AMY SZPARA

PHOTO: Carol Green, owner of Mama’s Cafe on U.S. Highway 51 in LaPlace, stirs a pot of Creole jambalaya to get ready for the lunch crowd. The cafe opened for business Feb. 19 and she is one of LaPlace’s newest business owners. “Business is coming along,” Green said. “It all depends on what the people want to eat.” Serving Creole-style dishes and delivering to companies with large orders, Green said her business varies from day to day. (Staff Photo by Amy Szpara) LAPLACE – According to the number of new commercial licenses purchased in St. John the Baptist Parish, business is booming up all over the area. A total of 140 new businesses opened between January and now, 120 of them new and the other 20 classified as take-overs. A large part of those businesses are home-based, including Internet companies, but at least a few of them are restaurants, mom-and-pop shops and small retail stores. In addition to those, a few chains, such as Hampton Inn and Walgreen’s, recently opened in LaPlace. Julia Remondet, director of economic development for the parish, said one major accomplishment in the last six months has been the introduction of a new marketing packet for the parish, something it did not have until this point. A St. John the Baptist Parish folder with four inserts detailing several aspects of the area is given to prospective business owners when they inquire about St. John. One insert lists the highways and Interstates in the parish and the distances to major cities from the area. The second insert names the major employers in the parish, and the third insert lists facts about nearby educational institutions and libraries. It also gives the percentage of people who graduate high school and the percentage of those who earn college degrees. The final insert lists miscellaneous facts, including population, employment, income, taxes and other relevant information. Remondet said the parish is also creating a packet to give to new business owners explaining how to get permits, licenses, a sales tax number and other things that have to be in place before opening day. Large corporations that need what is termed “back office operations” contract work out to service centers to handle customer relations. Remondet said St. John will soon be seeing more businesses like that. As far as chains go, St. John Parish probably will not be getting a lot of big names soon. Remondet said those are population-based, and the population in the parish is too small for a lot of chain businesses. A few restaurant chains and several grocery stores are considering St. John Parish, added Remondet, but nothing official has been decided. Though, according to Remondet, a significant number of businesses are on the verge of entering the parish and she plans to focus some training classes on small business owners. She is planning small business workshops to help owners from start-up to expansion. “A lot of little mom-and-pop stores may have a good idea and location, but some are not equipped to make it through the lean months. They get started and do not know everything it takes to make it. Sometimes you go several months without a profit,” she said. Remondet said small business owners have to ask themselves if their idea is feasible, what insurance will cost and what the market is in the area. One problem Remondet faces and plans to remedy is the tracking system of new businesses in the area. Right now the occupational license application given to new business owners is the only tracking utilized by the parish. The application needs a section to indicate whether it is a new license or a renewal, Remondet said. Parish officials also have a difficult time tracking businesses which close. “We need to upgrade our tracking information,” she said. She plans to devise a new tracking system to help the parish keep better track of who is moving in and out of St. John. Another project Remondet is working on is getting the empty buildings in the area filled. Though the old K-Mart building appears to be vacant, it is being used by Stockhausen, which is leasing the structure for storage purposes. Other vacancies include the former buildings utilized by Winn-Dixie, Weiner’s and Delchamps. Though Winn-Dixie still holds the lease on the building until 2002, the company can sub-lease the building if it chooses to do so. Remondet is presently marketing the remaining buildings to prospective businesses.