Business Profile: Your Happy Garden and the Love of Landscaping

“We are creating beautiful, enjoyable green spaces for our clients, and that makes them happy,” said Shelley Midura, owner of Your Happy Garden, a landscaping business servicing most of the Greater New Orleans area.  Midura is the former District A Councilwoman who started Your Happy Garden in 2015, a few years after her Council term ended in 2010. Midura had enjoyed gardening for years.  “Like many people, I liked working in the dirt,” she said. “Although it can be physically taxing, it’s grounding, it’s very satisfying.”  It was after a weekend of gardening in her Dad’s backyard that she realized that she wanted to find a way to turn her passion into her vocation. She explained: “I had to work in an office the next day.

Business Profile: Cherry Coffee, Roasted in New Orleans

It’s been one year since Cherry Coffee Roasters opened shop in the Lower Garden District. What started as a popup at Stein’s Deli in 2013 has grown into two shops, each with its own personality, and each serving locally-roasted coffee. A neighborhood needs more than just another coffee shop, says owner and coffee lover Lauren Fink. She had worked in the industry for 15 years and saw an opportunity with Cherry to bring her love for taste and flavor to others. “I love experiencing flavors.

Business Profile: Caring about the mental health of children, adults and families

Sponsored by CBT NOLA

Whether it’s developmental disabilities or deep social anxiety, both children and adults deal with a wide range of mental distress. There’s no better way to assess, diagnose, and treat these needs than with intentional, evidence-based therapy close to home. On a charming corner of Magazine Street sits The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Center of New Orleans, or CBT NOLA for short, a space where anyone can receive the kind of treatment that fits. There is a lack of mental health resources in New Orleans, and there aren’t many practitioners who specialize in developmental delays, working with kids, or mental health in general. According to the most recent U.S. News & World Report, Louisiana ranks 47th in Health Care and 37th in Mental Health out of all 50 states.

Business Profile: Midway Pizza and the Pride of Freret

Sponsored by Midway Pizza

Ben Sherman and Stephen Watson have built a culture of great staff, good food, and gracious company over the last several years at Midway Pizza on Freret Street. They are on track to open a second location in the new airport this February with the same funky-cool feeling the Uptown community loves. With a true neighborhood feel and “the best staff in the city,” the pizza joint is proud to be a staple for the Freret corridor. Co-owner Ben Sherman sat with Uptown Messenger—on his birthday of all days—to talk big about the restaurant, their great staff, and the neighbors he loves so much. “Our goal has always been to be a part of this neighborhood.