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Dilapidated building turns into a community hub, serving fresh produce to Napoleonville
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NAPOLEONVILLE — Coats and scarves were no match for the cold wind Friday, but that didn't stop a steady stream of customers visiting farmers and vendors along Franklin Ave.
Looking past the broken glass and boarded-up windows, something is growing at a dilapidated building in Assumption Parish.
Ashley Webb started selling produce in New Orleans, and that passion brought her 75 miles from home to Napoleonville. Webb and others set up shop in front of a decaying building, viewing it as an opportunity to bring business back to the village.
"I like the way it looked, the town was cute, and we found this building," Ashley Webb, founder of Barcelo Gardens, said. "We decided to try it out here."
Webb says the last grocery store in town closed two decades ago, and there are few places, besides convenience stores, to buy produce.
Michael Landry has lived in Napoleonville his entire life, and for as long as he can remember, the building has been shuttered and vacant.
"This is an old city," Landry said. "Of course, if you drive around, you can see that."
Planks are spread across the floor, and dust covers everything inside the old building. Webb says she wants to turn the space into an indoor farmers market, but finishing the renovation could take years.
Horticulture experts say a market helps a community thrive.
"We have a problem with people not having enough food," Carl Motsenbocker, LSU Horticulture Professor, said.
According to the advocacy group Feeding Louisiana, three out of every four people in the parish qualify for SNAP benefits. The farmers' markets create access, and the money is fed back into the community.
"When you go to the grocery store, on average, all of the things that you purchase, only 16 cents on the dollar goes to the farmer. The rest goes for marketing, goes for transportation," Motsenbocker said.
Michael Landry said he'll keep coming back week after week.
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