New Orleans Magazine September 2011 issue:
"Into the Future- New Orleans Magazine People to Watch 2011"
PROFILES BY ALEX GECAN, MORGAN PACKARD AND SARAH RAVITS
Photography Jeffery Johnston
Kellie Grengs - Co-Founder, The New Freret; Costume Designer, Loyola University Theatre Arts and Dance Department
New Orleans is a city of streets with character: Bourbon, Frenchmen, Magazine, St. Claude and St. Charles (avenues), Oak and, most recently, Freret. The revitalization of the eight-block stretch of the “new” Freret Street has been due largely to the effort of the Freret Business and Property Owner Association, which now calls itself The New Freret.
Kellie Grengs, a Loyola University extraordinary assistant professor and Freret neighborhood resident, is one of the three board members of FBPOA; she keeps the board organized and brings in experts to help small business owners.
“Our corridor has been anchored with 15-plus years of blight,” says Grengs. “Once the corridor is stabilized, the surrounding neighborhoods can really come back to life.” The rebirth has begun with Cure bar, Dat Dog, Adolfo Garcia’s restaurants High Hat Café and Ancora and several studio and gallery spaces as well as other retailers and restaurants.
The New Freret is a 2010 Markham Mark of Distinction recipient