Many neighbors have not fully returned to their homes across New Orleans. Gentilly is no different. Scattered between abandoned houses, you will find residents who had to come home because New Orleans is the place they call home.

With sparse populations or definitely smaller communites than before the storm, small businesses have been slow to return and open in various neighborhoods.

One such neighborhood is Gentilly. A 10 minute drive from the French Quarter, Gentilly was once a burguoging neighborhood for working class families, minutes from 3 of New Orleans' largest universities, and one of the few communities still displaying both socio-economic and racial diversity among its residents.

Like most folks, including myself, the owners of the JuJu Bag Cafe, Tommye Myrick and Phyllis Johnson created a new beginning. Never expecting or wanting to own a cafe, the abandoned building Tommye passed for years actually found her.

In her interview with the New Orleans Tribune, she states, everyone told her to tear down the gutted building, but she wanted to save as much as she could.

With Phyllis, her partner, being a Master Barber, adding a barbershop alongside the cafe made sense.

If there was one thing everyone needed after the storm, it was places to go to get normal little things done, like a a hair cut.

In a recent local article, Tommye Myrick, one of the JuJu Bag owners, remembers passing the abandoned building for years, that would become the JuJu Bag.

Wanting to give local residents a place to hang out, congregate, talk, share made it worth it to open up the JuJu Bag Cafe to the residents of Gentilly and beyond.

After the storm, folks also needed places to fax documents and get internet access. The JuJu Bag was there to help.

The JuJu Bag Cafe supports and hosts lots of different event in the community including a weekly poetry night, book signings, Sunday brunch, and even meetings and receptions.

The deck out back makes it an ideal place to hang out, meet in a relaxing environment, or just play hooky.

The JuJu Bag hosts events regularly. Check out the videos below of some recent events.

The Juju Bag Café and Barber Salon at 5363 Franklin Ave in Gentilly. Try the Zora Neale Hurston Shake. I had one recently with soy milk and it was out of sight.