Joshua Holder has learned a thing or two about building positive relationships in his more than 20 years of business in Mid City. The Time Warp owner values the convenience of his community and is a frequent patron of the businesses next door, including Simple Joe Cafe and Radio Bar. On a deeper level, though, he’s quick to help his neighbors, be it through event collaborations, social media shoutouts and even sharing decades of wisdom with younger entrepreneurs.
“It’s just nice for businesses that are new to get acquainted with other older businesses to maybe sit down with them and tell them how things go,” Holder says. “The other day, I was talking to a neighboring business, and I gave them advice on how business flows sometimes. … (They can) discuss their numbers with the people around them so they can either hustle, do something else or change things up to be successful.”
After all, owning an independent business can be tough. But in local neighborhoods like Mid City, a growing number of shops, restaurants and cafes are sharing the love with a focus on mutual prosperity over competition.
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“We all respect each other’s hard work and work ethics,” Holder says. “It’s just really nice to have businesses that are constantly going at the same rate as you are and trying to build a bigger and better Mid City.”
Here’s how seven other neighboring businesses are helping to build each other up.
Seeing green
The outdoor dining room at Mid City’s new taco stand Barracuda cozies up to D’s Garden Center’s leafy oasis and Parker Barber’s chic salon.
The three businesses keyed into having a close working relationship from the start. Parker Barber owner and Louisiana developer Garrison Neill led the charge to revitalize the Mid City spot.
The sprawling property was previously home to Garden District Nursery and GD Barbeque before both long-running businesses shuttered in 2020. After purchasing and rezoning the land, Neill aimed to turn it into a hub where businesses could coexist and patrons could receive different services in one place.
“We’re not in competition,” Neill says. “If I grow, they grow. We’re all on the same page.”
Darren Duffy, owner of D’s Garden Center, says it just makes business sense.
“Whenever you’re going into an area where you’re revitalizing, it’s always hard if you’re a solo shop that’s set out there by yourself,” he says. “But, when you’re able to go ahead and have other businesses that would be a draw into that area, I think it provides a better opportunity.”
Pages and pendants
local Book lovers Tere and James Hyfield came to know jewelry makers Madeline and Dawson Ellis when they became their tenants. The Hyfields rented 350 square feet in the Ellises’ petite building on South Eugene Street to open their independent bookstore, Red Stick Reads, in 2020. Eventually, the Ellises moved in too—first in a small trailer dubbed The Shopette at the back of the property and now in the same building as the Hyfields.
Just as the businesses have grown closer, so have the people who run them. They collaborate for events and have welcomed other local artists and makers into the mix with annual pop-up markets. James calls the relationship with the Ellises “priceless.”
“We have gained so much from being involved with Mimosa,” he says. “Their following is huge, especially in this area of town. The people who like books are the same people who like the stories Madeline tells with her jewelry.”
Local treasures
Mid City has long been on a journey to become Baton Rouge’s most walkable neighborhood, and the buildings at 1857 Government St. prove it. Visitors can eat, shop and browse their way through four spots—Circa 1857, Leola’s Cafe and Coffeehouse, The Guru and Mosaic Garden—in only a few steps.
The anchor shop in this complex is Circa 1857, an antique store that has been open for decades selling gems of yesteryear. In 2016 entrepreneur Garrett J. Kemp took over ownership and now runs the store with his husband, Lucas Lognion. The duo’s goal has always been to promote community and look out for nearby establishments.
In addition to the many collaborative events the tenants have coordinated together, including serving as the host for the former MidCity Makers Markets, Kemp says the group is always on the lookout for each other.
Kemp says fellow tenants alert him to estate sale finds that might do well in his inventory. In return, he says he shares tips about merchandise finds with nearby shops.
“We’ve created that communication between everybody that I think has been very helpful,” Kemp says.
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Popular breakfast spot Leola’s Cafe and Coffeehouse shares space with Circa 1857, and owner LeAnn Ringe says she’s enjoyed collaborating with Kemp and Lognion to come up with fun ideas and events like past Christmas in July markets.
“We’re all local businesses, and it’s tough out there for everybody,” she says. “There’s no reason to make it tougher by being difficult, so we just always work together, do favors and be respectful.”
This article was originally published in the July 2023 issue of 225 magazine.