NEW ORLEANS, La. — A new cocktail bar has opened its doors on Decatur Street in the New Orleans French Quarter, the first new business on a stretch where months of construction barricades cut off customers and pushed some shops to close for good.
The Cocktail Hour & The Wolf held its first night Thursday at Decatur and Ursulines, in a building that was once home to Storyville and Margaritaville. The lounge is a joint effort by the people behind two well-known local spots, Turkey and the Wolf and Jewel of the South, and it went from signed lease to open doors in about six weeks.
Mayor Helena Moreno attended a ribbon cutting and said faster permitting helped the owners move quickly. City officials also plan a permitting concierge program meant to speed up approvals for other new businesses.
On Friday, the Moreno administration opened a second round of help for Decatur Street businesses hurt by the work. Eligible owners can get grants of up to $2,500 from the Business Stabilization Fund. To qualify, a business must sit within set boundaries, must have skipped a first-round award, must have been operating since Jan. 1, 2025, and must show it lost revenue to the construction. Applications close Nov. 11.
The Sewerage and Water Board project, priced at $9.8 million, is replacing 115-year-old water mains under Decatur between Esplanade Avenue and Dumaine Street and has closed sections of the street off and on for the past two years, keeping cars and many walkers away from storefronts. The French Quarter Management District and the French Market Corporation are paying for the grants.
Section: More New Orleans LA business news
Filed under: New Orleans LA Business News
