Brick & Mortar Closed

On Sunday November 24, 2024 we closed our brick & mortar shop at 4201 Canal st. This was a tedious and difficult decision to close this part of my business after 12 years. The last two years have been difficult financially and required a slow calculated approach in an industry that is already notoriously difficult. While I absolutely LOVE serving customers, I know it is time to move on to a new chapter. I'm not exactly sure what this new chapter will look like, but the experience of running a cafe open 7 days a week for over a decade will have an unimaginable impact on my life moving forward.

In 2020 as I tried to keep the shop open during unprecedented times, I return to college for a new degree, Dietetics. I decided after a few semesters that becoming a Dietitian would be an amazing next step. I hired a General Manager and went back to school full time, leaving the day to day work of running my business in the hands of someone else. I figured out I loved learning about nutrition and helping others navigate their health in this way. I graduated from Nicholls State University May 2024. I also was accepted into Tulane's Masters of Public Health in Nutrition and Dietetics program. I had to find a way how to attend graduate school and keep the shop open (and make enough money to live on). The answer was clear, close the shop and focus on this new chapter.

Luckily also during the pandemic I created a pantry line that could live on without the physical location of a cafe, but still exist for our customers. Church Alley's pantry line will live on on the shelves at The Good Shop, in deliveries and pick ups with Laughing Buddha, and in a new cafe experience of Church Alley pop ups. Church Alley started as a pop up in beautiful homes around New Orleans and this is where we return.

Our customers will still be able to get some of their favorite products like salad dressing, coffee flavor syrups, and frozen cookie dough. We will also offer a monthly pop up series in beautiful spaces. We hope this new approach to Church Alley nourishes you as much as it does me. Providing new experiences in a fresh way and allowing us to pursue the new things we love. In addition to the pantry line and pop up cafes, I am also offering nutrition coaching. I serve those already on a health journey who need support and encouragement along the way. You can learn more by visiting our new nutrition website: https://www.churchalley.health/

I know no one really likes it when things change. We create this space for you to visit everyday, to connect with those around you, and to enjoy some of your favorite things. But things change and sometimes we have to make hard decisions to move forward. And so here we are together, facing this change in how Church Alley works. Maybe it will take a few moments to get use to it, but I truly hope you follow me into this path. Just like you have all the other times we had to pivot and renew ourselves.

We got this! and don't forget, You're doing great! Keep Going! We love you!