Now Open: The New Orleans Healing Center!
Hey everyone, its Rachel again ready to tell you about an awesome new community building called the New Orleans Healing Center. The center was envisioned by developer, Pres Kabacoff, after the 2005 levee breech devastated the Lower 9th Ward and St. Claude corridor. Kabcoff’s aim was to revitalize this lively and historic neighborhood by providing “a holistic, safe, and sustainable center” that would “heal and empower” the community through providing a number of environmentally conscious and sustainable resources for the community to enjoy.
The 55,000 square foot center has replaced the blighted Universal Furniture Building at the corner of St. Claude and St. Roch Avenue, and consists of over a dozen businesses. Some of the most exciting resources the center offers include a co-op grocery which buys food in bulk from local providers, keeping prices affordable while still supporting the local economy, and a street university that allows neighbors to teach fun, relevant classes to one another. Another exciting resource is the ASI Federal Credit Union, a micro loan agency which will help local entrepreneurs get their businesses started, as well as a “Business Incubator” office which will provide the necessary resources for new business owners to get their ideas off the ground. In addition, the center offers an Artisans Bazaar which provides affordable booths where local artists can sell their work. Another highlight of the Healing Center is the Istanbul Café, a performance art theatre, where one can enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of the center, a cold drink, and listen to the music and poetry of local artists and musicians. The center also hosts the Maple St. Book Store, Downtown Fitness, Island of Salvation Botanica, Wild Lotus Yoga, and much more!
Through this wide variety of services, the Healing Center hopes to stimulate the economy of the St. Claude corridor, improve the health and well-being of residents within the community, and unify the corridor with the seven surrounding downtown neighborhoods. So come out and enjoy all of the exciting services the New Orleans Healing Center has to offer while supporting our wonderful city at the same time! See you there!
For more info, check out:
http://neworleanshealingcenter.org/