The city of New Orleans ended its “Districts After Dark” nighttime crawl series at Parlay’s Tuesday evening, an initiative to help small businesses fight the challenges of the summer slump.
The string of events’ final night took place in City Council District A.
“We are more neighborhood-centric; we don’t have downtown, we don’t have the French Quarter in District A, we just have a lot of local small businesses,” City Councilmember Aimee McCarron said at the first stop of the evening, St. Joe’s Bar. “So it’s really important to get residents more engaged.”
As WDSU has previously reported, multiple businesses across the city have closed this summer.
Jason Mangone, a bartender at Saint Joe’s, said he’s grateful his workplace was included in the event lineup. He said his sales have dropped around 30% this season.
“The summertime blues are real,” Mangone said. “We really start feeling it once the college kids, you know, go home for the summer. Convention business dries up a little bit. Also, we] have some construction out in the neighborhood. All those things you really start feeling.”
The initiative, organized by the City Council and the Mayor’s Office of Nighttime Economy, has brought councilmembers, local influencers, and neighbors to storefronts across the city for five weeks in a row.
“There’s been sort of a years-long, difficult period during the summers that have been they’ve been growing more difficult for a lot of our hospitality businesses,” Robert Henig Bell from the Mayor’s Office of Nighttime Economy said.
Bell said the initiative has been successful in encouraging residents to visit their favorite local businesses and vote for winners online.
“We have to think creatively as a community, as a local government, about what we can do to kind of embrace the hot summer,” Bell said. “It’s not going away. So how do we make it work for people?”
When it comes to that question, Mangone has an idea.
“I know it’s super easy to sit on your couch, watch TV with the air conditioning on, but the city is still functioning out there,” Mangone said. “Get out there and see your friends that you haven’t seen in a while. I know it’s hot, but, you know, get out there, put the air conditioner on in your car and go stop by and say hi to your friend who works over, you know, at the bookstore or at the bar.”
For those who missed this year’s “Districts After Dark” series, the Mayor’s Office of Nighttime Economy plans to host similar events next year.
READ MORE:Districts after dark: New Orleans launches nighttime crawl series to boost small businesses
