On my way to campus, I pass three Circle Ks, two Texaco stations, one Exxon station, three McDonald’s, two Subways and nine bars. Although these businesses do not constitute all the landmarks during the 10-minute drive from Brightside to Nicholson, they are an overwhelming feature.
The commercial moat slowly encroaching LSU is relieved by a few locally-owned restaurants and hangouts such as Icabod’s, Perk’s and Louie’s. Nonetheless the college student’s insatiable appetite for a hamburger, a beer, a nice outfit and a good time is satisfied more and more by company chains.
Surprisingly, the farther you wander from the hub of ingenuity and idealism of youthful scholars, the more the consumer’s choices are diverse and unique.
Off the beaten path of Bluebonnet and Seigen is Government Street. It runs from the river under Highway 110 past Acadian Thruway until Lobdell Avenue. It is the address for five Revelry articles I’ve written.
Government Street is home to numerous locally-owned art galleries, antique stores and restaurants, not to mention a ballroom dance hall. There are lawyers living next to janitors, homeless wandering with cardboard ads and news reporters working across the street from a music shop. Government Street is a sanctuary for students who can define entertainment without using the words Jaeger, cover charge or drunk bus.
Calandro’s, Chicago’s Steak Bar and Grille, Beebop Music Shop, Caffery Gallery, The Honeymoon Bungalow, Zak’s Art Gallery, Circa 1857, Brother’s BBQ, Lizard Rouge, Phil Brady’s Bar and Grill and Urban 9 Skate Shop are just a few of the many businesses on Government offering the much-needed refuge from Happy Meals and GAP khakis.
The neighborhood is a far cry from the lush College Town and University Lakes housing. The narrow street is spotted with deserted buildings and abandoned gas stations as well as demographics quite different from uptown. But many of the shops and eateries which can’t afford to move closer to campus or simply choose not to are keeping the ghost town of North Baton Rouge from swallowing yet another block.
In a city so heavily influenced by young minds, one of the best and most effective steps we take toward fighting off the cannibalistic monster of company chains and its weapons of mass production is to make our decisions as consumers wisely.
I understand I am benefitting from the capitalistic economy in which I choose to live. But our sense of identity and preference is fed to us by whichever business has the most money to yell the loudest. The uniformity of corporate landscapes from one street to the next quiets originality, and the art houses, coffee shops and blues clubs attempting to provide something individual will be bought out.
Government Street is an inspiration for my stories and a haven for my hobbies. And I may buy a Chai latte from Starbucks or a CD from Wal-Mart because it is easy and cheap. But I don’t want my neighborhood to be a series of mega-stores whose owners have never stepped foot in the building. I don’t want my kids to be limited by what the monopolists think they want. So, I shop on Government Street and write about Government Street. I support the efforts of my neighbors and encourage originality. And I’ll be able to complain if Sam Walton and that redheaded clown turn downtown into a landfill.