure/Hospitality, Other Services and Government. Employers in Financial Activities and Education and Health Services plan to reduce staffing levels, while hiring in Durable Goods Manufacturing and Professional/Business Services is expected to remain unchanged. Click here for the full release.

New Business Activity in Acadiana

While waiting for our gyro sandwiches from Zeus to be prepared, we struck up a conversation with one of the employees. His uniform shirt had all the logos of restaurants that the Balbeisi Bros. own - Zeus, Agave, and now Trynd, which I was unfamiliar with. Well come to find out, Trynd is a new cafe and wine bar that they are going to open downtown Lafayette later this year so keep your eyes open for that.

In other new business news, William Johnson with the Opelousas Daily World reports that a new TSC Tractor Supply Company is opening another location right at I49 and Hwy 190. This will make it's 16th Louisiana location.

The Good and Bad of Louisiana's Movie Biz

It's been pretty cool to be able to say that Diane Lane, Kevin Spacey and Christopher Walken have all been in the Bayou State recently filming movies, and Jack Egan with Variety magazine reports that the huge tax incentives are what's bringing the industry to our state. They note that while we give up 30% in incentives, Louisiana is the 3rd most used shooting location, next to New York and California. And, the industry has help create 6,230 full- and part-time jobs statewide, with employment in the sector has been growing at a sizzling compound annual rate of 22% from 2001 to 2007. In 2007, $429 million in direct production spending translated into $763 million poured into the state economy.

However, as Variety also notes in this seperate article also by Jack Egan, two unrelated incidences of bribary and scandal have put a black eye on the program. The most famous of the scandals included a couple of New Orleans Saints players. You can check out the full story here.

Things Remembered Coming to Acadiana

Things Remembered, the retail store that specializes in personalized gift items, is coming to the Mall of Acadiana and is advertising for an Assistant Store Manager for their brand new store location. Lafayette will be one of over 600 Things Remembered stores in over 48 states. Anyone interested in applying for the job can click here.

Jobless Claims Down for 5th Straight Week

Another glimmer of hope that the recession may be easing. According to The Advocate, the Louisiana Workforce Commission reported Friday that initial unemployment claims were down again for the fifth straight week. More here.

Photo by madebytess