If you were unable to attend the meeting at the Charles J. Colton KIPP school on St. Claude tonight regarding the potential plans for the St. Roch Market, here is what we know.
The Market is owned by New Orleans Building Corp to negotiate a lease with a thrid party entity, etc. the city wanted it off their hands, and NOBC started receiving bids from potential leasers. St. Roch Community Partners, Inc. entered a bid and is led by owners of local businesses, specifically, Faubourg Wines, St. James Cheese Co., Cleaver & Co., Redmellon Restorations and Developments, and Bellegaurde Bakery. We do not know if anyone else has put a bid in, and this group does not know when they will receive a response from the NOBC, or even what their rent will be.
They hope to create a non-profit organization that runs and manages the market, consisting of a Board of Directors and a Board of Advisors that will have a representative from either one or multiple local neighborhood associations. Tentatively, at least, these are the fuzzy plans.
There will be 12 stalls available for rent, under a 6-12 month lease, and each representing a different facet of the market needs. So there will potentially be a fish monger, a Maitre Fromager (a cheese guy), a butcher, a baker and so on. Emphasis also being on the knowledge that these vendors can impart on their customers as well as the interpersonal relationship formed with shoppers in general.
The city also built a restaurant in the back of the market, that might be used in a similar since to Cafe Reconcile. There is space upstairs that they might utilize for community events, and parking is going to be a serious issue that the board will need to addressed, although no solution has been put in place as of yet.
In attendance were members of Faubourg Marigny Improvement Association and the St. Roch Improvement Association. The St. Roch Association expressed concerns over affordability, which were addressed by St. Roch Community Partners as something they are taking into account. They responded that although their businesses might be considered 'gourmet', they have a range of products they will offer to meet varying incomes. They emphasised their concern over the affordability of their products, but until they know if they even got the bid or how much the rent will be we will not see price ranges.
I officialy live seven blocks from the market, and I must say that I think what these guys are trying to do is great. They are offering us something we don't have. I just made it to Cleaver & Co two days ago and I've had a gift certificate for the place for almost a year--I don't leave my neighborhood! We can't get seafood anywhere close by that I would trust to eat, not even from the Co-Op (and hopefully they will up their game some at the Co-Op). Half the people I see get a lot of their groceries from Family Dollar, Walgreens, Save-A-Lot. Sometimes you have to put a little more money to get a quality product. With Circle Foods opening soon we will have another option, and maybe Roberts will decide to get on it sometime soon. Are we giving them grief because this is our ONLY grocery option nearby? Maybe once Circle Foods and Roberts open the St. Roch Market will be filling a more fitting niche.
Think about this, we don't even know who else has put bids in, and shouldn't we be a little more fearful of those unknown entities. This group is really attempting to involve the neighborhood, and I hope they continue to be a strong community gathering place and promoter, and that they keep their word concerning affordable options--that is, if they get the bid.
IF YOU WANT TO HELP SUPPORT THIS BID FOR THE ST. ROCH MARKET PLACE, EXPRESS YOUR SUPPORT TO KRISTEN PALMER kgpalmer@nola.gov
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