​After 25 years operating a successful gallery in New Orleans, Becky and Ed Edwards (B.E.E.) open a location in the Bay.
 
- story by Lisa Monti, photos by Ellis Anderson

Developer Jim MacPhaille announces three new restaurants coming to the Depot District. The first?  All-American barbecue. 

- story by Lisa Monti

A mother-daughter team serves up sugary goodness in Waveland with custom cakes and an array of daily delights - all baked up in-house. 

- story by Lisa Monti
- photos by Ellis Anderson 

A new national awareness of racism engenders another serious consideration of the Mississippi flag, on both statewide and local levels. 

- by Ellis Anderson 

Bay St. Louis and eight Bay businesses swept up a lion's share of the Best of Mississippi awards this year, thanks to lots of local support.

- story by Lisa Monti
​- photos by Ellis Anderson 

One of the coast's favorite healthy eateries branches out into meal planning and take-out.  The main take-away?  What's healthy can also be delicious! 

- story by Lisa Monti 

Two local retailers - and longtime Shoofly Magazine sponsors - hit the "reset" button in time for holiday shopping:  California Drawstrings and Pass Books. 

- story by Lisa Monti

One of the hottest entrepreneurs in the South has chosen Bay St. Louis as the next location for a new Fleurty Girl shop, slated to open in early 2020.

-  by Lisa Monti from Lisa Monti's Notebook
photos by Ellis Anderson

Several new businesses have opened in Old Town in the first six months of this year, the lion's share of them on the first block of Main.  Meet some of the business people behind this flurry of entrepreneurship.  

story and photos by Ellis Anderson

Closest to the beach is the new Field’s Steak and Oyster Bar (111 Main Street, A).  It’s the newest flagship among the eight Mississippi restaurants owned by the Nicaud family – including Bacchus on the Beach in Pass Christian and Biloxi. 
 
Chef Field Nicaud heads up the new restaurant.  He recently returned from New York after studying at the Institute of Culinary Education and gaining experience in two of Manhattan’s fine dining establishments.  

Nicholas Carter, who has worked for the Nicauds for eight years as their “all around guy” and opening manager, says that the family of restauranteurs has always had its eyes on the Bay.  
 
“It had to be the right space and the right time,” said Carter.  When C&C’s Italian Bistro closed earlier this year, the Nicauds scooped up the location and began redecorating.  Carter said that although it was a beautiful space before, the goal was to lighten and brighten the atmosphere.  

​One C&C’s fixture that stayed behind was the custom brick oven which now turns out flat breads and oysters.  
 
Field’s is open Wednesday for dinner (6pm – 9m, bar opens at 3pm), Thursday through Saturday (11am – 9pm, Friday and Saturday ‘til 10pm) and Sunday, 11am – 2pm for brunch.  
 
According to Carter the food is so special, “some people are coming here twice a day.” 
 
“I might be biased,” he said with a smile, “but I feel guilty calling it just ‘food.’”  

​
​A few doors down, Ocean Springs business Marina Cottage Soap Company, opened its Bay location in March.   Owner Vanessa Mueller was met with a warm welcome and has since become a resident of Bay St. Louis.  
 
Mueller carries natural skin care products, catering to those with sensitive skin.  One best seller is her Gneau Gnaughtly Gnat natural insect repellent, voted as most effective by Outdoor Life in both 2014 and 2015. 
 
In the back of her spacious storefront, she’s been working on “The Warehouse,” a new event space that is slated to open this summer.  The venue will be able to host receptions, parties and weddings.  Special events that are open to the public will be ticketed through online sales, with a limited number available.  

​ 
“It’s basically a community driven space, 1700 square feet of fun,” Mueller says. “We want it to be different from other establishments on the street.”  
 
“The city’s been fantastic to work with” during the build-out process and the entrepreneur says she loves living in the warm-hearted town. 

“It’s nice to have people wave and greet me as ‘the Soap Lady,” as I walk down the street, she said.  “Everybody’s looking out for everybody else.  It’s why I wanted to move here.” 

​​Fashionista and owner Chelsea Cure’s new space may be small, but it’s packed with power.
 
“Our concept is to carry clothes that are trendy, but classic – pieces that become wardrobe staples,” said Cure.  “I want designs to be current and fashion-forward, but still feel great and look good a year from now.” 
 
The lines Sage carries also appeal to a wide range of customers. Their denim line, Liverpool, is especially hot, said Cure.  One day recently she sold pairs of the pull-on pants to a 15-year-old and to a 70-year-old woman. 
 
Accessories like Buddha Girl bangles are a big hit as well, since they’re wearable in the water and at the beach and the soft, flexible material doesn’t make noise when several are worn at once. Cure carries gift items like unique candles as well, with more on the way.  
 
While many of her customers are locals, a good number are out of town visitors and boaters who have docked in the harbor. 
 
“We had people in here last week from Australia,” said Cure, who grew up on the coast.  “They love what Old Town has going on. And so do I.” 

​Also opening doors this spring is Salty Soul, specializing in nautical themed clothing, décor and gifts – but with a masculine slant.  
 
Owner Jane Alford’s first boutique, Bay-tique, has become an Old Town anchor over the past several years. Yet, she noticed men twiddling their thumbs while their wives were shopping and realized there was nothing in Old Town to interest them.  The large space at 126 Main became available in April when fellow boutique owner Melissa Hamilton purchased her own building a few doors up.  Alford jumped. 
 
She’s had the idea for Salty Soul years before and went into the new business with plenty of experience and established relationships with quality vendors.  Alford, who designs many of her own products, is also carrying yoga and sportwear.   

​Locals began celebrating when they saw construction work taking place at the historic Creole cottage at 146 Main Street.  While major structural repairs had been undertaken after Hurricane Katrina, the building had been vacant for 14 years. 

Last fall, real estate developer and Kiln resident Harry Fisher began plans to renovate the cottage as a duplex and build an addition.  His first tenants are Jay and Elise Kobs, a contractor and interior design duo.  
 
Jay Kobs hails from Hattiesburg and his wife grew up in Pittsburg.  The couple moved to the Bay from Colorado to be closer to Jay’s father who recently turned 80. 

The couple leased both sides of the duplex so Steel Magnolia Decorating and High Tide Builders, LLC are side by side. They plan to have a ribbon cutting in the near future. 
 
When pressed for a date, Jay laughed. “She’s an interior designer,” he said.  “Until it’s perfect, nobody’s coming in.” 

​The first block of Main ends where it's intersected by Second Street.  From the corner, historic Century Hall beckons, its vast interior home to more than a dozen different shops.

Restored by Vicki and Doug Niolet and Ann Tidwell post-Katrina, the lower two levels have hosted arts, antiques and gift businesses since 2008.  Yet, the building’s third floor remained uninhabitable for years until New Orleans developer/owner Jim McPhaille purchased the building and began work last year.  
​

Artist Tami Curtis Guy first opened Tami Curtis Studio in the lower floors of Century Hall last year. Now the well-known Louisiana artist has expanded and added one of the new spaces upstairs as well, where she’ll be able to offer painting classes and group “paint parties.” 
 
Transforming another one of the third floor spaces into a scene from a French living room is Holly McNaughton, owner of Holly House, which offers "imaginative home décor." 
​

​Century Hall manager, Susan Peterson, said in July, they’ll be joined on the third floor by Jane Evans Designs, an award-winning artist who works on canvas and in ceramics, focusing on religious and cultural iconography,” according to her website. 
 
On the second floor, earlier this year the Century Hall gallery reorganized.  Managed now by Susan Peterson, the sleek space features contemporary art by some of the region's top talent.  

​Across from the gallery, a new home design store has settled in, Sassy Bird Interiors.  Holly Harrison, a residential interior designer for more than 30 years in Baton Rouge, teamed up with Shannon Stage, also originally from Baton Rouge.  

​Stage and her husband owned a house on Sycamore Street pre-Katrina and built back in 2013.  Now she spends as much time in the Bay as she can and likes to call it “home.” 
 
Stage’s experience ranges from 17 years as owner of a wholesale giftware business to being executive director of a green-building non-profit.  Both Stage and Harrison have a special interest in “creating inspiring spaces that are healthy.”  
 

The two carry artwork, lighting and lamps, pieces for home entertaining, home accessories and furniture. The mix is “lots of fun new things with antiques mixed in.” 
 
“We both believe that spaces should be beautiful to look at, but also healthy places for families to be, “ Stage said.  “That means we pay attention to everything from rugs to upholsteries to make sure they’ve been made using environmentally sound practices.” 
 
For instance, the pair sought out washable cotton cocktail napkins that can be reused.  Durability is important too, as they want the things they sell "to be treasured for a long time.” 
 
As for the name?  Stage says she’s been called “Sassy” for years and Holly’s been known as “Birdy,” so Sassy Bird Interiors was born. 

MS Southern Rail Commissioner Knox Ross on why the funding was needed and how passenger rail service on the coast is critical to future economic development.  

- story and photos by Ellis Anderson

According to a statement issued today by the office of U.S. Senator Roger Wicker – a long-time advocate of passenger rail service on the coast – the Mississippi senator believes that “Reconnecting the Gulf Coast to our nation’s passenger rail network will increase access to jobs, provide an alternative to highway travel, and improve quality of life in the region.”

​Southern Rail commissioner Knox Ross agrees. 

​“Restored passenger rail service will spark economic development along the coast,” said Ross in a telephone interview this afternoon.  “The Mississippi coast towns are already set up for it.  They have stations downtown, with vital and attractive downtown areas that have been the beneficiaries of substantial investments since Katrina.”  

​Knox said that presently while there is some limited public bus transportation on the coast, there is nothing that runs between all the coast cities or between the coast and New Orleans.  This puts the coast at a distinct disadvantage, because in the field of economic development, “the ability to get around is becoming more important all the time.” 
 
“If someone on the coast needs to go to the New Orleans, they have to get a ride or drive themselves,” Ross said.  “People in the Mobile ship building business are renting vans to transport employees across the coast and the New Orleans.”
 

​
​Ross also noted that the coast is missing out on an important tourism market.  
 
“750,000 people from other countries around the world are visiting New Orleans each year,” he said.  “Many would love to take a day trip out of the city and see more of this country, but they can’t get to the coast unless they rent a car.” 
 
The Southern Rail Commission will help put together operating agreements with Amtrak and between Amtrak and CSX Railroad (which actually owns the tracks).  Amtrak estimates the improvements will be completed within 24 months.  

When it begins service, two passenger trains will run from New Orleans to Mobile each day – one in the morning and one in the evening.  A morning and evening train will also run from Mobile to New Orleans daily.  
 
“We’re grateful to Senator Wicker and his team – and all the other supporters who understand what a difference rail service will make,” Said Ross.
​

Jane Alford’s new store on the 100 block of Main Street fills a gap by offering sportswear and men’s clothing with a nautical flair. 

- story and photos by Ellis Anderson
​

Alford says she actually came up with the Salty Soul concept several years ago and began designing products, like t-shirts and hats, to offer in Bay-Tique. Two factors fueled her decision to open the new retail location.
 
 In December, the only local retailer of sportswear – Green Canyon Outfitter – closed.  A few months later, one of Old Town’s prime locations became available when bijoubel owner Melissa Hamilton purchased a historic building a few doors down from her 126 Main St. location and moved into her new digs. 
​

The 126 Main Street building is owned by chef Nancy Moynan, whose restaurant, Lulu’s on Main, is located in the back.  She’s a long-time neighbor and friend of Alford’s.  The two women began kicking around ideas, asking themselves what was missing in Old Town.   It was obvious to both that since Green Canyon closed there was no place that specialized in men’s apparel.  

“We batted it around and said, ‘Let’s do it!’” Alford says.  

Alford is going into the new venture with the experience, the network and the know-how of a seasoned retailer.
​ 
“Bay-Tique has been very successful,” she says.  “For each of the seven years we’ve been in business, we’ve met or exceeded our goals.” 
​

​Alford attributes the success of Bay-Tique to several factors.  

“Hard work, great employees – like my manager, Karen Grumbine – and the growth of Bay St. Louis in general. I’m a big believer in the Bay.” 

The guests in Alford’s Carroll House Bed & Breakfast, a few blocks away, also help by giving her feedback on what they like about Bay St. Louis and what they’d like to see in the future. 

The entrepreneur laughs when asked to name her favorite thing about the new shop. 
​
“When the ladies come to shop at Bay-Tique, we can send their husbands across the street,” she says with a smile.  
​

Offering a menu that changes daily, eat-in dining, and take-home meals, local caterer Tara Davis is sizzling with fresh ideas at the new Savage Skillet restaurant.
​
-story by Lisa Monti, photos by Ellis Anderson  

​A week’s worth of Savage Skillet breakfast and lunch menus are posted on social media at the beginning of each week. There are also Grab & Go items to eat in or take out and retail food items from Mississippi and Louisiana. 
 
Another new twist is the pricing: the breakfast and lunch menus have two daily options, one under $10 and the other around $10.
 
At last Sunday’s friends and family feeding, the food coming out of the kitchen practically shimmered with freshness: Spring mix salad with citrus dressing, perfectly cooked flank steak with homemade sauce, wraps packed with pork loin and veggies, tangy-sweet tomato and bacon jam bruschetta and pulled pork topped with house-made pineapple salsa. ​

Everything we sampled - including the roasted fruit, amazing hummus and creamy pimento cheese - showed that Chef Tara and Savage Skillet are raising the bar locally on fresh menu offerings.
 
Chef Tara is from Hattiesburg and first visited the Bay area with her family. “I always loved it and intended to come back to the area when the time was right.” She went to culinary school in Texas where she cooked professionally and earned a sommelier certification. She’s also worked on farms, in vineyards and breweries, food trucks and high-end restaurants.
 
She eventually moved to Bay St. Louis in October 2016 and for the last two years has been in the catering business under the Savage Skillet brand. She intended all along to open a restaurant, she said, “and here we are.” The catering business operates alongside the restaurant at the corner of Highway 90 and Bouslog across from the Post Office. She has four full time and one part time employees helping her.

 
Breakfast at Savage Skillet consists of various tacos (a tortilla filled with breakfast ingredients ) and house-made salsas - plus some weekly specials. Prices start at $3 and go to $5.95. The lunch menu has two items, from $5.95 to $11.95. Recent selections were flank steak with a caprese salad and tomato-bacon jam bruschetta or Quinoa-shitake soup and plum-ricotta or buttermilk chicken bruschetta. 
 
Savage Skillet stocks a cooler and freezer with prepared foods from $3 to $11. Items change weekly, but some are always available including soups, fruit salads, green salads, veggies, wraps and lasagna. The tasty variations of chicken salads also are always on hand.

The Savage Skillet name comes from Chef Tara’s philosophy that no kitchen functions properly without a big skillet. It also reflects a combination of her classical training and extensive experience with a love of off-the-cuff cooking. 
 
But don’t look for anything deep-fried. “Everything you can do to food, we do it, we just don’t fry. It’s not my cooking style and also there are lots of places to get good fried food.”

Savage Skillet 
1248 C Highway 90
Bay St Louis
228.344.3017
https://www.savageskillet.com
 
Storefront Hours:
Wednesday - Saturday
6:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
 Breakfast 6:30 a.m. - 10 a.m.
 Lunch 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

This popular Ocean Springs-based business will open a new location in Old Town Bay St. Louis later this month. 
- story by Lisa Monti, Lisa Monti's Notebook 

Mueller said she’s toyed with the idea of expanding for about a year and thought Bay St. Louis would be “a perfect spot.” Now, she says, the two Marina Cottage Soap stores will be like bookends on the Coast.

The Bay St. Louis location will have a full retail store in front plus a large space in back to host events where you can learn how to make lotions and other bath products while enjoying live music. Think date night, birthdays or girls night out. “We can’t do that in Ocean Springs because of limited space,” she said.

Mueller has chosen two local nonprofits - Ruth’s Roots and Starfish Cafe - as beneficiaries as a way of paying back for Marina Cottage's good fortune. “They are two very special places and we want to do fundraising for them,” she said. 

Marina Cottage Soap on Main Street will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.  

Follow the new Bay St. Louis location progress on Facebook and Instagram.

Lisa Monti is a veteran journalist who writes and edits for the Shoofly Magazine.  She also publishes her own blog, Lisa Monti's Notebook, with Bay St. Louis building reports, agendas and more.  You can subscribe for free. 

Seven years ago, entrepreneur Melissa Hamilton opened her first small shop.  That business has grown exponentially and is now moving into a permanent home of its own.  
- story and photos by Ellis Anderson

​In its most recent renovation, the building was set up as a duplex.  For more than a decade, one side has served as a gift shop and gallery specializing in garden art, Twin Light Creations.  Twin Light owners Pam Collins and Joy Panks have lived in the stylish one bedroom apartment on the other side of the building. 
 
Hamilton is moving bijoubel into the shop side of 136 Main and will use the apartment side as a vacation rental.  Off the large covered porch in back, a studio space will become the new home for the Joan Vass shop.
 
Hamilton says she’s been shopping for a permanent shop location to purchase since she began her business seven years ago. 
 
“I knew if I was going to stay in business, buying would be an investment for my future,” she says.  

​Hamilton had looked at 136 Main when Collins and Panks had put the building on the market several years ago.  However, she didn’t make an offer and “put it out of my head.”
 
Over the Christmas holidays, Hamilton needed a ladder to hang Christmas decorations and went next door to 136 Main to borrow from her neighbors.  The casual conversation turned serious when she discovered the building was still for sale.  Hamilton and her husband made an offer and closed the sale in the end of February. 
 
The shop area at 136 Main is 1100 square feet – the same amount bijoubel currently occupies.  The move will begin right after the March 9th Second Saturday Artwalk and be complete by the end of March.  Hamilton doesn’t plan on any down time whatsoever. 
 
Hamilton expects the central Old Town location of the building and its history to keep the vacation rental filled.  Listed as the Angelone House on VRBO, reservations can be made starting in the middle of May.

​“The first time I walked in the building, it felt right,” Hamilton says.  “It’s got a historic great vibe and we’re definitely planning to add to it.
 
“Buying the cottage is the right move for me and my husband,” says Hamilton. “With the growth the town is having, it’s a prime time to have a business here.  We’re very excited about the Bay’s future.  I’m just grateful to be a part of it.”
 

A new pub menu in the evening and new offerings for breakfast and lunch prove this restaurant's team is always open to fresh ideas.
-story by Ellis Anderson

For instance, debuting on the breakfast menu are Avacado Toast and Prosciutto Toast, joining the already popular cast of egg breakfast plates, frittatas, Pulled Pork and Grits, and Chicken & Waffles.  ​
​

​However, the biggest “new” at the Mockingird is the evening Pub Fare menu.  It’s offered Thursday through Saturday evenings from 5pm until closing (during the Second Saturday Artwalk each month, the pub menu will start at 2pm). 
 
Alongside the classic Mockingburger (still only $10 with homemade chips) and veggie Garden Burger, three different tacos take front and center stage.  They're all served up on a special hybrid tortilla made in New Orleans from 60% corn and 40% flour.

​ The two meat versions feature pulled pork drizzled with homemade expresso barbeque sauce, and grilled chicken with the ‘Bird’s own pico sauce and cheddar, topped with sriracha sour cream.  

​The meatless variety is just as hardy, filled with Garden Burger makings.  Order one taco for $3, two for $5 and three for only $7. 

​Can’t decide?  Try a $12 taco and beer flight and you’ll get one of each taco, paired with three 5oz servings of local beers like Lazy Magnolia’s Southern Pecan, Chandeleur’s Freemason and Mighty Miss’s American Pale Ale.  
 
If you’re just in the snacking mode, dive into the “still crackling” pork rinds fried up fresh in the kitchen. In addition, loaded French fries, pretzel bites and a meat & cheese board provide savory accompaniments to the adult beverages co-starring on the menu. ​
​

 
All drinks and house wines on the evening menu are $5, with pitchers of beer available as well ($15). Warm weather favorites are the Lushy Lemonade (spiked with vodka), Mimosas and the Mockingbird’s secret-recipe Sangria. The unforgettably named (and delectably tasting) Tequila Mockingbird is a mixture of rosemary honey, rosemary tequila and blood orange juice.  

Naturally, coffee drinks rank high on the menu.  A Bird Brew Martini blends cold brew coffee, vodka and vanilla.  One of the most intriguing libations offered is an Irish coffee made with Jameson’s, Baily’s Irish Cream liquor and a nitrogen-infused cold brew coffee called Bright-Eyed Nitro.  

​According to the ‘Bird’s operation and marketing manager, Whitney LaFrance, the relatively new cold-drip product is made in Ocean Springs.  The infusion process makes the cold drip taste creamier, without the addition of any dairy. 
 
LaFrance and Mockingbird general manager Laura Hurt have both worked at the Mockingbird since it first opened 13 years ago, in August 2006.  The two may be managers now, but regular customers still use their original titles: Coffee Goddesses.
 
“We’ve been here so long, the Mockingbird is much more than just a restaurant to us,” LaFrance said. “We have a really fantastic team too.  Everyone [who works] here cares about the community and the people we serve.”

LaFrance said the café loves to change things up from time to time to stay current.  Fresh ideas are sometimes offered by customers, but most originate from staff members.  The entire team enjoys traveling and scouts out adventures in eating wherever they go.
 
“We all enjoy talking about new ideas we’ve found and brought back to the Bay,” she said.  “It’s great watching those ideas skyrocket here at home.” ​
​

Lisa Monti's got the mouth-watering story on a new restaurant that's opening on Main Street this spring. 
- from Lisa Monti's Notebook 

Restaurateur Jourdan Nicaud, Field’s brother, said this will be the first restaurant the 23-year-old Field will be opening. It doesn’t have a name yet but “the goal is to open up around the beginning of April,” Jourdan said.

He said Field has been studying and working for the past two years in New York where he attended the Institute of Culinary Education and worked at the storied 11 Madison Park and La Nacional. Just this week Field worked with Jose Garces in the Iron Chef’s Philadelphia restaurant.

Jourdan Nicaud said the new restaurant’s steaks will be aged in house and hand cut and sell for $20 and up. Field is working on the menu’s specialty oyster recipes and Jourdan said he hopes to serve locally harvested oysters.
​
Jourdan owns Charred, a steakhouse/oyster bar in Ocean Springs, Bacchus on the Beach in Pass Christian and Biloxi, and Fill-Up with Billups breakfast/brunch restaurants in Biloxi, Jackson, Oxford and one opening next month next to his Hotel Pass Christian.

You can easily subscribe to Lisa Monti's Notebook blog on its home page! 

The first episode of “Inside Out with HL Raymond Properties” is set to premiere January 13, 2019.  Get the inside scoop from producer Holly Lemoine-Raymond, find details on the Premiere Party (Jan. 12) and check-out the show's schedule. 
- story by Ellis Anderson

Watch the thirty-second trailer for Inside Out

Like many popular home shows, Inside Out invites viewers into upscale houses for video tours.  But Lemoine-Raymond has added an interactive twist:  viewers are shown three exterior views of the houses and three interiors. The viewer has to guess which ones match up, which they’ll be able to do online with Facebook. ​

​Lemoine-Raymond says that working with the HGTV crews inspired her to find creative new ways to sell property on the coast and led to the production of the series.  She assembled her own production crew who wrote, filmed and edited the first episodes over the past six months.  
 
Twelve episodes will make up the first season of Inside Out.  Six have already been produced.  Later in the year, six more episodes will be completed.   The most expensive house that’s being featured is nearly a million dollars, with the least expensive in the mid-200 dollar range.  

​Each episode ends up with a short DIY segment by Lemoine-Raymond, or a real estate tip from one of her guests. ​While the properties featured on Inside Out are all HL Raymond Property listings, the broker says the entire Mississippi coast should benefit. ​

“The series and its companion social media campaigns give us an opportunity to introduce this area to new audiences,” said Lemoine-Raymond. 
 
The broker does double-duty on Inside Out, acting as both the show’s host and director.  

​“I’m there in the cutting room for every single episode,” she said.  “It’s so exciting to see the vision come to life.” 

The Premiere Party will take place on Saturday, January 12, 5pm - 8pm at Dan B's Restaurant, 109 S. Beach Boulevard, Bay St. Louis.  Meet cast and crew while seeing a sneak peek of the first episode that will air the following night. Dr. Rock Band will perform after the party.  Donations for Friends of the Animal Shelter will also be accepted. 

One new commercial building and an addition to one of the oldest buildings on the coast have been approved by the BSL Historic Preservation Commission, with construction slated to begin soon. 
- story by Lisa Monti

Plans submitted to the Bay St. Louis Historic Preservation Commission for their Oct. 8th meeting show the proposed development at 128 Main Street with space for a restaurant and six boutique-sized spaces for lease.  The HPC approved the plans for the new building design.  

The project goes next before the Planning and Zoning Commission and then the city council for approval. 

 “We hope to start in 60 days and be ready for spring,” Fisher said.
​
​

Fisher is also awaiting a building permit to extend the rear of the building on his property at 146 Main at Gex Street, across from the Courthouse. When the work is done, Fisher will divide the building in half and make the space available for vacation rental and/or retail.  

The historic cottage, built in the 1840s, was home to "The Light," a small local newspaper in the mid-1900s run by Jeannette Carmichael.  Carmichael owned a pet monkey that became a community celebrity.  Residents eventually dubbed the cottage "The Monkey House."  Later the building served as law offices. 
​

In the mid-90s, Shoofly Magazine publisher Ellis Anderson purchased the building and renovated.  Anderson, a silver-smith who opened her first studio and gallery in the New Orleans French Quarter in 1984, opened the second location of Quarter Moon Gallery in the Main Street cottage.  The gallery was twice named one of Southern Living Magazine's Favorite Shops in the South. Anderson operated the gallery from 1996 until 2005, when she sold the building. 
​

A mid-60s addition in the rear of the Creole cottage was torn down post-Katrina.  While the building was gutted, stabilized and raised off the ground, it has been vacant since the hurricane. 

​The new addition that was approved by the BSL Historic Preservation Commission in September adds another eight-feet to the rear of the building. 

Fisher said the 146 Main Street property is getting a good bit of attention from the curious public.  The developer thinks he’s gotten more calls about the building than he’s ever gotten about any of his projects.  

​“We’ll be ready to go as soon as we have the permit in hand,” he said.

Editor's Note:  Former owner of 146 Main Street, Ellis Anderson, is working on a story about the "Monkey House."  She's looking for copies of "The Light" and stories about Mrs. Carmichael.  If you can help, please contact her at publisher@bslshoofly.com

A historic Bay St. Louis barbershop has a new life ahead as home to a popular salon.
- story by Lisa Monti, photo by Michael Rosato

Nikki Moon's story of creating a successful B&B despite unimaginable obstacles is featured in a segment on PBS's popular "Start Up" series - and it's now available to stream.  
- story by Ellis Anderson 

Now that the episode has been made available on the Internet, it's gained a whole new audience.  Moon says "the phone has been ringing off the hook" with people calling to congratulate her. 

In the interview, Moon discussed her first career in sales.  When asked by host Bredow what she sold, her response:  "A very strange commodity; I sold New Orleans."  The former tourism director of sales explained that she worked for the city's tourism division from 1979 until 2013.  

Moon left the job the first time in 2003 when she purchased a historic bed-and-breakfast on the beachfront in Bay St. Louis.  Two years later, Hurricane Katrina destroyed the inn and nearly took her life.   The interview follows her through the trials and tragedy that followed, which led to her eventually rebuilding a new Bay Town Inn on the site of the former one. 

Moon has obviously not forgotten her original career.  In the interview, she touted Bay St. Louis as being a charming arts community by the water with great restaurants and boutique shopping.  She also lauded the town's walkability and safety. 

The Bay's Historic District earned high marks too - the inn is located within the district  and the city's Historic Commission had oversight of the new inn's design. "It [the Historic District] is a great thing, because it keeps everything with the right look." 

When Bredow asked Moon to name the hardest thing about working for herself, she said it's the fact there's nobody to blame when she makes a mistake.  The best? The rewarding feelings she has making travelers' experience in Bay St. Louis a positive one.

Moon's final advice to those contemplating starting their own businesses?

​"Just do it!" she said.