Deck the shelves

NGR is on its way to opening a store at its main offices where it will sell plants, fresh fruits and vegetables, and homemade food items such as tarragon infused olive oils, pestos, and hibiscus tea. I am very interested to see what happens when the store opens. I feel like the market the store is going to appeal to are the yuppy hippies (like me, I mean lets admit it). And so they will be buying things, supporting the mission of the non-profit, which is getting fresh foods into neighborhoods that desperately need it. This model for non-profits, self-sustaining, is definitely a good one in these days of decrease donations and fierce competition for grants. But I would also be interested to see, because of its location and the ED's connection with the community, if the store builds a consumer base of the low-income residents of the New Orleans neighborhoods plagued by food deserts. I am sure it will end up a mixture of both, as the coop in the marigny is becoming. And this mixture may be the most important thing that comes out of these types of ventures; bringing together people of different means, different beliefs, races etc.