Makin' Groceries in New Orleans' Ninth Ward
August 21, 2015 7:37 AM Subscribe
Ten years ago, when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, it was the city's Lower Ninth Ward that was hit the hardest. Nine years later, while New Orleans on the whole has returned to pre-Katrina numbers of super markets, the Ninth was with without a grocery store and many other local businesses. Burnell Cotlon put his life savings into the shell of a building and opened Makin' Groceries. Along with Cotlon's grocery store, there's also a barbershop and a sweets shop — but there's plenty of work still to be done. And Burnell isn't resting.
Also directly related to this story is the beautiful comic written by Gary Rivlin and drawn by Jackie Roche about Colton's story as seen on The Nib.
posted by sleeping bear at 9:20 AM on August 21, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by sleeping bear at 9:20 AM on August 21, 2015 [3 favorites]
That Rivlin/Roche comic is great! I had been pondering a post on Katrina anniversary comics with that and "Ten Years After" by Ronald Wimberly from the New Yorker.
posted by oakroom at 12:25 PM on August 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by oakroom at 12:25 PM on August 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
Makin' Groceries is a bit of New Orleans "Speak" for getting groceries, just one example of Cajun English.
Minor quibble: Not really anything to do with Cajuns, it's just NOLA slang. Just like "neutral ground".
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 3:17 PM on August 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
Minor quibble: Not really anything to do with Cajuns, it's just NOLA slang. Just like "neutral ground".
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 3:17 PM on August 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
(though I could be wrong, the expression derives from faire son marché but I would guess it was introduced by European French not Cajun French speakers, and I never associated it with Cajuns -- although they may have readopted it since)
But enough of that. Man, I can't believe it's been that long and that's the only grocery in the 9th. I wish him luck. Even when you have the best intentions and accolades you still have to find people who know how to help you operate a successful business. Or you end up with something like this place. But if nobody tries, nothing happens.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 3:37 PM on August 21, 2015
But enough of that. Man, I can't believe it's been that long and that's the only grocery in the 9th. I wish him luck. Even when you have the best intentions and accolades you still have to find people who know how to help you operate a successful business. Or you end up with something like this place. But if nobody tries, nothing happens.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 3:37 PM on August 21, 2015
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posted by filthy light thief at 7:40 AM on August 21, 2015 [1 favorite]